The illegal drug trade in Paraguay is significant in both production of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

and trans-shipment of

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

. In 2011 the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

reported that it was the largest cannabis producer in South America, accounting for 15 per cent of world cannabis production.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French language, French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention ...

, 9 November 2011
UNODC and Paraguay launch $10 million programme to combat drugs and crime
/ref> It was also responsible for 30-40 tons of cocaine trans-shipment annually.

History

Under President

Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and Military dictatorship, military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 19 ...

's dictatorship (1954 - 1989), Paraguay is said to have become "a sanctuary for smugglers in arms, drugs and everyday goods such as whiskey and car parts," and Stroessner provided refuge to heroin dealer

Auguste Ricord Auguste Joseph Ricord, nicknamed ''Il Commandante'', (26 April 1911 – 1985) was a French-Corsican heroin trafficker, convicted Nazi collaborator, and one of the founding members of the French Connection, a mafiosi-type organisation involved in ...

. In 1994 General Ramón Rosa Rodríguez, the head of Paraguay's national anti-drugs agency, Secretaría Nacional Antidrogas (SENAD), was assassinated whilst delivering a report to President

Juan Carlos Wasmosy Juan Carlos Wasmosy Monti (born December 15, 1938) is a Paraguayan former politician and engineer who was the 44th president of Paraguay from 1993 to 1998. He was a member of the Colorado Party, and the country's first freely elected president ...

. The report, which went missing, is said to have implicated ex-President

Andrés Rodríguez Andrés Rodríguez may refer to: *Andrés Rodríguez (politician) (1923–1997), president of Paraguay *Andrés Rodríguez (basketball) (born 1981), basketball player from Puerto Rico *Andres Rodriguez (show jumper) (1984–2016), Venezuelan showju ...

, then a Senator, as "the chief drug kingpin in Paraguay".

Dynamics

The border region with Brazil around Pedro Juan Caballero, in

Amambay Department Amambay () is a Department (subnational entity), department in Paraguay. The capital is Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, Pedro Juan Caballero. The name comes from the name of a part of the Caaguazú Cordillera, "Amambai Mountains". Amambay is t ...

, is one hotspot for drug smuggling, with the Brazilian crime organizations

Comando Vermelho Comando Vermelho (, ''Red Command'' or ''Red Commando''), also known as CV, is a Brazilian criminal organization engaged primarily in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, protection racketeering, kidnapping-for-ransom, hijacking of armored tru ...

and

Primeiro Comando da Capital The Primeiro Comando da Capital ("Capital's First Command", , PCC) is a Brazilian organized crime syndicate. According to a 2023 ''The Economist'' report, the PCC is Latin America's biggest drug gang, with a membership of 40,000 lifetime members ...

given as prime targets for Paraguayan anti-drugs operations in 2011.Hugo Barrios, 12 April 2011, infosurhoy.co
Paraguay ups counter-narcotics effort on border with Brazil

References

{{Americas topic, Illegal drug trade in

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Crime in Paraguay by type Drugs in Paraguay

History

Dynamics

See also

References