The suspect is prosecuted for aggravated bribery, frustration of criminal execution and criminal association of the drug law.
Deny Yoon Pak, acting prosecutor of the Specialized Unit for the Fight against Drug Trafficking, took his preliminary statement. During the round of questions, the defendant affirmed that Ulises Quintana, a national deputy for the ANR, called him several times that day in order to intercede for Medina and learn about the case.
CONTEXT
To understand Alarcón’s involvement and his accusations against Quintana, one must remember the context. On Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at around 4:00 p.m., personnel from the 8th police station of Nueva Londres, dependent on the Caaguazú Headquarters of Order and Security, intercepted a Fiat brand vehicle, pickup truck, silver color , guided by Diego Medina, a member of the criminal organization led by Reinaldo Cabaña. Inside the vehicle, the sum of US$190,000 was transferred from Ciudad del Este to Asunción, destined for the purchase of narcotics.
The policemen found the money hidden in a double bottom, for which the officer Selva Chaparro contacted her hierarchical superior Celso Ortega, who ordered the transfer of the vehicle and the money to the police station headquarters.
Shortly after, the prosecutors of Coronel Oviedo, José Alarcón and Carlos Aguiar, sent by deputy Ulises Quintana, at the request of Reinaldo Cabaña, arrived at the police headquarters. The deputy would have communicated, through Alarcón’s phone, with the officer María Selva Chaparro (in charge of the Police Station) to order the release of the vehicle and the money.
After the call, Chaparro and Ortega would have coordinated with Diego Medina the concealment of US$166,000 and agreed to leave US$19,000, to be verified by Economic Crimes personnel of the National Police. For what Alarcón and Aguiar had withdrawn from the vehicle, they withheld the sum of US$166,000.
Finally, they agreed to pay the remaining US$5,000 to the officers of the 8th Police Station in New London who intervened and an additional US$1,000 for some members of the Economic Crimes of the National Police. Therefore, Alarcón would be the one who negotiated the release at the request of Ulises Quintana.
REFUSED LINKS
Alarcón denied being Ulises Quintana’s secretary. He did admit that the legislator called him several times that day, but that this was the only time he had telephone contact with him. He also said he was unaware of the US$190,000 that was transferred. He mentioned that he was informed about the retention of papers and documents, but not cash. He said he did not know what kind of documents it was.
Shortly after being released from the Nueva Londres police station, Medina headed to the city of Coronel Oviedo to meet with a man named Humberto Rodríguez at a Petrobras gas station. There he gave Rodríguez the money recovered from the Police. The amount was for the purchase of the drug that was later remitted to Brazil. Aguilar is still at large.
LINK WITH QUINTANA
“Cucho” has a link with deputy Ulises Quintana. It should be remembered that when the alleged drug trafficker was arrested, Cabaña’s vehicles were found on the politician’s property. In addition, after the expertise of the telephones, orders from “Cucho” were found to Quintana where he urged him to unlock the seizure of the money.
In April of last year, the legislator and his wife, Mirtha Fariña, were declared significantly corrupt by the United States. With this, they are prohibited from entering the North American country.
