Bolivia Police Find US$303,000 in Ambulance at Condo
JUSTICE · BOLIVIA
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia, where Attorney General Roger Mariaca has been detained since 30 September in a drug-trafficking investigation that began with US accusations.
- —What happened Police in Santa Cruz stopped an ambulance at about 4:00 on 1 October after it left the condominium where Mariaca lives. Inside was cash in bags (Los Tiempos, Opinión).
- —The numbers A notarised count found Bs 3,532,100 (about US$293,600) plus US$10,000, roughly US$303,000 in all, prosecutors said on 1 October.
- —What it means for you The case against the country’s top prosecutor is widening. Courts, not the police, will now test whether the money is lawful.
- —Still open Who owns the cash, whether it came from Mariaca’s home, and whether Santa Cruz or La Paz prosecutors take the case (Red Uno, 2 October).
Bolivian police found the cash seized on Thursday hidden in an ambulance in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the country’s largest city. The vehicle had just left the gated condominium where detained Attorney General Roger Mariaca lives.
A count before a notary put the haul at Bs 3,532,100 and US$10,000, prosecutors said. At the official rate of 12.03 bolivianos per US dollar on 2 October, that is about US$303,000 in total.
A pre-dawn stop on Virgen de Cotoca avenue
Police intercepted the ambulance at about 4:00 on Thursday 1 October, Los Tiempos reported, citing the television channel Unitel. It had entered the condominium on Virgen de Cotoca avenue and left minutes later with its siren on.
Officers stopped it near the city’s second ring road and found bags of banknotes inside. Four people aboard were detained, the newspaper said.
Edson Flores, the Santa Cruz police commander, said the ambulance entered on the pretext of helping a patient, Opinión reported. Police believe the money was hidden in its compartments and taken from house number 47.
According to the police account, the cash was meant for a woman in phone contact with one of those aboard. Police said they cut the surveillance short once the case became public.
Ten people held in Santa Cruz
Flores said ten people were arrested in the Santa Cruz operations. They include the four from the ambulance, three drivers of prosecution service vehicles, an IT worker and a camera installer.
Police also impounded the ambulance, three prosecution service vehicles and three private cars. The drivers face a preliminary inquiry into misuse of state property, Red Uno reported on 2 October.
Others are investigated over alleged tampering with security cameras at the property linked to Mariaca, the channel said. None of the ten has yet been charged.
Separately, Mariaca’s aide-de-camp was arrested in Sucre on 1 October with more than Bs 1 million (about US$83,000), Opinión reported. He was taken to La Paz.
What prosecutors say they must prove
Prosecutor Cándido Blanco said the likely preliminary charge is legitimising illicit gains, Bolivia’s term for money laundering. He added that his office had not yet formally received the police report.
Prosecutor Daniel Ortuño said the people found with the money must show whether it was obtained legally. A judge will later decide whether it goes to Dircabi, the state agency that manages seized assets.
Until then the cash stays in police custody. That keeps the evidence under court control while ownership is unresolved.
How the Mariaca case got here
Mariaca, Santa Cruz chief prosecutor Alberto Zeballos and senior prosecutor Martín Irusta were detained on the night of 30 September. The arrests followed a US State Department accusation that Mariaca protected drug traffickers.
All three deny wrongdoing and have filed freedom petitions, a fast-track habeas corpus. A hearing for Irusta opened in La Paz on Friday morning, Opinión reported. Background: Bolivia’s Detained Attorney General Seeks Release and Bolivia Attorney General Mariaca Detained at Airport.
What Is Not Yet Known
No one has publicly claimed the cash seized, and police have not said who owns house number 47. Los Tiempos described the ambulance only as having apparently left Mariaca’s home.
Prosecutors in Santa Cruz and La Paz must still decide whether the find opens a new case or joins the existing one. The four ambulance detainees were still awaiting their statements on Friday, Red Uno said.
Sources: Los Tiempos (amount, 1 Oct); Los Tiempos (interception, 1 Oct); Opinión (police count and arrests, 1 Oct); Opinión (aide-de-camp, 1 Oct); Opinión (freedom petitions, 2 Oct); Red Uno (detainees’ status, 2 Oct). Exchange rate: official rate, 2 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief