Ex-senator Erico Galeano spent Monday night in a cell at the National Police Judicial Department in Asunción, together with 135 other detainees, while awaiting authorization to be transferred to a penitentiary. The information was confirmed by commissioner Ramón Cañete, head of the department.
Galeano arrived at the site in the early afternoon, after undergoing a medical exam at the Barrio Obrero Hospital. Since the transfer window had already closed, he will remain at the unit until the administration issues the authorization, which may happen between Wednesday and Thursday. "Tomorrow morning, on the administrative side, we will submit the request to the relevant section and they will give us the transfer authorization during the day or the following day," Cañete explained.
The former lawmaker was sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug-trafficking money laundering and criminal association, after ties were proven to Uruguayan trafficker Sebastián Marset and to Miguel Ángel Insfrán, known as Tío Rico. The sentence was upheld in two instances, but an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice is still possible.
Family members cannot visit him, but they may bring food, blankets, or other belongings. The commissioner stressed that the conditions do not allow for privileges: "We have 135 PPL who are awaiting their destination." The transfer of seven inmates is scheduled for Wednesday, and Galeano may be included in the group.