Paraguay: Police Raid Into Notorious Prison Ends in 8 Deaths. Including 1 Police Officer

Police in Paraguay recently conducted a massive raid in the infamous Tacumbu Prison, also known as "The Jungle," and it turned deadly after prisoners opened fire on officers conducting the raid.

The raid happened after a notorious drug trafficker known as Javier Rotela took over part of the prison. Police Commissioner Nimio Cardozo revealed that Rotel lived in comfort of that section of the prison and even ran his own small supermarket with his wife and three pet pit bulls.

Cardozo told the media after the raid that as soon as the officers entered the area under Rotela's control, prisoners opened fire on them, killing one officer who was shot in the head. Another officer was also shot in the head but managed to survive and is now in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Another 14 officers were injured with bullet wounds, as were other prisoners. The raid was conducted to transfer the notorious drug lord out of the area he controlled, according to Barron's. Seven inmates reportedly died as a result of the raid.

"With firmness and determination we have carried out a historic and unprecedented operation in order to build a safer country for our families," said Paraguay President Santiago Pena shortly after the raid. "For decades, as everyone has known, Tacumbu Prison became a center from where criminal groups operated, planning assaults and distributing narcotics. Today we say enough to... a penitentiary model that turned prisons into true schools of crime."

Drug Lord At the Center of Paraguay Prison Raid Now Transferred To Another Prison

The raid on "The Jungle" had been historic as over 2,200 police and military personnel were involved in the operation. Soon after the intense firefight that resulted in the deaths of seven inmates and one police officer, authorities seized Rotela's three pit bulls, as well as several fighting cocks.

According to the BBC, soon after the raid, around 700 inmates living in the section, including Rotela himself, were transferred out of Tacumbu Prison and into other prisons.

The raid came a few months after over 20 prison guards were held hostage by the inmates who were part of the gang known as the Rotela Clan, which is of course, run by Javier Rotela.

Javier Rotela Built an Empire Inside Tacumbu Prison

Even though he was serving time behind bars, notorious Paraguayan drug lord, Javier Rotela, managed to live a life of luxury inside with his pregnant wife. Even inside the prison, he managed to get his influence across other prisons all over Paraguay as well.

According to BNN, his stronghold in what is called "The Jungle" has become a notorious symbol in Paraguay about the privileges that criminals enjoy within the prison system. The country is now taking a stand against those privileges as it begins to take on organized crime.

The raid against Rotela's empire within the prison was all part of the government's "Operación Verati" which aims to stamp out organized crime operating within the Paraguayan prison system.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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