Members of Paraguay’s Armed Forces and National Police seized almost seven tonnes of marijuana stored in a nature reserve administered by the Itaipu hydroelectric plant for shipment to Brazil.[1] Those guarding the cache fled into dense woods when forces reached the site, so no arrests were made.[1] Anti-drug prosecutor Luis Escobar took charge of the case and ordered the whole load moved to the naval base at Ciudad del Este, while the investigation continues to identify those responsible for the stockpile.[2]
The seizure totalled 6,877 kilograms of marijuana divided into 299 packages.[2] The packages were hidden in vegetation about 30 metres from the shore of Lake Itaipu at a clandestine riverside port in the district of Mbaracayú in northern Alto Paraná.[2] The find was made in the area of Colonia Yvytu Rokái, also identified as the perimeter of Colonia Guaraní, following intelligence work by the Alto Paraná police.[2] The drugs lay inside the protection fringe of the Yvyty Rokai Nature Reserve, which is managed by the hydroelectric plant shared by Brazil and Paraguay.[1] The load of pressed marijuana was ready to be sent by speedboats to Brazilian territory as part of a transfer planned by a criminal group.[2]
Officials ruled out laboratories or marijuana plantations in the reserve, saying the difficult-to-access protected area of more than 4,800 hectares had served only as a storage place before the planned move to Brazil.[1] Strong winds and dangerous waves on the lake prevented the use of small boats, so larger naval vessels were brought in to remove the bulky load.[2]
