Sebastián Marset
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10 April 1991
Gabriel de Souza Beumer
Sebastián Marset | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera 10 April 1991 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Other names | Luis Paulo Amorim Santos, Gabriel de Souza Beumer |
| Occupations | drug trafficker, businessman, former footballer |
| Spouse | Gianina García Troche |
| Children | 4 |
| Convictions | Bolivia and Paraguay: drug trafficking; United States: money laundering |
Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera (born 10 April 1991) is a former Uruguayan drug lord accused by authorities in several countries of leading an international cocaine trafficking and money laundering network known as the Primer Cartel Uruguayo (PCU). Considered one of the most wanted criminals in the Southern Cone for years, he was believed to have had links to groups such as the Insfrán Clan of Paraguay, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) of Brazil, and the Italian 'Ndrangheta. He was captured on 13 March 2026, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, during a major police operation and immediately extradited to the United States by DEA agents to face federal charges.[1][2][3][4]
Marset was born in Montevideo and grew up in the Piedras Blancas neighborhood. His first links to drug trafficking date back to 2012, when he received an air shipment of hundreds of kilograms of marijuana from Paraguay, sent by Juan Domingo Viveros Cartes, uncle of former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes.[5] In 2013, he was arrested in Uruguay for another drug shipment, confessed his involvement, and was convicted. He served his sentence at the Libertad Penitentiary until his release in 2018. During his incarceration, he established key contacts with members of the Brazilian PCC and other transnational networks.
Rise and international expansion
After his release from prison, Marset settled in Paraguay, where he created shell companies such as Total Cars to launder money. Between 2018 and 2022, he consolidated the PCU, a logistical structure that coordinated massive shipments of cocaine from Bolivia and Paraguay to European ports (mainly Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal). The network handled tons per operation and generated tens of millions of dollars.[6]
He used multiple false identities and passports from different countries. In 2021, he was arrested in Dubai with a fake Paraguayan passport. While in detention, he applied for and obtained a Uruguayan passport issued in accordance with the regulations in force at the time.[7] The episode triggered a political scandal in Uruguay, which led to the resignations of several high-ranking officials and the subsequent modification of the regulations that had allowed the procedure.[8][9]
He maintained a public facade: he registered as a footballer for Deportivo Capiatá (Paraguay) and Leones de El Torno (Bolivia), where he managed the club, and presented himself as a music entrepreneur and event promoter.
Accusations and connections
Marset is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, which occurred on 10 May 2022, in Cartagena, Colombia, during his honeymoon. He was implicated in Operation A Ultranza PY (Paraguay, 2022), which dismantled part of his network and linked the PCU to seizures of more than 16 tons of cocaine in Europe. In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted him for conspiracy to launder money through the U.S. financial system. The DEA listed him among its most wanted fugitives, and the State Department offered a reward of up to US$2 million.