Paraguay's Anti-Drug Agency Halts Cooperation With DEA

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Facts

  • Paraguay's National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) has unilaterally halted its partnership with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — a move that will leave only officials from the national police in Paraguay's US-backed elite Sensitive Intelligence Unit (SIU).[1][2]
  • The three-page document terminating cooperation was made public on Tuesday. Last week, The Washington Post reported that US officials had been informed of the decision — which is set to take effect next year if not reconsidered before then.[1][3]
  • According to the Paraguayan government, this shift is merely a restructuring designed to boost anti-drug cooperation with the DEA. However, officials from both countries claim that it would compromise high-profile, complex investigations as the SENAD was the main agency responsible for them.[2][3]
  • Over the past years, Paraguay has made record cocaine busts, including its largest-ever drug seizure — 4 tons of cocaine — in July, and reported that cocaine profits were being laundered through luxury properties, soccer clubs, and churches linked to politicians.[2][4]
  • The South American country has worked closely with the US against drug trafficking and organized crime since 2008, but their relationship has become unstable, particularly after former president Horacio Cartes was hit with sanctions by the US last year.[1][3]

Sources: [1]MercoPress, [2]The Paraguay Post, [3]Washington Post and [4]Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Agencia de Informacion Paraguaya. Paraguay will always be an ally of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and other transnational crimes. Rather than undermining their partnership, this shift will strengthen their cooperation and deliver even better results.
  • Narrative B, as provided by InSight Crime. It's hard not to think that this decision has something to do with links between politics and drug trafficking that have been exposed in Paraguay due to the cooperation between the SENAD and the DEA. This decision is surely not in the best interests of the country.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Ice Man and Paul Spencer. Latin American countries should have never put their full trust in the US on fighting drugs. Strong evidence suggests that CIA and military contractors have actually facilitated drug trafficking in the region for decades, with former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan confessing to helping to build drug networks in South America on behalf of the CIA. Sovereign countries should never be used as bases for corrupt, larger countries to conduct criminal business.