Killers of Paraguay's anti-mafia prosecutor captured in Colombia

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The alleged perpetrators of the murder of Paraguayan anti-mafia prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, who led high-profile cases against organized crime and drug trafficking, were captured in the Colombian city of Medellin on Friday.

According to Colombian President Ivan Duque, police and prosecutors from Colombia and Paraguay worked with US authorities to hunt down the five people identified as the murderers of the prosecutor.

"We have captured all the suspects involved, including the perpetrator of the murder of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, this is an intelligence operation of meticulous work that has allowed us to get to this criminal structure," said Duque from Washington.

Pecci and his wife journalist Claudia Aguilera were spending their honeymoon at a hotel on the Baru peninsula on Colombia’s Caribbean coast on May 10 when two assassins arrived at the beach on a jet-ski and shot Pecci dead. Preliminary investigations by the prosecutor's office indicate that one of the suspects reportedly stayed at the same hotel in order to follow the couple.

Hours earlier, Aguilera had posted a picture on her Instagram account announcing that they were expecting a baby.

The authorities are establishing the motives behind the crime of the Paraguayan official, who was well known for investigating some of his country’s most high-profile organized crime cases, where local criminal groups worked with Colombian and Brazilian cartels. The Colombian police has said that the murder is related to some of the high-profile cases Pecci had been involved in Paraguay.

"Once again our authorities act hastily to show the world that no one is above the law. We also extend our solidarity with Marcelo Pecci and with all the Paraguayan people," said Duque.

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo also applauded the arrest of those involved in the crime.

"We appreciate the commitment of the Colombian state agencies. The investigation into the tragic death of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, in which police and prosecutors from both countries work cooperatively seeking justice, is moving forward with the capture of the suspects in his death," Abdo published on his Twitter account.