Development: On 3 May, a group of six presumed members of the Brazilian criminal gang Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) escaped from a prison in the border town of Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC), Paraguay, after an armed attack by a group of 15 men.

Significance: The PCC's presence in Paraguay is considered an important threat to bilateral security. The prisoner escapes may prompt more intense scrutiny of Paraguay's prison system, not only by the local authorities but also by Brazilian authorities. There are indications that the attack was also coordinated from inside the facility.

Key Points:

• Olga Blanco, Paraguay's director of penal institutions, confirmed that "it was a rescue operation of six people apparently linked to the PCC". Blanco noted that the inmates were "ready" to escape. The local police chief, Jorge María Miranda, announced that two guards and four prostitutes who were at the prison outside of visiting hours had been arrested. Miranda stated that the women were "partying with the inmates before they were freed".

• More problematically, the local anti-drug prosecutor, Justiniano Cardozo, revealed that he knew about the operation and had alerted prison authorities the previous day. This prompted Interior Minister Rafael Filizzola to launch a full investigation. Filizzola announced that the police will also launch an operation, with the help of Brazilian authorities, to capture the fugitives. A wide avenue separating PJC from the neighbouring Brazilian city Ponta Porá acts as a (very porous) border.

• Among the fugitives are the suspected perpetrators of an armed attack on a local Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico senator, Robert Acevedo. Commenting on the break, Acevedo said, "I saw it coming". He also expressed doubts that it was "an armed commando operation", describing it as a "controlled delivery". According to Acevedo, the prison director Catalino Díaz, who he accused of having links with the PCC, had delayed the inmates' pending extradition to Brazil in order to allow for their "rescue".