Paraguay Prison Stand-off: Drug Lord Transfer Ends in Bloodshed
In a violent clash at Tacumbú prison in Asunción on Monday, eleven inmates and a police officer lost their lives during an attempt to transfer notorious drug lord Armando Javier Rotela.
The operation aimed to break the grip of the Rotela Clan on the prison, with police facing gunfire upon entering the facility. President Sebastián Peña, who took office in August, pledged to break up the criminal group, which has shown resilience even during a prior hostage incident involving over 20 guards in October.
Rotela, who controlled a section known as "The Jungle," where he operated a small supermarket and lived comfortably with his pregnant wife, pit bulls, and cockerels, has been a dominant figure in Paraguay's criminal landscape for two decades.
Police Commissioner Nimio Cardozo revealed that it took 2,500 soldiers and police officers to regain control, with one officer dead and several others injured in the gunfight. Over 700 inmates, including Rotela, were relocated to other prisons.
Once arrested for cattle raiding in 2000, Rotela later gained infamy as Paraguay's "crack czar," orchestrating drug trafficking operations even from behind bars. Critics fear that dispersing clan members to different prisons may not weaken but instead spread their influence.
President Peña emphasised the need for change, stating, "Today we say enough to... a penitentiary model that turned prisons into true schools of crime." The operation, dubbed "Operation Veneratio," sought to end the privileges granted to Rotela and his gang, signalling a shift towards building a safer country.
The deceased officer, identified as Assistant Non-commissioned Officer Martín Mendoza, symbolised the bravery and professionalism displayed during the operation, according to President Peña.
