Paraguay's Narco-Politics Exposed By Colossal Anti-Drug Operation
ARGENTINA/
7 MAR 2022
BY CAT RAINSFORD AND SERGIO SAFFON
EN
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In a press conference, Paraguayan authorities said the network had a sophisticated system to bring cocaine from Bolivia to Paraguay and then onto Argentina and Uruguay, from where they were shipped to Europe. First, it was loaded onto clandestine flights from Bolivia, which landed on airstrips in the Cabrera-Timane natural reserve in northern Paraguay. The drugs were then flown to ranches in the Presidente Hayes department, then trucked to properties belonging to the network in the Central department, where they were stored prior to dispatch.
The cocaine was shipped to Europe in containers belonging to front companies, which left from the river port of Villeta, south of the capital Asunción. The shipments moved along the Paraná River to reach the Atlantic, passing through Argentina and Uruguay.
Profits were repatriated using the Token system, which uses an identifier code to make secure international transfers, and passed through accounts in multiple countries to conceal their origin. They were then laundered through a range of businesses in Paraguay, including high-profile martial arts tournaments, luxury properties, and even churches.
Scandal Shakes Paraguay’s Elites
Paraguay’s Attorney General’s Office has identified three main branches of the network, according to Telefuturo. All have ties to figures in the rival wings of Paraguay’s ruling Colorado Party.
More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/historic-antinarcotics-operation-narcopolitics-paraguay/
