The Global Advisor: Spotlight on Latin America | June 2025
Paraguay
Peru
Brazilian kidnappers target foreign students in Alto Paraná A Brazilian criminal on 17 May held two Brazilian students hostage in their apartment on the outskirts of Ciudad del Este (Alto Paraná department). The criminal gained access to their apartment by pretending to be a medical student where he then held them against their will with a knife, demanding a large ransom payment from their relatives over a messaging app. The students’ relatives transferred a significant amount via the PIX app. Neighbours heard the students’ screams and contacted the authorities who responded to the incident, rescuing the two victims and arresting the perpetrator.
Police rescue kidnap victim after failed ransom payment in La Libertad department Criminals on 26 April kidnapped 13 miners from a gold mine in Pataz (La Libertad department). On the same day, the kidnappers demanded a very large ransom payment from their families. National Police officers on 5 May discovered the lifeless bodies of the victims in a mine shaft. Relatives of the victims informed media outlets that the massacre appeared to have taken place several days earlier and that the bodies displayed signs of torture. Police confirmed that the perpetrators were illegal miners with ties to organised crime.
Control Risks comment
Control Risks comment
Mining was the most heavily affected sector by kidnapping in La Libertad between January 2023 and May 2025, with approximately 54% of victims whose professions were reported being mining employees. The expansion of illegal mining is the main driver of this trend, especially considering that organised criminal groups use kidnapping not only for monetary gain but also to gain control of key sites and intimidate both the local population and legal miners. This will likely continue across 2025, affecting both employees and business owners in the sector.
Paraguay registers few kidnaps annually compared to other regional hotspots; however, sporadic incidents occur across departments bordering Brazil such as Alto Paraná, Amambay and Canindeyú. While only roughly 20% of kidnap victims in Paraguay between January 2022 and May 2025 are foreign nationals, 80% of these are Brazilian nationals. This trend is likely to continue across 2025 as Brazilian criminal groups will continue to target expats living in the country.
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