Paraguayan prosecutors have indicted a congressman of the governing Colorado Party accused of money laundering and criminal association, but judicial authorities still face significant obstacles to rooting out corruption in the country’s political class.
Congressman Erico Galeano was indicted by Paraguay’s Attorney General’s Office on May 19. The Chamber of Deputies voted to strip him of his congressional privileges on May 24.
Prosecutors claimed that Galeano lent his private plane to facilitate drug trafficking operations led by notorious criminal, Miguel Insfrán, alias “Tío Rico,” and Sebastián Marset, a mysterious underworld figure alleged to have founded the First Uruguayan Cartel (Primer Cartel Uruguayo – PCU).
Other accusations date back to early 2022 when Galeano was linked to a property owned by Insfrán’s associate and fellow drug trafficker, Hugo González. Senator Derlis Osorio also accused Galeano of asking him for money to free Marset after the drug trafficker was arrested in Dubai in October 2021 for traveling on a false Paraguayan passport.
A day before his impeachment, Galeano held a press conference to address the allegations. He confirmed that he sold the property to González, but denied having any relationship with him.
“I did not know the man, only through intermediaries,” Galeano said, adding that he had never been in contact with Insfrán or Marset.
Paraguayan Prosecutors Indict Senator Linked to Transatlantic Cocaine Trade
