A police operation launched to recover a stolen cell phone resulted in the seizure of drugs, rifle ammunition, and two arrests in the Ricardo Brugada neighborhood, known as La Chacarita, in Asunción. The procedure was carried out on Sunday at noon by officers from the 5th Metropolitan Police Station, accompanied by the theft victim and representatives from the Public Prosecutor's Office, after the device's geolocation indicated a residence on the corners of Florencio Villamayor and Iturbe streets.
Although the phone was not located, officers surveilling the perimeter observed a toiletry bag being thrown from inside the house. Upon inspecting it, they found a substance later identified as suspected crack cocaine. This led to the arrest of the property's two occupants: Ronald Yamil Ortiz Cabral, 23, who had an outstanding arrest warrant since February, and Ricardo Alberto López, 19, who has no criminal record.
Inside the house, agents seized 195 grams of suspected marijuana, 200 grams of crack cocaine, a digital scale, materials for packaging drugs, two cell phones, and a homemade machete. The most significant find, however, was four boxes containing 140 intact 7.62 caliber cartridges, compatible with assault rifles such as the AK-47 or FAL.
Commissioner Isidro Gamarra, the head of the police station, stated that one of the detainees tried to justify the possession of the ammunition by claiming that a drug user, known as "Chespirito," had handed it over in exchange for 30,000 guaranis. The officer considered the version not very credible and emphasized that the quantity of ammunition is surprising, potentially corroborating intelligence information about the circulation of high-powered weapons in the lower area of La Chacarita. The case was forwarded to the Specialized Unit for Combating Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime.