[REVISION HISTORY]
South American prison escapes and transfers
Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.
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2026-10-26 15:28 UTC → 2026-10-27 14:14 UTC ·
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In mid-October, two detainees escaped from the Gendarmería Nacional Escuadrón N° 21 in Jujuy, Argentina, by squeezing through a gap in a cell door. Security footage indicated an inmate used a white substance, such as soap, to lubricate his body. The fugitives crossed the border into Villazón, Bolivia, where they were intercepted and recaptured by the Unidad Policial de Acción y Reacción (UPAR Delta) approximately ten hours later. By late October, separate incidents occurred in Peru and Paraguay. In Peru, seven high-risk inmates, including members of the ‘La Confederación’ criminal organization, were transferred from Lima’s Ancón 1 penitentiary to the high-altitude Challapalca prison in Tacna following an intelligence operation that uncovered drugs, weapons, and communication devices. In Paraguay, the escape of two inmates—Ever Alejandro Ozuna López, accused of drug trafficking, and Robert Arsenio Merlo Villalba, accused of aggravated robbery—from the Martín Mendoza Penitentiary in Emboscada has led to the arrest of four guards. significant legal action. The fugitives escaped by breaking window bars and scaling walls using makeshift ropes. ropes made from sheets and blankets. Investigations uncovered irregularities, by the Public Ministry and the Ministry of Justice revealed security failures, including staff in possession the absence of mobile phones, SIM cards, tablets, surveillance personnel and chargers. Authorities allege a failure to conduct required hourly perimeter checks. Four guards—Pedro Antonio Balbuena Gayoso, Leandro David Guzmán Maidana, Héctor Enrique Ozuna Giménez, and Carlos Martín Agüero Cáceres—were arrested. Two of these guards may have facilitated were found in possession of the escape by disabling controls or leaving surveillance areas unmanned. director’s mobile phone. Consequently, Paraguay’s former prison director Pablo Abel González Apuril has been detained, and Minister of Justice, Justice Rodrigo Nicora, Nicora has ordered an immediate intervention of the facility, and prison director Pablo Abel González was removed from his position pending an independent investigation. facility.
Versions
- 2026-10-27 14:14 UTC South American prison escapes and transfers
- 2026-10-26 15:28 UTC South American prison escapes and transfers
- 2026-10-25 22:23 UTC South American prison escapes and transfers
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