URUGUAY · CRIME AND JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —What is happening Uruguay’s government says it will rewrite the rules for police criminal-record certificates after one showed no record for accused drug trafficker Sebastián Marset. Interior Minister Carlos Negro announced the work on Thursday, 22 October.
- —Why it matters Marset is held in Virginia on US drug and money-laundering charges, and his lawyers sought the certificate for that case. Negro warned that it could mislead American courts.
- —The numbers Uruguayan rules stop counting a criminal record after five years. Marset was arrested on Friday, 13 March, faces four US counts, and once carried a US$2 million American bounty.
- —Who is who Carlos Negro runs the Interior Ministry, whose forensic police issued the paper. Mario Lubetkin leads the Foreign Ministry, which refused to stamp it, and Santiago Moratorio is Marset’s Uruguayan lawyer.
- —What to watch A Virginia judge must still rule on dismissing the US charges, and trial is expected in January 2027. Uruguay has not yet published its new certificate rules.
- —Power Index Uruguay ranks 7th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 45.9 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you For US readers, the case shows Uruguay tightening paperwork that a defendant in an American court could use, while Washington and Montevideo widen anti-drug cooperation.
Uruguay will change how police certificates of no criminal record are issued, after one named a notorious drug suspect as clean. The suspect, Sebastián Marset, now awaits trial in the United States.
Uruguay will rewrite its certificate rules after a police paper showed no Marset criminal record for accused trafficker Sebastián Marset. Interior Minister Carlos Negro announced the plan on Thursday, 22 October, and Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin endorsed it on Friday.
Marset is held in Virginia on US cocaine-trafficking and money-laundering charges, and his lawyers sought the certificate for that case. Negro warned that the document could mislead American courts, as the earlier refusal to stamp it had already shown.
What the Government Announced
Negro said on Thursday, 22 October, that officials at the Foreign and Interior ministries stopped the certificate reaching US courts. He warned that it could enable a deception of US justice, given Marset’s standing as a major regional trafficker.
He said the government is working to change the rules, which also matter for job and passport applications. The aim is to balance workers’ rights against the risk of handing a trafficker a useful document.
On Friday, 23 October, Lubetkin said the case exposed an ambiguity in the regulations. He said Negro had told him that a mechanism for immediate correction would be put in place.
Lubetkin added that any change should cover norms, circulars and regulations in general, not only this case. He said the state needs the tools to avoid errors of this scale.
How the Marset Criminal Record Came Up Blank
Uruguayan rules stop counting a criminal record after five years, El Observador and Telenoche explained. Montevideo Portal said the rule explains why the certificate lists no crimes in Uruguay.
Montevideo Portal said Marset was convicted in 2013 of drug possession not meant for personal use and left prison in 2018. Police can still see his past cases through an internal security database, the outlet added.
El Observador recalled that a Uruguayan passport issued in 2022 helped him leave detention in the United Arab Emirates. Montevideo Portal noted that the row dates to the previous government.
What Marset’s Lawyer Says
Santiago Moratorio, Marset’s lawyer in Uruguay, says he requested the certificate through normal channels from the forensic police. He argues that an apostille, a stamp confirming an official’s signature, certifies authenticity and not content.
If press reports are right, he says, the paper was held back and sent to the minister’s office unexplained. These are his claims, and the sources checked show no official reply to that account.
Telenoche reported that Moratorio has filed requests with both ministries and a complaint with Uruguay’s personal-data regulator. He says he will go to court if officials do not answer in time.
He also says the certificate later circulated on social media and that the leak should be investigated. Neither ministry has commented on that point in the sources checked.
Where the US Case Stands
Bolivian police arrested Marset on Friday, 13 March, and Uruguay’s Interior Ministry confirmed the capture that day. OCCRP reported that he was taken straight to the United States, where the Drug Enforcement Administration had listed him as most wanted.
Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. presides over the case in Alexandria, Virginia, where Marset is held. The US State Department had offered up to US$2 million for his arrest, OCCRP reported.
The OCCRP investigative network reported in June that a second superseding indictment lists four counts. They include narcoterrorism conspiracy and money laundering, and prosecutors allege he led a group called the First Uruguayan Cartel.
Marset has not been convicted, and his lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the case. They argue US courts lack jurisdiction, while prosecutors point to a wire transfer routed through a correspondent-bank server in Richmond, Virginia.
OCCRP reported that the judge set trial for Monday, 11 January 2027, at a July hearing. After a September hearing, it said the judge will rule on dismissal motions by Friday, 6 November.
What It Means for US Readers
A US judge will soon decide whether conduct run from South America can be tried in Virginia. Uruguay’s planned change is meant to stop a trafficking suspect using a clean foreign certificate in court.
Washington and Montevideo are also widening anti-drug cooperation, including a US$6.5 million programme focused on the port of Montevideo. A related report covers the arrest order for Marset’s sister in Bolivia.
Readers following the region can also see who shapes Uruguay’s economy and Uruguay’s role in Latin America. The Uruguay hub lists all current coverage.
What Is Not Known
No draft text or date for the new certificate rules was found in the sources checked. It is unclear whether the change will come as a decree, a circular or a ministerial resolution.
It is not known why the police issued a certificate showing no record while an arrest request was open. Nor is it known who leaked the document, or whether it will reach the US court by another route.
Moratorio’s account of how the paper was handled has not been confirmed by either ministry. The July trial date comes from OCCRP, and the court docket was not checked.
What Comes Next
The Interior and Foreign ministries are expected to draft the new rules, but no timetable has been given. OCCRP reported that the Virginia judge will rule on the dismissal motions by Friday, 6 November.
OCCRP reported trial for Monday, 11 January 2027, if that date holds. None of these steps decides whether Marset is guilty, which only a trial can do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sebastián Marset?
Marset is a Uruguayan accused of leading a cocaine and money-laundering network. He was arrested in Bolivia in March 2026 and is held in Virginia, where he has not been convicted.
What did Uruguay announce?
Interior Minister Carlos Negro said on Thursday, 22 October, that the government will change the rules for criminal-record certificates. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said on Friday that the fix should cover regulations in general.
Why does the Marset criminal record show nothing?
Uruguayan rules stop counting a criminal record after five years. Police can still see his past cases in an internal database.
Why does this matter to the United States?
Marset’s lawyers wanted the certificate for his US trial in Virginia. Negro warned that it could mislead US courts.
When is Marset’s US trial?
OCCRP reported that the judge set trial for Monday, 11 January 2027. A ruling on motions to dismiss is due by Friday, 6 November.
Sources: Telenoche, 22 October; El Observador, 23 October; Montevideo Portal, 21 October; Uruguay Al Día, 21 October; Presidency of Uruguay, 13 March; OCCRP, 29 June; OCCRP, 1 July; OCCRP, 23 September (all accessed 24 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