A passport scandal has been rocking Uruguay since 2021, and because of this, Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo has now resigned. The passport scandal involved a notorious drug trafficker named Sebastian Marset.

The resignation came late Wednesday, shortly after leaked audio messages from the embattled foreign minister were released. He reportedly appeared to ask a former official not to hand over evidence in an ongoing investigation regarding a passport being granted to Marset.

In a news release, now-ex-Minister Francisco Bustillo stated that he submitted his resignation "to dispel any suspicion that, as an authority figure, I might exert undue influence over third parties, protected by the privileges of my position."

In those released audio clips, Bustillo called disgraced former deputy Foreign Minister Carolina Ache and told her not to hand over her phone to investigators. He also tried to make sure investigators will not see conversations Ache had with another official relating to the Sebastian Marset passport scandal. These calls reportedly came after Marset was granted a passport when he was detained in Dubai in 2021.

According to the Associated Press, Bustillo claims Ache "decontextualized conversations and acted in bad faith," insisting that granting a passport to a man known as the "Narco Millenial" and one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world is "nothing illegal."

The Passport Scandal That Rocked Uruguay's Political Landscape

Sebastian Marset is a wanted man, described by the Uruguayan government as a "dangerous and influential" drug trafficker. He is linked to the First Uruguayan Cartel and has a long rap sheet that crosses international borders. This is why his being granted a passport despite being a wanted criminal has raised so many eyebrows.

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The government cites Marset as the alleged leader of a drug trafficking network that operates in Paraguay. He is also implicated in the murder of Paraguayan anti-drug prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia in May 2022, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro himself singling him out in the killing, according to El Pais.

After Pecci's death made Marset wanted across three countries, he was controversially granted a Uruguayan passport, allowing him to escape to Dubai.

The scandal on why he obtained a passport in the first place was so big that the heads of the Interior and Foreign Ministries were ordered to appear in court last August. Eleven other people involved in the issuance of the document were also called in to testify.

Who Is Uruguay's 'Narco Millennial' Sebastián Marset?

Vice News describes Sebastian Marset, a citizen from Uruguay but is more active in Paraguay, as "one of the world's most wanted fugitives."

On the surface, he used to be a baby-faced, soccer-playing concert promoter. However, he is actually a transnational cocaine kingpin wanted in multiple countries and is tied to the murder of a Paraguayan official. An international manhunt was launched, with him repeatedly evading capture. After being granted a passport, Marset escaped again before being captured in Bolivia just a few months ago.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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