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Paraguay prison raid uncovers 516 cell phones used for cybercrimes
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Paraguay prison raid uncovers 516 cell phones used for cybercrimes

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Paraguayan authorities seized 516 cell phones from a prison in Coronel Oviedo after discovering evidence of cybercrimes originating from within.
  • The operation, named 'Guyra Hû 3', involved hundreds of police and prison guards and revealed that approximately 30% of the prison's population possessed mobile devices.
  • The seized phones are believed to have been used for activities like bank account draining and unauthorized money transfers, prompting a review of prison security and a plan to acquire signal-blocking technology.

Paraguay's Ministry of Justice and National Police have confiscated a "scandalous" number of 516 cell phones from the Coronel Oviedo Regional Penitentiary. The discovery came after intelligence indicated that cybercrimes, including bank account "draining" and unauthorized money transfers, were being orchestrated from within the prison walls.

We are talking about a scandalous number of cell phones.

— Rodrigo NicoraMinister of Justice Rodrigo Nicora commented on the large quantity of phones seized during the operation.

Minister of Justice Rodrigo Nicora stated that nearly 30% of the prison's 2,050 inmates were found to possess mobile devices, which are prohibited in penitentiaries. The operation, dubbed 'Guyra Hû 3', involved approximately 550 police officers and 100 prison guards. Nicora acknowledged that the influx of cell phones is a persistent "problem" across Paraguay's 19 prisons. However, he highlighted the police force's capability to conduct such operations as a significant improvement over past practices.

The entry of cell phones is a problem in the 19 penitentiaries of the country.

— Rodrigo NicoraMinister of Justice Rodrigo Nicora acknowledged the widespread issue of contraband phones in prisons.

Paraguayan prisons currently lack signal jammers, devices that block mobile, Wi-Fi, GPS, and radio frequencies. Nicora announced plans to acquire technology to enhance control measures within correctional facilities. Following the operation, the prison director was temporarily removed from his post. In a separate incident at the same prison, three inmates were transferred to a higher-security facility due to a disciplinary infraction involving alcohol consumption 15 days prior. One of these inmates is reportedly linked to the 'Dakovo' case, which involved the 2023 seizure of 2,000 weapons suspected of being part of an international arms trafficking scheme.

We can enter and leave the prisons and carry out operations, something that in another time was unthinkable.

— Rodrigo NicoraMinister of Justice Rodrigo Nicora highlighted the improved operational capabilities of law enforcement within prisons.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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