Paraguayan prosecutor specializing in the fight against drug trafficking, Marcelo Pecci, was murdered on Tuesday in Colombia by killers landed on a jet ski on the paradise beach of a Caribbean island where he was spending his honeymoon.
Five Colombian investigators were dispatched to the island of Baru « where the murder was committed » to carry out the investigations with the support of Paraguay and the United States, announced to the press at the beginning of the afternoon the head of the Colombian police, General Jorge Luis Vargas.
He did not specify the date or the exact circumstances of the assassination, committed while the prosecutor was spending his honeymoon on this tourist island.
Mr. Pecci, 45, married a Colombian journalist, Claudia Aguilera, on April 30 in the city of Cartagena, posting photos of her wedding on her Twitter account.
“Yes he is dead”confirmed his wife, in a short interview with a Colombian radio.
The murder took place on the private beach of a local luxury hotel, the Decameron Hotel, among tourists and in front of the transparent blue waters of the Caribbean Sea.
“Two men arrived (from the sea) on a boat, they approached and opened fire, before fleeing”she explained. “A guard wanted to intervene, they also shot him”.
Prosecutor Pecci had no “received no threats”she simply added.
The hotel complex where the couple were staying issued a statement giving further details, stating that the “murderers arrived by jet-ski on the beach in front of the hotel”.
In the last photo published before the tragedy on the young woman’s Instagram account, the couple was embracing on a beach, with a pair of baby booties in the foreground, suggesting that the newlyweds were expecting a child.
« Typical Mafia »
According to Paraguay’s Ambassador to Colombia, Sophia Lopez, » the transfer « of Prosecutor Pecci’s body to his country « will not take place immediately », due to the needs of the investigation.
The prosecutor was on a trip » private « and he had no work meeting planned during his stay, said the diplomat, speaking on a Colombian media.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Colombian police released a photo of one of the alleged murderers, in black Bermuda shorts and his head covered with a beige Panama hat.
Colombian Police Director General Jorge Luis Vargas told a press conference that the US drug agency DEA, Colombian and Paraguayan authorities were working together to“get as much information as possible” on this crime.
Police have announced a $488,000 reward for information leading to the killers’ capture.
On Twitter, Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez condemned “the cowardly assassination of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia” which « mourns the whole Paraguayan nation ».
“We condemn this tragic act in the strongest terms and redouble our commitment to the fight against organized crime”assured the president.
“The way they (the assassins) acted, the way they executed, is typical of the mafia. I see no other explanation […] »said the President of the Paraguayan Association of Public Prosecutors, Augusto Salas.
Speaking on Colombian radio, the Attorney General of Paraguay, Sandra Quiñonez, recalled that her murdered colleague had obtained “significant convictions” in these “eleven years of fighting drug trafficking and transnational crime”.
« He just wanted to enjoy his honeymoon, in privacy, and that’s why he had no security » around him. “He was a great friend […] He told me his wife was expecting a baby.confirmed Ms. Quiñonez.
A « police board » of Paraguay will travel to Colombia to participate in the Colombian investigation, said Colombian General Jorge Luis Vargas.
Colombian President Ivan Duque also condemned the assassination via his Twitter account and assured that he was in communication with his counterpart in Paraguay to ensure « all cooperation (necessary) to find those responsible ».
Mr. Pecci was a prosecutor specializing in organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorist financing.
He was known for his involvement in the investigation that landed footballer Ronaldinho behind bars between March and August 2020 for entering Paraguay with false documents.
Paraguay and Colombia have strengthened their cooperation against international organized crime in recent years. Despite decades of fighting cartels and drug traffickers, Colombia remains the main producer and exporter of cocaine in the world.