The recent arrest of Gianina García Troche at Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain, has caused a stir. Sources close to the investigation have informed El País about this arrest, which took place while García Troche was travelling with her own documentation. It is still unclear whether her children were with her at the time of the arrest.
The operation was a joint effort in which Interpol Uruguay communicated crucial information to its Spanish counterpart, thus facilitating the apprehension of García Troche.
The detainee, 31 years old, is known for being the wife of Sebastián Marset, an infamous Uruguayan drug traffickerand mother of three children with him. According to a Paraguayan investigation within the framework of the operation “A ultranza Py”, Troche has a level of influence comparable to that of Marset in drug trafficking and money laundering crimes.
Gianina García Troche and her role in the organization
The first investigation into García Troche arose in Paraguay under “Operation Smart,” in which authorities outlined the structure of the criminal organization.
In this investigation, García Troche was one of the main focuses due to his association with multiple illicit activities alongside Marset. In 2021, the year up to which these activities were recorded, García Troche had no criminal record or arrest warrants.
However, a 40-page report produced by Paraguayan investigators in mid-2021 provided evidence of her active involvement. It established that García Troche was involved in opening fraudulent bank accounts and creating false employment declarations, such as opening an account at Banco Visión in which she declared herself as a transport agent, introducing a false work certificate to appear to own a Volvo tractor-trailer.
This level of detailed planning underscored her role as a facilitator and administrator within the money laundering network.
In 2021, García Troche founded the high-end car company Total Cars in Asunción, in which she is listed as president and owner of 75% of the shares. Her brother, Mauro García, was also involved in this operation, acting as front man and property manager.
The presence of both in Marset’s business network was pointed out by investigators as a clear indicator of the trust that the organisation’s leader placed in them.
The Marset Clan and the international search
The Marset family clan, including his half-brother, has no open legal proceedings in Uruguay. However, they face Interpol red alerts requested by the Paraguayan justice system, under accusations of drug trafficking and money laundering.
In November 2021, in a television interview, Marset expressed his desire for his wife and other relatives to be tried in Uruguay, trusting in local judicial guarantees.
Marset’s lawyer, Santiago Moratorio, met with multiple prosecutors in Uruguay to explore this possibility, although without definitive results. In particular, the discussion included topics ranging from death threats to a prosecutor to the grenade attack at an anti-drug headquarters in May 2020.
Extradition Procedure
In response to García Troche’s arrest, the Paraguayan Public Prosecutor’s Office has activated the extradition process under the Bilateral Extradition Treaty with Spain.
In a statement, the International Affairs Prosecutor’s Office requested that García Troche remain in preventive detention in Spain during the extradition procedure, and emphasized the urgency of maintaining security during this period.
