A Ultranza: Pastor Insfrán to remain in maximum-security prison

José Alberto “Pastor” Insfrán Galeano has suffered another setback in his effort to leave the maximum-security unit at the Martín Mendoza prison in Emboscada. Paraguay’s Supreme Court rejected the habeas corpus petition filed by his defense.

The Criminal Chamber unanimously dismissed the reparatory and general habeas corpus action. Justices María Carolina Llanes, Luis María Benítez Riera and Manuel Ramírez Candia issued Agreement and Judgment No. 634 on Sept. 7, 2026, rejecting the constitutional guarantee sought by Insfrán through his lawyer, Nelson López.

The defense had sought Insfrán’s immediate release or improved detention conditions. It argued that his pretrial detention “had become illegal after exceeding the maximum limit of two years established in Article 236 of the Criminal Procedure Code.” It also challenged what it described as an illegitimate and disproportionate worsening of his prison regime.

Insfrán is being held in Module 8 of the Martín Mendoza Establishment for High-Risk Inmates, a maximum-security facility. His official technical assessment in June 2026 classified him as a moderate risk and recommended a medium-security regime.

The Supreme Court nevertheless concluded that the petition was inadmissible because Insfrán’s pretrial detention could not be considered illegitimate or arbitrary. The detention was ordered on Nov. 17, 2023, by the specialized organized-crime guarantees court. He was transferred to the Emboscada maximum-security prison on Feb. 27, 2024, where he remains under the special closed regime of Module 8. Insfrán is currently standing trial in the A Ultranza Py case from the prison.

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had become illegal after exceeding the maximum limit of two years established in Article 236 of the Criminal Procedure Code