William Acosta, CEO of Equalizer Investigations for FinGurú
Introduction
The story of Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera exemplifies the metamorphosis of Latin American organized crime into a global, adaptable, and protected network. Arising from the margins of drug dealing in Uruguay and the Libertad prison, Marset rose to articulate international routes, use multiple identities, establish front companies, and receive state and diplomatic protection. His influence extends to Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, Dubai, and the European continent, as well as to the Venezuela-Caribbean corridor. The magnitude of his operations, his connection to high-profile homicides, and his central role in the New Drug Trafficking Board demand urgent reflection on the mechanisms of transnational impunity and complicity that challenge judicial and police response capacity in the 21st century (BBC Mundo, 2023; OCCRP, 2025).
Criminal Trajectory and International Expansion
Marset took his first steps in Uruguayan criminality linked to street-level trafficking and illicit associations in Montevideo, expanding his influence from his detention in the Libertad prison, where he contacted emissaries from the Comando Vermelho and the PCC. After obtaining early release for good behavior and the help of internal contacts, he deployed a sophisticated criminal strategy that, under fictitious companies and legal facades in South America and Europe, facilitated the flow of tons of drugs and millions of dollars across borders and global banking systems (La Diaria, 2023; Caras y Caretas, 2025; Debate Uruguay, 2025).
Identities, Documents, and Evasion Mechanisms
The constant in Marset's journey is identity reinvention: he forged his path with both original and counterfeit documents under names such as Sebastián Enrique Marset Cabrera (Uruguay), Gabriel De Souza Beumer (Bolivia), Luis Paulo Amorín Santos (Brazil), and variations in Paraguay and Dubai. He obtained express passports (Dubai case-2021), biometric manipulation in Bolivia (SEGIP), and a combination of legal data to relocate, operate companies, and evade capture with the help of diplomats and his own lawyers (OPINIÓN, 2023; Subrayado, 2023).
Companies, Banks, and Tax Havens
Marset's financial framework is a global map. In Paraguay, he laundered assets using Banco Basa and Banco Continental with companies like Total Cars S.A. (RUC 80056453-1, Asunción) and Tapyracuái S.A. In Brazil, he intervened with Banco Bradesco and Banco do Brasil through false companies such as Comércio Engrenagem Ltda. (CNPJ 16.232.561/0001-87), moving capital through Mato Grosso do Sul, always protected by his criminal connections. In Uruguay, effective flows passed through Itaú, Santander, and BROU branches alongside Gianina García Troche. In Bolivia, he employed BCP, Banco Nacional de Bolivia and Fassil, using firms like Inversiones Anaconda S.R.L. (NIT 455216013) and Exportbol S.R.L. (NIT 212334019). In Colombia, he laundered capital in Bancolombia and Davivienda through Mastian Productions SAS (NIT 901186260-4) and JC Productions SAS (NIT 901258311-1). In Spain, he used CaixaBank, BBVA, and Sabadell with Capiatá Sports S.L. (B01663703, Málaga) and Marset Real Investments S.L. (15078243, Alicante). In Dubai, he operated with Emirates NBD, Mashreq Bank, Blue Palm Investments Ltd. (DMCC-79542), and Bala Sport Investment Ltd. (1189776).
The multiplicity of jurisdictions shows the logistical and legal professionalization that sustains his network (Debate Uruguay, 2025; OCCRP, 2025; El Observador, 2025).
Football Teams and Sports Network
Marset used sports as a facade of legality and a vector to move illicit money. He played for and owned Los Leones El Torno F.C. (Bolivia, reg. FBF LOT-2021) and was an informal sponsor of Deportivo Capiatá (APF 872/2008) in Paraguay, promoting Total Cars as a sponsor and using connections with footballers like Julio Irrazábal to launder large sums. In Uruguay, he invested in amateur teams associated with AUF, and in Spain, he participated in movements in the Third Division through frontmen (Infobae, 2024; El Comercio, 2023; ANF Bolivia, 2025).
Strategic Contacts: Comando Vermelho, Tren de Aragua, and Connections with Hezbollah
Marset's defensive and operational structure includes international alliances with regional mafias and terrorist groups.
Comando Vermelho in Brazil, key names include Carlos Henrique dos Santos Silva (“Carlão”), border logistics coordinator; João Paulo da Silva Leme (“Paulinho Vermelho”), financial operations and cargo protection; Otávio José Gomes Neto (“Tavinho”), armed chief of strategic routes; and Luiz Alberto “Betito” Suárez, a leading figure in Uruguayan prisons with relations to the PCC.
Tren de Aragua, Marset maintains ties with Héctor “Niño” Guerrero Flores (founding chief), Yhonny Eduardo “Mono” Contreras Velásquez (runners in Chile and Bolivia), Jesús Alfredo “Niche” Rivas Vásquez (receiver in Cúcuta and Colombian-Venezuelan connection), and Yulber Rodríguez Patiño (“Chino” Patiño), in charge of arms trafficking and logistics between the triple border and Ciudad del Este (BBC Mundo, 2023; Estrategia La, 2025).
Connections with Hezbollah, deemed priorities by the DEA and Europol, are through Ali Ahmad Nassereddine, a Lebanese-Brazilian businessman who triangulates Marset's funds with the Middle East; Moussa Oday El Hajj, a fundraiser who channels transfers from Venezuelan banks to shell accounts in Dubai and Lebanon; and Walid Maklad, responsible for "legalizing" exports and camouflaging capital remittances in legitimate business circuits. This web demonstrates the scale of organized crime and its ability to hybridize narco logics, illicit financing, and highly complex legal businesses (El País, 2023; OCCRP, 2025).
Allies and Close Team
The list of Marset's close collaborators, based on files and press reports, includes Gianina García Troche (wife and holder in firms across multiple jurisdictions), Miguel Ángel Insfrán Galeano ("Tío Rico", Paraguayan leader of the Insfrán clan), Federico Santoro Vassallo (accountant expert in money laundering, convicted in Uruguay), Jairo Criado Tarazona (ex-military and logistical partner in Colombia), Ovidio Rojas Aquino (investor and logistical link from Bolivia), Mauricio Schwartzman Colman (murdered in 2023, a key figure in documents and management), Diego Marset Cabrera (brother and logistical brain), Gianina Brítez Martínez (international lawyer), and other second-tier operators in each country.
Prison Breaks and Institutional Protection
Marset has escaped at various times from prison systems and capture operations through corruption, exploiting legal loopholes and early warnings from his key contacts. In Uruguay, he obtained early release without a violent escape, thanks to sentence reductions, good behavior, and administrative corruption. In Dubai, he took advantage of the express delivery of a new Uruguayan passport and diplomatic efforts to avoid extradition. In Bolivia, he never formally entered jail: his escapes were prepared with bribes, armored vehicles, use of false identities, and direct leaks from police bodies, allowing him to anticipate raids and escape hours before any operation (Caras y Caretas, 2025; BBC Mundo, 2023).
State Protection, Leaks, and Foiled Operations
In all the countries where he operated, the constant was early access to sensitive information thanks to complicit officials in police, immigration, diplomacy, and the judiciary. Each capture attempt was thwarted by leaks, allowing Marset to change residences, destroy evidence, and evade justice with the collaboration of his network and the mentioned contacts, both in Colombia and in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia (OCCRP, 2025; El Clip, 2025).
The New Drug Trafficking Board and Marset's Role
The “New Drug Trafficking Board”, officially denounced in 2025, is a multinational network in which Marset appears as a global logistical-financial operator. Other leaders include Julio Lozano Pirateque, Jorge Iván González Ramírez "J la Firma", Luis Cortés "Junior", Luis Eduardo Méndez Bustos, and Alejandro Salgado Vega, among entrepreneurs and ex-military distributed across football clubs, illegal mining, security, and entertainment in more than ten countries. Marset facilitates routes, front companies, and instructions for digital and legal evasion, guaranteeing liquidity and protection for the organization against coordinated international persecution.
Conclusion
Marset's criminal legacy transcends the figure of a simple kingpin: it represents the maturation of South American organized crime into a multifaceted network of global reach. His success lies in recruiting high-end legal and financial professionals, establishing alliances with mafias and terrorists, and normalizing corruption and laundering at all levels of the formal economy. In an increasingly interconnected world, his capacity to anticipate, adapt, and shield himself has allowed his organization to evade States, intelligence agencies, and international legal frameworks. Combating his empire is much more than pursuing a fugitive: it is dismantling a narco-corporate culture that, under the guise of legality, threatens the very structure of justice, governance, and democratic systems in Latin America and around the world.
About the Author:
William L. Acosta holds degrees from PWU and Alliance University. He is a retired police officer from the New York Police Department, as well as the founder and CEO of Equalizer Private Investigations & Security Services Inc., a licensed agency in New York and Florida with international projection.
Since 1999, he has led investigations in narcotics, homicides, and missing persons, in addition to participating in criminal defense at both state and federal levels. A specialist in international and multijurisdictional cases, he has coordinated operations in North America, Europe, and Latin America.
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