URUGUAY · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- The country Uruguay is a small, stable South American democracy of about 3.5 million people, now governed by the centre-left Broad Front of President Yamandú Orsi.
- What happened The foreign ministry refused to apostille, meaning stamp for foreign use, a no-criminal-record certificate for drug suspect Sebastián Marset.
- The document The certificate, issued by the police forensic office, lists no criminal record for Marset in Uruguay and was meant for his US case.
- The US case Marset is in US custody, charged with narco-terrorism and money laundering in Alexandria, Virginia, with a trial expected in early 2027.
- The reason The stated ground is his pending arrest warrant, while his past convictions have lapsed from his record under Uruguayan law.
- Power Index Uruguay ranks 7th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 45.9 points (October 2026 edition).
Uruguay’s foreign ministry has refused to seal a Marset clean record certificate that his defence wanted for a US court. Uruguayan outlets, including Montevideo Portal and Uruguay Al Día, reported the refusal on Wednesday 21 October, and the paper concerns accused drug lord Sebastián Marset.
Marset, a Uruguayan accused of laundering drug money through banks with US ties, is in US custody on narco-terrorism charges. The Marset clean record row shows how his lawyers prepare for trial, as our earlier report on his lawyer’s strategy described.
What Uruguay Refused to Stamp
The Marset clean record is a certificate from the national police forensic office, part of the Interior Ministry, listing no crimes by him in Uruguay. His lawyers wanted it for the litigation he faces in the United States.
Documents bound for foreign courts usually need an apostille, a stamp confirming that the officials’ signatures are genuine. Marset’s Uruguayan lawyer, Santiago Moratorio, asked the foreign ministry for that stamp, and its consular affairs office declined, Montevideo Portal and Uruguay Al Día reported.
Why the Foreign Ministry Said No
Uruguay Al Día reported that the consular office refused because Marset has an active arrest warrant, which Uruguayan law calls a requisitoria. Montevideo Portal, citing foreign ministry sources, said the consular office was not willing to legalise a document issued by the forensic police.
The decision is an administrative one, and the ministry has not published a written ruling. For now the certificate stays without the stamp that would make a US judge treat it as an official foreign record.
How a Drug Suspect Ends Up With a Clean Record
Uruguayan law erases a criminal record for administrative uses five years after a sentence ends without new offences. Montevideo Portal said that rule explains the Marset clean record, even though he has convictions from 2012 and 2013.
In 2013 a judge jailed him pending trial after police seized over 170 kilos of marijuana that year. He then admitted receiving a 450-kilo shipment flown in by light aircraft, according to Uruguay Al Día.
A 2018 charge over the killing of an acquaintance was dropped for lack of evidence. Police can still see his past cases through an internal security database, Montevideo Portal said.
What Marset Faces in the United States
Marset was arrested in March 2026 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and taken to the United States, El Observador reported. He faces narco-terrorism and money laundering charges in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
His defence has asked the court to throw out evidence from his phones and computers, saying he gave passwords under pressure from US drug agents. Judge Rossie Alston was due to rule on dismissal motions by 6 November, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported on 23 September.
Prosecutors say Marset laundered tens of millions of dollars through European banks and their US subsidiaries. His lawyer concedes he is a drug trafficker but argues US courts lack jurisdiction, the same report said.
What It Means for US Readers
The refusal is a small setback, because a stamped Marset clean record would have carried more weight with a Virginia judge. The defence can still seek other routes abroad, Uruguay Al Día noted.
The episode comes as the United States and Uruguay widen anti-drug cooperation, with a US$6.5 million programme detailed on Wednesday 21 October. Our report on US agents in Uruguay explains that plan.
Readers should watch the ruling on dismissal, because a defence loss would keep an early-2027 trial on track. A win on jurisdiction would limit how far US prosecutors can pursue foreign traffickers.
What Is Not Known
Neither the foreign ministry nor the Interior Ministry has published its reasons in writing. It is not known why the police issued the Marset clean record certificate while the warrant was open.
It is also unclear whether Marset’s lawyers will seek the stamp again. Nor is it known whether the defence will submit the unstamped certificate to the US court by another route.
More: Uruguay news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sebastián Marset?
Sebastián Marset is a Uruguayan accused of running an international cocaine and money-laundering network. He is in US custody, where he faces narco-terrorism and money laundering charges.
What did Uruguay refuse to do?
Uruguay’s foreign ministry refused to apostille a Marset clean record certificate from the police. An apostille is a stamp that lets another country’s court accept a foreign document.
Why does Marset have a clean record in Uruguay?
Uruguayan law removes a criminal record for administrative uses five years after a sentence ends without new offences. His 2012 and 2013 cases fall under that rule, so his file shows nothing.
Where is Marset’s trial?
The case is before a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, with a trial expected in early 2027. A ruling on defence motions to dismiss was due by 6 November, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported.
Does the refusal change the US case?
Not directly, because a US judge can still receive records through other legal routes. The defence only loses an official Uruguayan stamp on the Marset clean record.
Sources: Montevideo Portal, 21 October 2026; Uruguay Al Día, 21 October 2026; El Observador (suppression motion), 28 August 2026; Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 23 September 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