Operation Veneratio by combined military forces seized the prison on December 18 from the Rotela criminal clan, which was in power in that and other penitentiaries in the country, the head of State explained in an act of decoration of participants in the action.

“What happened that day was not only to take control of the largest prison in the country, but also one of the 10 worst in the world,” through “an operation that sent a message to organized crime that we are united in national causes”, the president said.

President Peña praised the work of the operation between the Police and other military forces, through a provision that declared all penitentiaries and educational centers in a situation of “penitentiary emergency”, and established “a security plan with the support of the public forces”.

The combined groups of troops that recovered the national prison of Tacumbú were prepared to resist between 72 and 96 hours, senior officers declared at the time.

Operation Veneratio contemplated different possible scenarios to confront the inmates, who were armed with a strong arsenal, the force’s commander Carlos Benítez told Radio Monumental 1080 AM.

According to official sources, the Rotela Clan is a family-based organization, which originally specialized in micro-trafficking crack in marginal neighborhoods, and later expanded into other areas to become a nationwide entity that controls drug trafficking in and out of prisons.

arm/ro/apb