Paraguay charges four airport insiders in Miami drug jet case

Paraguayan authorities have charged four airport insiders in connection with a drug smuggling operation involving a US-registered Bombardier Challenger business jet. The suspects, who include an air traffic controller, a former deputy security manager, an airport paperwork agent, and a logistics supervisor, are accused of facilitating the unloading of over 261 kilos of high-potency cannabis.

The drugs were discovered in May after the jet, tail number N116HL, flew from Miami via Panama to land near Asunción. The cannabis was concealed in bags declared as musical instruments. While three US passengers were arrested in May, the current charges target local airport personnel for allegedly helping bypass security checks.

Raids were conducted by the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) and prosecutors at three homes in Luque and a private company operating within Silvio Pettirossi International Airport. The investigation is being coordinated with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to identify the financiers of the shipment.