The court authorized the forensic examination of eight cell phones seized from individuals involved in the investigation of the transport of 261.6 kilograms of premium marijuana on an executive jet. The decision was made by Judge Rosarito Montanía, who specializes in organized crime, emphasizing the urgency of extracting the data to prevent the loss of digital information relevant to the case.
The request came from anti-drug prosecutor Ingrid Cubilla, who asked for the analysis of the devices seized at the “Latitude” hangar, linked to the accused David Thomas Wise, as well as four other cell phones confiscated during an operation at the Aloft Hotel in Asunción, belonging to Marisol Rivas and Troy Anthony Vasquez, both prosecuted in the case.
The investigation points to a criminal network involving Americans David Wise, Troy Vasquez, and Marisol Rivas, who allegedly used the Bombardier Challenger 601-3A jet, registration N116HL, to transport the high-quality drug from Miami, with a stopover in Panama, to Paraguay. The estimated value of the shipment is about US$3.6 million, based on prices of up to US$14,000 per kilogram in the Brazilian market.
The jet, valued between US$1.5 million and US$4 million, was intercepted while the drugs were being unloaded and loaded into a pickup truck for transport. In addition to the three accused, a pilot is at large, and the co-pilot was initially detained but later released.
Judge Montanía ordered the forensic team to search for current and deleted data, including messages, calls, multimedia files, and banking information on social networks and apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and Threema. The expert assigned to the task is Arturo David García Lezcano from the National Police, who is scheduled to take the position at a hearing on June 26.
To protect the rights of third parties who may be affected by the data extraction, the judge ordered notification of the specialized public defender to oversee the process. This action is part of the Colibrí Program and strengthens the fight against international drug trafficking in Paraguay.