Jaime Franco, a key figure in Paraguay's narcotics trade, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for laundering money from drug trafficking. The sentence was handed down by a Tribunal de Sentencia, which found Franco guilty of laundering money from his prison cell in Tacumbú and the Agrupación Especializada.
According to Ultima Hora, Franco was found to have laundered a significant amount of money, including G. 188.421.000 and USD 10.050, which he was unable to justify as legitimate income. The prosecution, led by fiscal Luis Piñánez, presented evidence of Franco's involvement in the purchase of a vehicle and deposits of money to third parties, which were used to disguise the origin of the funds.
Franco's sentence is his second, following an earlier conviction for narcotrafficking, for which he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He is also suspected of being involved in the murder of fiscal Marcelo Pecci, who was investigating him at the time of his death.