The National Police of Paraguay, together with the Public Prosecutor's Office, is intensifying the search for Gustavo Rubén Goncalvez Vera, identified as the main suspect in the double homicide that occurred on Saturday (16) in Cambyretá, Itapúa department. The victims, Francisco Alcides Saucedo Quiñónez, 28, and Brian Ariel Lugo, 24, were friends and are believed to have been attacked together.
Saucedo Quiñónez's body was found with a gunshot to the head on the edge of a side road in Colonia Paraná, Cambyretá. Lugo was found charred inside a burned car in the Barrero Guazú neighborhood, in the same locality.
On Sunday (17), prosecutor Giovanna Vera and urgent criminal judge Miguel López authorized two simultaneous raids. One took place at a house in the San Miguel-San Juan neighborhood in Cambyretá, rented by Erica Dahiana Portillo Caballero, identified as the suspect's partner. The other was carried out at a property in the San Isidro neighborhood in Encarnación.
During the operations, a tactical 12-gauge shotgun, two pistols, a silencer, magazines, more than 90 cartridges of various calibers, a tactical vest, gloves, balaclavas, as well as cell phones, a DVR, and iPhone boxes were seized. Also found were a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Volkswagen Saveiro, two motorcycles, and a Jeep Compass reported as stolen in an aggravated robbery last March in Villa Galicia, Lomas de Zamora district, Buenos Aires province, Argentina.
In one of the residences, a package containing a white substance, presumably cocaine, was found. The houses were empty at the time of the searches.
According to investigation information, Goncalvez Vera, who until a few months ago worked as a security guard, is said to have shown a sudden increase in his standard of living. Commissioner Joel Cabrera, head of investigations in Itapúa, confirmed that the two raided residences were rented by the suspect.
The main hypothesis for the crime is involvement with drug trafficking or debts related to drug trafficking. Investigators are also evaluating a possible connection with the arrest of a citizen from Encarnación in Posadas, Argentina, accused of leading a gang that transported large volumes of drugs from Itapúa to Misiones.
The authorities continue the search and do not rule out new operations in the coming days. Relatives of the victims are calling for justice.