Paraguay Hands Over Ex-PRF Chief Silvinei Vasques to Brazil After Airport Arrest

Overview

• He was detained at Asunción’s Silvio Pettirossi airport while trying to board a flight to El Salvador with a connection in Panama, using a genuine Paraguayan passport issued under another name.
• Paraguayan officers sent his photo to Brazilian counterparts to confirm his identity before the arrest was formalized.
• Brazil’s Federal Police say he violated a court-ordered ankle monitor and left the country without authorization, triggering border alerts and coordination with the PF attaché in Paraguay.
• Paraguay delivered him at the Ciudad del Este–Foz do Iguaçu crossing around 8:30 p.m., and the Federal Police are holding him pending transfer to Brasília.
• He was sentenced by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court on Dec. 16 to 24 years and 6 months for participation in the 2022 coup plot that used PRF operations to impede voting.