A police patrol in the district of Mayor Otaño, Itapúa, led to a dramatic chase and shootout in the early hours of Sunday, leaving one suspect dead and another in custody. Officers from the 19th Police Station spotted three vehicles behaving suspiciously during a routine patrol. When the drivers noticed the police, they fled, firing at the patrol car.
The pursuit ended on a public road in the Colonia Parejha area, northeast of Itapúa. Two vehicles were stopped: a silver Nissan Frontier pickup (license plate BHU 359) and a red Chevrolet Tracker (license plate AAZB 062). Inside, police found multiple packages of marijuana. The official weight of the drug has not yet been released.
The arrested suspect was identified as Nazario Lencina Olivera, 34, from Colonia Pernambuco, Alto Paraná. He has a criminal record for environmental crimes and failure to pay child support. The deceased was Miguel Ángel Talavera Amarilla, 35, also from Alto Paraná, who had no known criminal record. Talavera was found with gunshot wounds and was taken to the local health unit, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the National Vehicle Registry, the Chevrolet Tracker is registered to Angélica Avalos Delgado, a municipal employee of Ñacunday, Alto Paraná, as of January 2026. The Nissan Frontier is registered to Idalina Delgado de Avalos. Authorities have not ruled out that the vehicles may have been stolen. The case is being handled by prosecutor Mabel Martínez Medina.