Tripartite Command Department officers carried out five simultaneous search operations in Ciudad del Este in the early hours of Thursday. The action, launched at 02:00, was coordinated by prosecutors Osvaldo Zaracho and Luis Fernando Escobar and led to the detention of three individuals and the seizure of narcotics.
The investigation focuses on dismantling a criminal organization linked to the millionaire robbery carried out on 5 February against Recicladora Walter, located at km 12 of the Monday highway. On that occasion, the gang stole G. 260 million, of which G. 100 million was recovered after the arrest of three accomplices. According to Escobar, technical work by the National Police indicated that more people were involved beyond those already detained.
During the operations, two of the main targets managed to flee before police arrived, apparently alerted by lookouts using messaging apps. Among the fugitives are Rodrigo Fabián Silva Argüello, known as "Pika", who is wanted for intentional homicide and aggravated robbery, and Wilson Darío Rotela Coronel, who escaped from the Minga Guazú prison.
In addition to the recycling company case, investigators attribute to this group the robbery at the Paresa company, also at km 12, and the violent attack on Holding Xtreme Import Export, in the Obrero neighborhood, where a security guard was murdered. There are indications, not yet independently confirmed, that the same criminal structure was orchestrating a large-scale plan to attack Guaraní International Airport.
Chief Commissioner Carlos Duré, head of the Tripartite Command, highlighted the operational difficulties in the San Rafael neighborhood, where part of the searches took place. He described the area as one of the most challenging for police procedures in all of Paraguay, due to the lack of urban planning and narrow corridors that facilitate criminals' escape.