SENAD destroyed 9,622 kg of Brazil-bound marijuana in Yby Yaú
Paraguay's anti-drug secretariat SENAD destroyed more than 9 tonnes of marijuana at a rural property in Yby Yaú, Concepción, on 19 June 2020, a total of 9,622 kg prepared for the Brazilian market. Two related operations that fortnight seized 906 kg at another Yby Yaú property and 65 kg from a 16-year-old on the Paraná riverbank.
SENAD agents raided a rural property in Yby Yaú on 19 June 2020 and destroyed
more than 9 tonnes of marijuana destined for Brazil.[1]At the property
officers seized122 kg of chopped marijuana in 14 bags and 500 kg of chopped
marijuana hidden underground, along with 7 kg of seeds.[1]They also destroyed
3 hectares of cannabis crops, which the agency equated with 9,000 kg of the
drug.[1]
SENAD said the operation amounted to the elimination of 9,622 kg of marijuana
presumably prepared for the Brazilian market.[1]Paraguayan justice ordered
the destroyed plantations burned.[1]
On 18 June, a joint operation of the Paraguayan Navy and SENAD detained a minor
who intended to take 65 kg of marijuana to Brazil.[1]The minor was apparently
waiting for a vessel to move the marijuana across the Paraná river to Brazil.[1]Part of the 65 kg was pressed marijuana and the rest chopped cannabis
vacuum-packed.[1]The boy was caught during a Navy patrol of the riverside
area of the San Miguel neighbourhood in Ciudad del Este.[2]La Clave reported
that prosecutor Elvio Aguilera ordered the drugs seized and the minor detained.[2]
On 14 June, anti-drug officers seized a marijuana shipment at another rural
property in Yby Yaú that was also being prepared for shipment to the
neighbouring country.[1]In a wooded area the officers saw a group of people
who immediately fired shots at the delegation and then fled.[1]Officers found
906 kg of pressed marijuana distributed in 39 bags.[1]The 14 June operation
was carried out by special SENAD agents based in Concepción, led by prosecutor
Celso Morales.[3]The property was in the Villalba Kue locality of Yby Yaú
district.[3]Officers also seized two motorcycles and a bicycle.[3]The
prosecutor ordered the evidence moved to the Public Ministry’s deposit.[3]
Photos and video
Marijuana seized by SENAD agents in the 14 June 2020 operation in Yby Yaú, 906 kilograms destined for Brazil. Photo: Secretaría Nacional Antidrogas de ParaguayPhoto details
The 906 kg seized on 14 June and the 65 kg seized on 18 June were separate operations at other locations and are not added to the 9,622 kg recorded for the 19 June raid.
The 9,622 kg total combines the 622 kg of chopped marijuana actually seized with SENAD's estimate of 9,000 kg for the 3 hectares of standing crops.
No one was reported arrested at the 19 June property; the single arrest was the 16-year-old detained on 18 June in Ciudad del Este.
No street value in guaraníes or US dollars was published for any of the seizures.
No charge, imputation or court outcome was reported for any of the three operations.
The estancia or property searched in Yby Yaú on 19 June was not named; only the district was given.
The 16-year-old was identified in the Paraguayan press only by his initials.
The accounts rest on SENAD's own statements as reproduced by Diálogo Américas, La Nación and La Clave rather than independent measurements.
Anti-drug agents of the Alto Paraná departmental division raided a home in the Che la Reina neighborhood of Ciudad del Este and arrested a 30-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, seizing cocaine, 8.7 grams of marijuana, cash and dosing equipment under the Plan SUMAR.
Anti-narcotics officers raided two adjoining homes in Barrio Maka’i, Luque, seizing 2.86 grams of suspected marijuana alongside crack, a revolver, cash and a motorcycle. Two people were apprehended in the raids and the detained teenager’s mother was also held over a pending drug-trafficking detention order.
SENAD agents detained Berenice Sotera Alfonso Rivarola, 44, known as "La reina del chespi", at her house in Loreto, Concepción, and seized 27 grams of marijuana with crack and cocaine. The case is with the Public Ministry; no charge or sentence has been reported.
SENAD agents searched the home of Simón Florentín Franco, 69, in the riverside barrio San José Olero, Concepción, on 28 October 2026 and seized 254 grams of marijuana in 17 portions after intelligence that he sold to young people including minors.
