MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay takes precautionary steps as Brazilian gangsters are on the loose

“I have ordered the highest level of alert at the border and to move forward with the declaration of the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations,” Peña stressed

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña on Thursday ordered the deployment of troops towards the Brazilian border amid fears that gangs targeted by local law enforcement might try to leave the country through those porous crossings. In a strong message via social media, Peña announced a decisive stance against transnational criminal organizations.

“I have ordered the highest level of alert at the border and to move forward with the declaration of the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations. Organized crime will have no place in Paraguay,” Peña wrote.

The move to designate Brazil's powerful criminal groups —the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho— as terrorist entities is intended to act as a significant deterrent and strengthen national security measures.

The President's directive follows the National Defense Council (CODENA) activating extraordinary security and surveillance protocols along the eastern border, prompted by a warning from the Tripartite Command regarding the possible entry of Comando Vermelho members into Paraguayan territory in the aftermath of “Operation Containment” in Rio de Janeiro, one of the deadliest police operations in the city's history, which targeted the Comando Vermelho and resulted in over 119 fatalities.

Paraguayan security institutions have responded with reinforced immigration controls, increased patrols, and enhanced coordination with Argentine and Brazilian forces.

Rear Admiral Cíbar Benítez Cáceres, permanent secretary of CODENA, stated that immediate communication is being maintained among the three nations to share intelligence. Cáceres reaffirmed the government's commitment to the security and peace of the population, emphasizing that the reinforced measures would continue as long as the risk persists.