Corrientes coordinates response to cross-border cattle theft after two Paraguayans arrested

Authorities in Corrientes have begun coordinating a broader rural-security response after a cattle theft attempt led to a river pursuit and the arrest of two Paraguayan men.

The operation took place near coastal fields in Ituzaingó, where the Rural and Ecological Security Unit and the Tactical Operations Group of the Corrientes police reportedly surprised a group trying to load four cattle onto two boats. The suspects fled when officers arrived, heading toward Apipé Grande and later the area near Puerto San Antonio.

Shots were fired during the pursuit. The operation, supported by Argentina’s Naval Prefecture and the Paraguayan Navy, ended without injuries. Officers arrested two Paraguayan nationals, aged 27 and 37, and seized ropes, knives, machetes, pliers and flashlights.

The thefts have struck small producers at a particularly vulnerable time. Rising Paraná River levels linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon forced them to move cattle from island areas to the mainland. They used land loaned by the Yacyretá Binational Entity, concentrating livestock along the riverbanks and making it easier for cross-border theft gangs to operate.

Ituzaingó Mayor Emilio Nicolás said security cameras had previously recorded the suspects in the Ombú Chico area. He also voiced concern about the financial impact on low-income families, who spend their savings to protect the livestock that provides their only livelihood. Authorities have ordered an integrated contingency plan to reinforce security in the riverbank sector and the area known as La Mosca.

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The suspects had already been recorded by security cameras in the Ombú Chico area.