Paraguay Says It Seized 1,200 Kilos, Mainly US Cannabis

PARAGUAY · SECURITY

SENAD’s 7 October release lists record players, car batteries and art crates from Miami and California among the hiding places.

Paraguay’s anti-drug agency said on Wednesday, 7 October, that it has seized more than 1,200 kilos of high-potency cannabis since August 2023. The National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD), whose head holds ministerial rank, said such cannabis comes mainly from the United States.

The release describes a southbound route, with US cannabis moving into Paraguay and part of it heading on to Brazil. SENAD values this so-called premium marijuana at up to US$14,000 a kilo on the Brazilian market.

The release recaps earlier cases traced to Miami and California, in air parcels, sea containers and a private jet. In one, announced on 1 June, SENAD arrested a US citizen after a jet from Miami landed with 261.6 kilos.

What SENAD Reported on Wednesday

SENAD published the figure in a release ranking 18 objects used to hide the drug, from record players to socks. It said premium cannabis, mainly from the United States, had gained ground in recent years, arriving in parcels, cargo and vehicles.

The seized products include flowers, wax, pressed blocks, oils, capsules and seeds with high levels of THC, the plant’s main psychoactive compound. Part of the cargo was destined for the Brazilian market, the agency said.

SENAD, led by minister Jalil Rachid, works at airports with DNIT, the tax and customs agency, and DINAC, the aviation authority. Sniffer dogs, X-ray scans and cargo profiling flag suspect boxes, according to its releases.

The US cannabis volume is small next to the drug grown inside Paraguay. On Tuesday, 22 September, SENAD reported seizing 104.96 tonnes of cannabis in Operation Atlas Nexus, led by Belgium’s federal police.

From Art Crates to a Private Jet

In a case announced on Monday, 1 June, agents seized a jet from Miami at a private hangar near Asunción’s airport. The plane had stopped in Panama and carried 261.6 kilos in luggage, and a US citizen was arrested.

SENAD said other crew members were believed to be American and Estonian nationals. It valued that load at about US$3.6 million.

The next day, SENAD announced Operation Air Box, which found 147.4 kilos in two wooden crates from California declared as artworks. The crates were addressed to Asunción’s fine arts institute, which had no link to the suspects.

On Tuesday, 28 July, SENAD reported that container inspectors at Villeta’s Terport terminal had found 311 kilos in two pickups from Miami. SENAD put the loss to traffickers at about US$4.3 million.

The flow has not stopped. On Wednesday, 30 September, SENAD reported 102.75 kilos from Miami hidden in 12 fake car batteries with a GPS tracker.

On Friday, 2 October, SENAD reported that a record player sent from Miami held 1.08 kilos of cannabis wax. The sender and recipient are under investigation, SENAD said.

Why Brazil Is the Target Market

SENAD values seizures at up to US$14,000 a kilo, a Brazilian market reference. At that price, 1,200 kilos would be worth up to about US$16.8 million, on simple arithmetic.

In August, SENAD said traffickers were bringing loads from Miami to triangulate them toward Brazil. It said both main airports, Silvio Pettirossi near Asunción and the Guaraní airport near Ciudad del Este, were on alert.

The California art crates were to be moved to Paraguay’s northern border for sale in Brazil, investigators said. Airport checks alone found more than 1.1 tonnes of premium cannabis in three years, SENAD said on 2 October.

What It Means for You

For US travellers and expats, a US state’s cannabis rules do not apply in Paraguay. The US State Department warns that penalties for possessing, using or trafficking illegal drugs in Paraguay are severe.

Convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines, and suspects can spend long periods in pre-trial detention, it says. Parcels from Miami are screened by sniffer dogs and X-ray at Asunción’s airport, SENAD’s cases show.

The State Department rates Paraguay at Level 1, “exercise normal precautions”. It urges increased caution in five departments, including Alto Paraná and Amambay on the Brazilian border.

For US shippers and freight firms, the cases show that declared contents carry little weight with inspectors. Recent loads were declared as car batteries, artworks and a record player.

What Is Not Known

SENAD did not list every case behind the 1,200-kilo figure or break it down by country of origin. It has not said whether US agencies are helping to trace the senders.

The 7 October release does not name the groups in Brazil that buy the cargo. Court outcomes for suspects in earlier cases were not reported.

What Comes Next

SENAD said the GPS tracker from the battery case could reveal the shipment’s route, its origin and the people behind it. In the jet case, other crew members were being sought, SENAD said in June.

The tally excludes cocaine. On Wednesday, SENAD separately reported 52.9 kilos of cocaine products in a truck from Bolivia, bound for street dealing in Central department.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is premium marijuana?

It is cannabis with high levels of THC, seized as flowers, wax, oils, capsules and seeds. SENAD says it is worth up to US$14,000 a kilo in Brazil.

How much has Paraguay seized?

More than 1,200 kilos during the current government, in office since August 2023, SENAD said on 7 October. It says such cannabis comes mainly from the United States.

Where do the shipments come from?

SENAD has traced cases to Miami and California, in air parcels, sea containers and a private jet. Part of the drug was bound for Brazil.

Can I bring cannabis to Paraguay from a US state where it is legal?

No US state rule applies in Paraguay. The US State Department says penalties for possessing or trafficking illegal drugs there are severe, with long jail sentences.

Where are the drugs caught?

Mostly at Silvio Pettirossi airport, which serves the capital, but also at the airport near Ciudad del Este and at Villeta port.

Sources: SENAD, release of 7 October 2026; SENAD, battery case, 30 September; SENAD, record player case, 2 October; SENAD, jet case, 1 June; SENAD, Operation Air Box, 2 June; SENAD, Villeta container case, 28 July; SENAD, Miami-Brazil route, 25 August; SENAD, Bolivia truck case, 7 October; US State Department, Paraguay country information; Hoy; ABC Color (all accessed 8 October 2026).