Teenage girl found dead in crime lord's prison cell

An 18-year-old girl has been found dead in the Paraguayan prison cell of a Brazilian crime lord, in what local authorities say was an attempt to prevent his extradition.

Marcelo Pinheiro, better known as Marcelo “Piloto”, was already incarcerated in the federal prison of Catanduvas, Paraguay, when he was visited by an 18-year-old girl named as Lidia Meza Burgos.

The teen had asked to visit Pinheiro – a request that was authorised given he was not listed in solitary detention.

Paraguayan authorities claim Pinheiro stabbed the teenager several times in a bid to bring a new case against him, thus postponing his extradition to Brazil where he had escaped from a prison while serving a 15-year sentence on assault and death charges.

Ms Meza was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. In the aftermath of her death, Pinheiro’s lawyer immediately called for his client to face the murder charges in Paraguay.

Following her death, Paraguayan President Mario Abdo fired his security chief and announced a restructuring of the police leadership.

“We made the decision to replace the commander and deputy commander of the National Police,” the head of state wrote on Twitter.

Despite his efforts, Pinherio was expelled from the country last week, with the Justice Ministry saying Pinheiro “can respond in Brazil for the crime committed in Paraguay” and that the case will be in the hands of the Brazilian Federal Police.

Pinheiro is considered one of the leaders of the Red Command and a major supplier of drugs and weapons to the faction. He was detained in Paraguay in December 2017 after a decade on the run.

Women demanding ‘Justice for Lidia’

Women across Paraguay have expressed their outrage following the teenager’s death, demanding a full review of the prison system and “justice for Lidia”.

“The State must investigate the crime of #LidiaMeza. It is not enough to expel your murderer! #JusticiaParaLidia,” one woman wrote.

“Lidia Meza was selected for being the object of less value and greater benefit, she was used as bait. When a woman is considered an object, or given a utilitarian value, we are using the same patriarchal logic present in the power relations in our culture,” another wrote.