Paraguay's Tacumb Prison Takeover Marks Rotela Clan Resurgence

[Judi Lynn]

by Gavin Voss
13 Oct 2023

By taking control of Paraguay’s largest prison, the Rotela Clan flexed its muscles.

The siege of the Tacumbú prison, which began October 10, ended less than 24 hours later when the prisoners leading the riot released its captives, which included at least 10 guards and 30 female visitors hostage, according to a Justice Ministry press release. Local media reported the director of the prison, Luis Esquivel, was also among the hostages, though the Justice Ministry did not mention him in its release.

In an October 11 press conference, President Santiago Peña denied that the takeover of Tacumbú was a crisis, claiming instead that it’s part of “a confrontation with crime that the state is facing morning, noon, and night.”

The hostage situation followed accusations made by Paraguay’s Justice Minister Ángel Barchini against the Rotela Clan, a powerful drug trafficking organization that appeared to be behind the riot in Tacumbú, Paraguay’s largest prison.

In an October 2 meeting of President Santiago Peña and his cabinet that was broadcast throughout the country, Barchini claimed the group was responsible for kidnapping and murdering Óliver Lezcano, a former police officer incarcerated at Tacumbú who had disappeared from the prison on September 27. The minister also announced his intentions to wrest control of Paraguay’s prisons from the Rotela Clan and other criminal groups in the country.

More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/paraguays-tacumbu-prison-takeover-marks-rotela-clan-resurgence/