Paraguay-Brazil operation destroyed 250 hectares of marijuana and seized 6.2 tons

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to the Paraguayan National Antidrug Secretariat (SENAD), 72 areas for marijuana production were destroyed and 42 camps were closed in Paraguay’s Amambay District.

A joint mega-operation between Brazil and Paraguay against drug trafficking in the border region with Mato Grosso do Sul involved 170 police officers and 4 helicopters last Tuesday, February 23rd. According to the Paraguayan National Antidrug Secretariat (SENAD), the ‘Nova Aliança’ operation will run until March 8th, with a 15-day duration.

According to SENAD, the agency’s special agents along with the Brazilian Federal Police are in the field to find and destroy marijuana crops in the Department of Amambay. The agency said it will announce the total area destroyed only on the operation’s last day.

According to the Brazilian Federal Police, 5 officers were deployed to Paraguay to help in the operation.

Also according to the Secretariat, an operations center has been set up in the town of Capitan Bado from where the aircraft and other teams will depart. The region is considered the largest producer of marijuana in Paraguay.

According to the agency, it is estimated that approximately 80% of marijuana production is typically destined for Brazil.

In 2020, SENAD and the Paraguayan Prosecutor’s Office destroyed 8 more clandestine airstrips used by traffickers in the department of Amambay. One of them was located just 15 km from Ponta Porã (MS).

The secretariat also said that these runways are considered strategic points for traffickers who move marijuana and cocaine from Bolivia and Colombia and later fly it to Brazil. The operation will be ongoing for an indefinite period of time.

Record marijuana seizure in Mato Grosso do Sul

Last Thursday, February 18th, the Department of Border Operations (DOF) conducted the largest drug bust of the year in Mato Grosso do Sul. The seizure occured on the MS-386 highway, between the towns of Amambai and Ponta Porã, in the border region with Paraguay.

According to the DOF, almost 21 tons of marijuana were hidden in a load of corn, in a Scania heavy-duty truck coupled to a semi-trailer.

According to the occurrence report, the officers ordered the driver to stop the truck, who said he was carrying about 32 tons of corn. The officers suspected the driver’s agitation and searched the cargo, where they found bales of the narcotic.

Also according to the DOF, the agency has seized almost 48 tons of marijuana in Mato Grosso do Sul between January 1st and Wednesday, February 24th.