The Paraguayan prosecutor, Marcelo Pecci, specialized in the fight against drug trafficking, was murdered yesterday in Colombia by hitmen who landed on a jet ski on the paradise beach of a Caribbean island, where he was spending his honeymoon.
Five Colombian investigators have been sent to the island of Baru' “where the murder was committed” to carry out investigations with the support of the Paraguay and United States, announced the head of the Colombian police, General Jorge Luis Vargas placeholder image. Pecci, of Italian origins, 45 years old, had married the Colombian investigative journalist, Claudia Aguilera, April 30 in the city of CartagenaThe two are expecting a child.
“Yes, he's dead,” confirmed his wife, in a brief interview with a Colombian radio station. The murder took place on the private beach of the Decameron Hotel. The Colombian police released a photo of one of the alleged killers, wearing black Bermuda shorts and his head covered by a beige Panama hat.
Vargas said at a press conference that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Goddess, is working with Colombian and Paraguayan authorities to “obtain as much information as possible” on this crime. reward offer for information leading to the capture of the killers is 488 thousand dollars.
“The way the assassins acted, the way they executed him, is typical of the mafia. I see no other explanation”, denounced the president of the Paraguayan Association of Public Prosecutors, Augustus Salas.
The Attorney General of Paraguay, Sandra Quinonez, recalled that Pecci had obtained “Important convictions in 11 years of fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime”. “He just wanted to enjoy his honeymoon, in privacy, and that's why he didn't have an escort.”he concluded.
Pecci specialized in organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorist financing. He was known for his involvement in the investigation that led to the footballer Ronaldinho behind bars between March and August 2020 for entering Paraguay with false documents.
In recent years, Paraguay and Colombia have strengthened their cooperation against international organized crime. Despite decades of fighting drug cartels and traffickers, Colombia remains the world's leading producer and exporter of cocaine.
Colombian National Police Director General Jorge Vargas announced today that he has raised to two billion pesos (over 460.000 euros) the reward that will be paid to anyone who provides information useful for capturing the killers of Paraguayan anti-drug prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, killed yesterday while on his honeymoon on an island off the coast of Cartagena de Indias.
Vargas also said that the police have an identikit of one of the attackers, who was approximately 1,74 m tall, had a Caribbean accent, not Colombian, and was wearing a Panama-type hat.
Article published on May 11, 2022 - 20:44 pm
