Clan dispute over drug trafficking behind Asunción murder, police say

Police in Asunción, Paraguay, have confirmed arrests in connection with the June 22 murder of Ángel Adrián Sánchez Quintana, a crime that has exposed a violent turf war between drug-dealing clans. What initially appeared to be a spontaneous argument has unraveled as a deadly dispute over the control of micro-trafficking in the Santa Ana neighborhood.

Sánchez Quintana, 30, was fatally stabbed after he confronted a man persistently ringing the doorbell of a bodega next to his home. The attack was carried out by members of the Saldívar Ríos family, who allegedly threatened him with a pistol during the assault. He later died from hypovolemic shock at the Hospital General de Barrio Obrero.

However, subsequent police investigations and raids have illuminated the true motive. Subcomisario David Delgado, Chief of Staff for the Homicide Department, stated that initial information points to a conflict between the attacking group and the victim over drug dealing. "We are strengthening this with seizures. They are clans, the Clan Ríos and the Clan Ledesma, who dispute that area," Delgado explained.

A raid, authorized by Judge José Agustín Delmás and led by prosecutor Marcial Machado, resulted in the arrest of Alexis Ramón Saldívar Ríos, 37, the alleged assailant, and a relative, Eduardo Javier Saldívar Ríos, 31. During the search of their residence, anti-narcotics agents discovered 61 doses of crack cocaine, precision scales for drug division, a .32 caliber pistol with unspent cartridges, spent casings, and a 45-centimeter machete. Both the victim and members of the involved groups have prior criminal records for theft, robbery, and drug possession.

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The initial information we have is that there would be conflict between this attacking group and the victim over micro-trafficking issues. We are strengthening this with seizures. They are clans, the Clan Ríos and the Clan Ledesma, who dispute that area.