What You Need to Know:
A state of emergency was declared on March 1st in Paraguay’s second-largest city, Ciudad del Este, due to a wave of crime and robberies “only seen in movies.”
The emergency measures are set to be in place for 30 days, but may be extended if the situation is not brought under control.
“What is happening next is a wave of assaults that I have never seen since I have been aware of it in my city,” said the city’s Mayor Miguel Prieto, who hopes to deploy 200 extra police officers to the city to quell the unrest.
Much of the city’s crime is thought to be linked to organized crime groups using the city, which borders Argentina and Brazil, to run drugs.
A lack of judicial checks and balances in conjunction with rampant corruption has allowed human trafficking, drug trafficking, counterfeiting and copyright piracy to flourish in the city.
Governor of the Alto Paraná Department, César Landy Torres has stated,“There is a need and urgency to have agile tools to address the situation and thus be able to activate the State’s reaction mechanisms.”