International Legal Organizations Call for Justice After Paraguayan Prosecutor Gunned Down

International legal organizations have strongly condemned the murder of a top prosecutor from Paraguay and urged authorities in South America to bring those responsible for his execution to justice.

Marcelo Pecci was on his honeymoon at a beachfront resort in Colombia last month when two men pulled up on a jet ski and shot him three times, in the face and in the back. The couple had just announced via social media that they were expecting a baby.

A massive transnational investigation is underway involving the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Interpol—as well as authorities in Paraguay and Colombia.

“The New York City Bar Association joins Paraguay and Colombia in grieving Pecci’s violent and untimely death at the hands of assassins for no apparent reason other than that he excelled at his job,” the Bar said in a statement. “And the Bar urges governments everywhere to redouble their commitment to the safety and security of their prosecutors, to honor the memory of Pecci and his lifetime of public service.”

Pecci was a highly regarded prosecutor in Paraguay and beyond. He specialized in cases involving organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorist financing.

In light of the murder, the International Association of Prosecutors has also called on states worldwide to review the protections in place and to consider strengthening those measures to ensure prosecutors’ safety.

“The murder of Mr. Pecci, once again, places a focus on the safety of prosecutors and their families,” the International Association of Prosecutors said in a statement.

“If prosecutors are to successfully discharge their mandate by upholding the rule of law, bringing criminals to justice, and contributing to communities that are safe, they must themselves be adequately protected at all times,” the association added.

Paraguay is a notorious crossroads for multinational criminal groups involved in the drug trade, human trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling.

As a landlocked country that sits between drug consumer and producer regions, Paraguay attracts transnational criminal organizations wishing to carry out smuggling operations into the region and to cross it on their way to other countries and continents.

Most recently, Pecci was at the center of an ongoing operation against a large drug-smuggling and money-laundering network that moves cocaine from Bolivia and Colombia through Paraguay and on to European ports.

Known as “A Ultranza Py,” the operation has led to dozens of arrests and has implicated politicians, army personnel and business elites, highlighting the strong links between organized crime and some of the biggest names in Paraguay.

In addition, Pecci seized luxury vehicles, airplanes, yachts, cattle, real estate and other assets. Drug traffickers have lost more than $100 million due to his dogged pursuit, authorities say.

Pecci was also responsible for the 2020 prosecution of global soccer icon Ronaldinho, who was charged with entering Paraguay on a fake passport, and for high-profile cases involving the violent Brazilian prison gang Primeiro Comando da Capital (First Capital Command), as well as Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

Law enforcement officials are treating the assassination as a professional “hit,” a murder-for-hire directly tied to Pecci’s work as a prosecutor in Paraguay.

Belinda Bobadilla, vice president of the Paraguay Public Prosecutors Association said via Twitter that the “cowardly” attack against Pecci was one of a series of assaults against institutions in Latin America.

“This reaction occurs across Latin America when prosecutors investigate or make accusations against criminal organizations or people with political or economic significance,” Bobadilla wrote in a Twitter post on May 10.

Given the high-profile nature of his work, Pecci was one of the most heavily guarded people in Paraguay. But he had left his security team behind when he went to vacation in Colombia.