BOGOTA, Colombia ( Associated Press) – Paraguay’s prosecutor for organized crime and drug trafficking was killed on Tuesday by gunmen on a Colombian beach as he honeymooned with his new wife, who said the attackers were on a jet ski or Came on a small boat.
Prosecutor Marcelo Pecchi married journalist Claudia Aguilera in April. Aguilera recently shared photos on social media showing her and Pecci on the Baru Peninsula in the Caribbean, south of the Colombian city of Cartagena.
Her last social media posting, hours before the attack, was a photo of her and her husband, wearing a pair of baby shoes and the message: “The best wedding gift… a proof of the love that is dearest to life to come.” is. “
The Decameron Barro Hotel, where the couple were staying, said the attackers arrived on jet skis and shot the couple while they were on the beach. The hotel said the gunmen also opened fire on a security guard, who was injured.
Aguilera, who was not injured in the attack, said the two attackers came on a small boat or jet ski, saying they did not remember exactly. One of them got off and “without saying a word shot Marcelo twice, once in the face and once in the back.”
Colombia’s foreign minister and vice president, Marta Lucía Ramírez, said officials were working to clarify “the motives and authors of this heinous crime”.
Colombia’s Defense Minister Diego Molano said a “high command” criminal investigation unit had been sent to Cartagena. Police said Paraguayan and US authorities would be integrated into the unit to help identify and prosecute the perpetrators.
Pecci was investigating several high-profile cases in Paraguay, including the shooting at a concert in January where the wife of an alleged drug smuggler and a football player were killed.
Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benítez condemned the “cowardly murder” of the prosecutor on Twitter. He vowed to double down on Paraguay’s efforts against organized crime.
The director of the Colombian National Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, said he was not aware that Pecci was in Colombia. He said Pekki was one of the most guarded people in Paraguay as he “investigated cases of international terrorism.”
Paraguay is the largest marijuana producer in South America. It is still illegal to grow the plant in that country and most of the crop is smuggled into Argentina and Brazil.
