Four people were detained in Operation Aurelia, an investigation into an alleged international gold-trafficking network that is believed to have used Paraguay as a transit point between Brazil and destinations including Panama and Turkey. The National Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office conducted searches in Asunción and the Central Department, including at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Luque.
Sources differ on the number of properties and locations searched: reports put the figure at between six and ten, while other accounts cite eight and about ten searches. The number of detention orders also varies: Commissioner Luis López reported nine, while prosecutor Juan Ramón Sandoval mentioned seven. These totals refer to different measures and were reported at different points in the operation.
The investigation began after two gold seizures at the airport: 22 kilograms in November 2025 and a second shipment in April 2026, described in reports as weighing either 25 or 27 kilograms. Some reports put the estimated combined value of the shipments at between US$6 million and US$7 million; however, the published weights are not consistent. Investigators’ theory is that the metal came mainly from Brazil and passed through Paraguay before heading to other countries, with Istanbul identified as the final destination.
Commissioner López said the network recruited couriers to carry gold on commercial flights and used jewelry-related businesses as cover. A costume jewelry shop inside the airport is believed to have served as a support point for arranging delivery of the metal to passengers. The investigation also points to shell companies and private individuals in Paraguay, though each party’s role still needs to be clarified.
At a house in Asunción’s Manorá neighborhood, investigators found documents, jewelry, various metals and possible chemical precursors that may have been used to melt or refine metals. The items will undergo forensic testing. Prosecutor Sandoval said investigators would check whether there was a connection to a shell company or a jewelry store at the airport. Police also said preliminary analyses indicated that the ingots were 98% to 99% pure; their origin in the Brazilian Amazon is an investigative hypothesis, not a definitive forensic finding disclosed in the reports.
The house belongs to Mirtha Cristaldo, the former partner of Iraqi national Laith Alzayek, who is wanted by authorities. Lawyer Víctor Melgarejo said that, according to information prosecutor Sandoval gave him, Cristaldo and her daughter are not under investigation, wanted, charged or accused. The lawyer said Alzayek does not live at the property. Sandoval said it was too early to conclude whether Cristaldo was connected to the case before investigative steps had progressed.