The Minister of Defense of Bolivia, Ernesto Justiniano, has stated this Tuesday that it is up to the United States to take the first step to request the extradition of former Attorney General Róger Mariaca, whom that country links to alleged drug trafficking crimes.
Justiniano has emphasized that this is a matter that falls under the jurisdiction of another state and that, for now, it remains in the investigation stage. However, he has expressed that "surely" those inquiries will be expedited and that "probably" a formal process can be opened that leads to an extradition, according to information published by the newspaper 'El Deber'.
"It does not depend on us, it depends on the investigation," the minister has emphasized, also highlighting that, according to the information handled by the United States, "there are no conjectures," but "corruption information" that suggests Mariaca may have provided protection to drug trafficking both when he served as prosecutor of Santa Cruz and at the national level.
The former prosecutor has been in preventive detention since this Monday, after suspicions against him intensified following the inclusion of his name by the U.S. Department of State in its blacklist along with twelve other Bolivian citizens and their families, as well as individuals from other Latin American countries.
The investigations indicate that Mariaca, who took office as Attorney General in October 2024, allegedly led a supposed criminal network within the Bolivian judicial system aimed at favoring powerful drug trafficking organizations, including those linked to recognized criminals such as Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastían Marset.