The Amambay sentencing court sentenced Orlando Ramón Balbuena Saavedra and Bruno de Barros da Silva to five years in prison for possession of marijuana.[1] Judges Librada Peralta, Mario Peralta and Marcelina Quintana formed the sentencing panel.[1] Anti-drug prosecutor Rossana Coronel proved the case against both men.[1]
The case stemmed from a December 2024 operation in Capitán Bado district, Amambay department, where the two were detained.[1] Special agents of Senad’s Regional No. 1 in Pedro Juan Caballero detained them after two simultaneous raids on a house and a rural property in Colonia Cadete Boquerón.[1] At the house, agents found two black pickups, a Fiat Toro and a Ford F250.[1] In the body of the Ford F250, agents found 208 kilos of pressed marijuana.[1] Officers also seized a Sig Sauer .40-calibre pistol with two magazines and a 9mm Sarsilmaz pistol with its serial number erased, also with two magazines.[1] At the rural property, officers found about 9,800 kilos of pressed marijuana with five wooden presses, two makeshift camps, two forrajeras, scales and other processing items.[1]
Authorities said the operation seized almost 10 tonnes of marijuana, plus arms, vehicles and processing equipment.[1] Senad is Paraguay’s Secretaría Nacional Antidrogas, the national anti-drug agency.[1]
