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It is believed that the incident, which left at least four injured, is the product of a hitman attack due to a possible settling of accounts with members of criminal gangs related to drug trafficking. The authorities of Colombia and Paraguay have already initiated an investigation to find out who is responsible for the homicide and have asked for support from United States officials to clarify the facts.
While enjoying his honeymoon on a Colombian tourist island, Marcelo Pecci, a Paraguayan prosecutor known for his work fighting organized crime, was murdered, according to authorities in both countries.
The event took place in Barú, a tourist island in Colombia located just 40 minutes by boat from the Caribbean city of Cartagena. There, the anti-mafia prosecutor celebrated with his wife, the Paraguayan journalist Claudia Aguilera, their trip as newlyweds and from where they also announced that they were going to be parents through their social networks.
According to Aguilera’s statements to the media, while the couple was on a private beach that connected to their hotel, the prosecutor was approached by two men and seconds later he was shot.
“Two men arrived in a boat and approached and shot him,” said Marcelo Pecci’s wife, Claudia Aguilera, to the Colombian media W Radio, who also added that “my husband had not received threats before.”
Pecci, 45, was a prosecutor known for his work in large court cases related to money laundering and drug trafficking organizations.
In Paraguay, he held the position of prosecutor against Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and his name was remembered for having participated in cases such as the one against the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldihno in 2020, in which the athlete was arrested trying to enter Paraguay with a false passport.
Murder investigations begin
From Colombia, the authorities spoke before the fact, assuring that the search for those responsible for the homicide has already begun. This was announced by Colombian President Iván Duque and the Chief of the National Police of that country, General Jorge Luis Vargas.
We repudiate the assassination of the Paraguayan Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Cartagena. I spoke with the President @MaritoAbdo to express my condolences and agree to all cooperation to find those responsible. @DirectorPolice He is already in the city to carry out the investigations.
– Ivan Duke 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) May 10, 2022
The Colombian Police, in addition to having sent five of its best homicide investigators to connect the dots on what happened, also requested help from the Paraguayan authorities and requested the assistance of US officials to find the whereabouts of those responsible.
After the unfortunate murder of the prosecutor against Paraguayan Organized Crime, Marcelo Pecci, in Barú, I ordered the immediate transfer of a specialized team made up of 5 members of @DIJINPolice. Perpetrators will be located and brought to justice. Top priority on this case. pic.twitter.com/LNiACSt9Yd
– General Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia (@DirectorPolicia) May 10, 2022
While the president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez made his anger and rejection of the murderers known through a tweet on his personal account: “The cowardly murder of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia mourns the entire Paraguayan Nation. We condemn this tragic event in the strongest terms and redouble our commitment to fight against organized crime. Our sincere condolences to their families.”
With the investigation underway, and awaiting official reports of the events, some local media and analysts have indicated that the murder was the product of a hitman attack and not an attempted robbery, because none of the belongings were taken. of the couple
Who was Marcelo Pecci?
Appointed to investigate a massive drug trafficking and money laundering scheme under the pseudonym “A Ultranza PY”, Marcelo Danieli Pecci was considered one of the most important prosecutors in the Paraguayan Public Ministry.
Before being known for the great cases in which he participated, such as that of the renowned Brazilian soccer player. Pecci began as a public official in 2000 and nine years later he became a prosecutor in his country, where he began his work against activities that financed terrorism and the dismantling of organized gangs in the production and sale of drugs.
Pecci investigated a shooting that occurred during a concert of the Paraguayan Binomio de Oro, was involved in the investigation of the murder of the daughter of the governor of Amambay, and was in charge of the investigation of the murder of Mariano Roque Alonso de Fátima Rejala, a woman who allegedly worked for the Insfrán clan.
With their recent marriage ceremony, on April 30 in Asunción, the newlywed couple did not hesitate to share their private life on social networks.
In the last publication in which they are together, his wife wrote “the best wedding gift is life, bringing you closer to the most beautiful testimony of love. The last sunset in Barú, but we will have millions more together”.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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