PARAGUAY: BRAZILIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER APPREHENDED

UNCLAS ASUNCION 000672 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM SNAR PA BR SUBJECT: PARAGUAY: BRAZILIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER APPREHENDED REF: 05 ASUNCION 0365 AND PRECEDING 1.(U) SUMMARY: On 6/24, Paraguayan law enforcement arrested drug trafficker Arnaldo Moreira de Macedo, an associate of Mendez Mesquita who was extradited to the U.S. in 2005. Moreira de Macedo was believed to be trafficking 1,000 kg per month and is wanted on extradition charges in Brazil. This arrest serves as another example of Paraguay's ability to conduct important operations in cooperation with Brazilian and U.S. officials. End summary. ¶2. (U) On 6/24, Paraguayan law enforcement officials conducted an operation with the assistance of Brazilian intelligence and DEA representatives and arrested Arnaldo Moreira de Macedo (55),a drug trafficker considered to be the successor of Ivan Mendez Mesquita, who was extradited to the Unites States in June 2005. De Macedo is a Brazilian citizen but has been living in Paraguay since 1993 under the false Paraguayan identity of Ronaldo Alves Dos Santos. According to the local press, he also used the false Paraguayan identity of Ronaldo Alves da Silva, but this alias did not appear in the National Antinarcotics Secretariat (SENAD) report. Arnaldo Moreira de Macedo was wanted in Brazil on drug trafficking charges and had been arrested previously but escaped three times. ¶3. (U) De Macedo owned properties in the department of Concepcion and the Chaco region, and ran an Artificial Insemination and Genetic Improvement Center (Ciameg) as well as a business transporting beef. He used the refrigerated beef shipments to transport cocaine from Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru to Brazil and European countries such as Holland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. Minister Ibarra, the SENAD chief, believes that De Macedo was transporting more than 1,000 kg of cocaine per month. His ranch in Concepcion is known as Estancia Virgen Serrana and was considered to be a model farm that hosted Paraguayan-Brazilian integration fairs. ¶4. (U) SENAD agents have been investigating this case for several months. On 5/4 a penal court issued a decree for the preventative detention of De Macedo, with the intention of extradition. During the investigation SENAD discovered the location of De Macedo,s residence, in the city of Luque, near the Silvio Pettirossi international airport. SENAD presented the information to the antinarcotics prosecutor and was granted permission for forced entry into the house, in accordance with the court order. On the same day that officials raided the houses, a team accompanied by the assistant prosecutor also raided De Macedo,s office in downtown Asuncion. Several documents, including false identification papers, were seized in both locations. In addition to the documents, authorities seized two trucks, a car, two motorcycles, and a twin-engine plane. One of the trucks seized was fully armored. De Macedo,s bank accounts were also frozen. Among the seized documents are check book stubs containing the names of judges and prosecutors. On 6/26, local press reported that the documents include a record of a payment of 30 million guaranies, the equivalent of USD 5,357, to a court. ¶5. (U) De Macedo is currently detained at the Emboscada Penitentiary, located in the Central Department of Paraguay. He made a court appearance to request habeas corpus but his request was denied. His wife is under house arrest on charges related to the same case. ¶6. Comment: This case serves another example of constructive SENAD cooperation with Brazilian and DEA officials in the conduct of an investigation leading to the arrest of a key Brazilian drug trafficker. Coupled with the seizure of 195 kg of cocaine in a separate operation on 6/25 (to be reported separately),it demonstrates SENAD's rising professional effectiveness. End comment. CASON