An iPhone hidden in a thermos was seized, which they tried to deliver to the partner of drug trafficker Sebastián Marset in a Paraguayan military prison.

Paraguayan military personnel seized a cell phone this Saturday that the brother of Gianina García Troche, identified as the partner of fugitive drug trafficker Sebastián Marset, tried to give her during a visit to the Viñas Cué military prison in Asunción, where she is serving pre-trial detention. The Military Forces Command reported that the device, an iPhone hidden inside a thermos for tereré — a traditional Paraguayan drink —, was detected during the control of objects entering the prison. The attempt was attributed to Federico García Troche, the detained woman’s brother, who on Saturday morning went to Viñas Cué carrying various food items and the manipulated thermos. According to the military statement, during the “rigorous content verification process” the phone and other supplies were detected, and a record was drawn up and sent to the judge in the case, Rosarito Montanía.

The act was not criminally sanctioned against Federico García Troche. The president of the Military Justice Court, Air Division General Nicolás Narváez, explained to EFE that the attempt to introduce a phone into the prison is not classified as a crime in the Paraguayan penal code, which is why García Troche’s brother was released after what happened. Narváez added that it is up to Judge Montanía to determine if the action constitutes a violation of the specific conditions imposed on the accused’s confinement. Gianina García Troche remains in custody at the Viñas Cué military prison since May 21, after being extradited from Spain. Her detention in Spanish territory occurred in July 2024, at the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas airport. During her stay in prison, she was transferred to a hospital in early December after fainting and seizures, and after being discharged from the hospital, she was readmitted to the prison. The formal indictment against García Troche is part of the Paraguayan investigation that followed the “A Ultranza Py” operation, launched in 2022 as the largest state blow to date against organized crime and money laundering in Paraguay. The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses García Troche of introducing millions of dollars derived from drug trafficking into the Paraguayan financial system, using sophisticated methods to conceal the origin and destination of the funds. During a court hearing held on October 14, García Troche stated that she is not Marset’s wife, although she admitted that she is the mother of his children. Sebastián Marset himself addressed the situation in a recent interview given to the radio 780 AM and the channel Mega TV, in which he claimed that he offered to surrender to the Paraguayan State in exchange for García Troche being “out of all charges.” The Paraguayan Executive, for its part, rejected any type of negotiation and reiterated its demand that Marset appear before the Justice. The United States announced on May 21st the offer of a USD 2,000,000 reward for information leading to the capture or conviction of Marset, who is also charged with sending more than 16 tons of cocaine to Europe, according to the State Department. In addition, the US justice system filed an indictment for money laundering, claiming that Marset managed millions of dollars from drug trafficking through financial institutions based in the United States. Regionally, in 2023, Bolivia offered a reward of USD 100,000 for his arrest. The extradition of García Troche to Paraguay was finalized almost a year after her arrest in Spain. Upon her arrival, she was immediately incarcerated in the Viñas Cué military prison, where strict custody is in place due to the seriousness of the accusations and her alleged connection to the network led by Marset.