Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca was arrested with 13 other people in an operation targeting an alleged criminal organization within the judiciary and Public Prosecutor’s Office, Interior Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo said. The arrests came two days after the United States revoked Mariaca’s visa and accused him of accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and help violent criminals evade justice. The investigation followed the circulation of video and audio recordings attributed to suspected Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastian Marset, who allegedly described Mariaca as a friend and claimed to have paid $500,000 to remain in Bolivia and continue operating. Marset was captured in Bolivia in March and later transferred to the United States, where he awaits trial. Mariaca denied the accusations, calling the US decision political interference linked to investigations he had overseen. The arrests came as La Paz and Washington seek to improve relations, with President Rodrigo Paz, who took office in November 2025, pursuing a $1.9 billion IMF program approved by Bolivia’s congress last month. Washington also revoked the visas of 12 Bolivian officials and blacklisted nearly 20 people from Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador for corruption, drug-trafficking links or plotting against their governments.