Dionísio Manuel Cáceres Cabrera, known as “Manu,” is a Paraguayan businessman and sports executive who became a central figure in a 2026 criminal investigation into the former network associated with Uruguayan organized-crime figure Sebastián Marset.
Cáceres, 38, was arrested on September 6, 2026, in Itacurubí de la Cordillera, Paraguay, during Operation Nexus II. Paraguayan authorities had been searching for him since February, when he was declared a fugitive in connection with the investigation.
According to prosecutors, Cáceres allegedly served as a secretary and logistics operator for Marset's network in Paraguay. Investigators accuse him of participating in an organization involved in international drug trafficking and allege that he helped coordinate logistical activities connected with the movement and sale of illegal drugs. These remain allegations in an ongoing criminal proceeding, not final convictions.
Football and business connections
Cáceres also had connections to Paraguay's football sector. Paraguayan media reported that he worked as a sports businessman and served as sporting manager of Rubio Ñu, where authorities investigated financial and organizational links involving Marset.
Investigators have examined whether parts of the sports sector were used to conceal or legitimize money allegedly generated by criminal activity. Authorities have specifically investigated transfers involving football players and other commercial activities. Cáceres's precise criminal responsibility for those alleged activities remains to be determined by the courts.
The investigation also identified Cáceres as one of several people allegedly connected to the former Marset structure in Paraguay. Prosecutors allege that the network maintained connections between people operating outside prison and individuals who were already incarcerated.
Operation Nexus II
Operation Nexus II was launched in February 2026 to investigate remnants of the organization previously associated with Marset in Paraguay. The investigation resulted in arrests and criminal proceedings against several individuals, with authorities examining alleged trafficking, criminal association and money-laundering activities.
After his September arrest, a Paraguayan judge ordered Cáceres held in preventive detention. The court cited concerns about possible flight and obstruction of the investigation. He was formally prosecuted on allegations including international drug trafficking, drug commercialization and criminal association.
The case remains under judicial investigation. Cáceres should therefore be described as an accused or investigated person, rather than as a convicted trafficker, unless a final court judgment establishes his guilt.
His arrest represents another development in Paraguay's continuing efforts to investigate the remnants of the criminal network once associated with Sebastián Marset, particularly its alleged financial, logistical and business connections.
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