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. Authorities launched the operation after videos and audio recordings attributed to suspected Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastian Marset circulated. The material allegedly described Mariaca as a friend and claimed Marset 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 U.S. accusations, calling the visa decision political interference linked to investigations he had overseen. The arrests occurred 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. The United States also revoked the visas of 12 Bolivian officials, while nearly 20 people from Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador were blacklisted for corruption, drug-trafficking links or plotting against their governments.