A man suspected of providing logistical support to the criminal group led by Felipe Santiago Acosta Riveros, known as “Macho,” and to the structure of the self-styled Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) was captured in a joint military-police operation in the department of Canindeyú. The action took place on Saturday, July 11, at a residence in Guyra Keha, in the district of Yby Pytá.
The detainee was identified as 49-year-old Rafael Antonio Benítez Bogado. According to intelligence from the Military Intelligence Battalion (BIMI), Benítez Bogado allegedly acted simultaneously as a drug-storage intermediary and logistical support for “Macho’s” drug-trafficking organization, and as a member of the EPP’s Terrorism Support Network (RAT).
During the operation, conducted by the Internal Defense Operations Command (CODI), a second civilian, 55-year-old José Díaz Escobar, was also detained for attempting to obstruct the authorities’ work. His arrest was ordered by prosecutor Carlos Rodrigo Giandinotto Paredes of Penal Unit No. 3 of the Curuguaty Zonal Prosecutor’s Office. He is suspected of obstruction of justice, resistance, and failure to report a crime.
The capture was reportedly part of a government offensive in the Canindeyú area aimed at dismantling Felipe Acosta Riveros’s logistical network. He was described as Paraguay’s most-wanted fugitive. “Macho,” sentenced to 25 years in prison and on the run since 2016, was reported to lead a marijuana production and trafficking operation in the country’s east. Previous operations by the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) and the National Police reportedly dismantled part of his organization.