Paraguay's National Police have intensified patrols around Guaraní International Airport in Minga Guazú, Alto Paraná department, after receiving an alert from the Directorate against Organized Crime about a possible large-scale heist. According to intelligence information, a criminal group of 17 to 25 people, heavily armed and with several vehicles, is planning an aggravated robbery in the airport's cargo area, especially at night.
Commissioner Carlos Duré, head of the Department of International Police Cooperation Agreements (Decacpi) and a member of the Tripartite Command, confirmed that the main target would be high-value electronic goods arriving on international cargo flights. Duré also mentioned that tirzepatide, a weight-loss drug in high demand in Brazil, has become a highly sought-after product for organized crime in the region and is also a target of the robbers. Another possibility, according to investigators, is an attack on cash shipments transported by the security company Prosegur, sent by air from Alto Paraná to Asunción.
Authorities identified that the criminal group is made up of Paraguayans, Brazilians, and Argentines, with possible links to the First Capital Command (PCC), a Brazilian faction, according to intelligence sources. The logistics of the plan includes intercepting the cargo during unloading or during transfer to the center of Ciudad del Este, in stretches considered transition points between escorts, such as kilometers 30 to 60 of Route PY02.
Faced with the threat, the police have set up a reinforced surveillance scheme, focusing on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., the hours of greatest vulnerability. The information was passed on to the Alto Paraná Police Directorate, which has implemented preventive measures. The Tripartite Command, which coordinates cooperation between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina in the Triple Frontier, is also involved in monitoring.
Commissioner Duré highlighted that, although most cargo is now escorted to its destination, there are “transition zones” where escort changes occur, which are the most targeted points. The police are working to neutralize the group before the heist is carried out.