A cartel leader has dressed up as a woman in an effort to avoid prison.
CCTV footage caught the moment that drug gang leader César Ortíz, who also goes by 'Gordito Lindo' ('Cute Chubby’), managed to escape a prison in Paraguay, South America on 29 May. You can watch the clip below:
César slipped past the security area at the well-known Tacumbú National Penitentiary in the capital of Asunción after dressing up and going incognito.
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The 36-year-old, who was the second-in-command of the Rotela Clan’s ring, was visited by a woman who went with César into a private room, according to reports.
During his jail visit, he changed out of his prison threads into a khaki top and blue maxi skirt.
The criminal was reported to have painted his nails white, adding fake eyelashes, makeup and a long black wig.
Local authorities stated that César was not spotted as he cleared many checkpoints in the prison before a guard opened the gate which allowed him to exit the jail.
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It wasn’t until after he left the prison that guards saw the prison escapee blocks away from the national penitentiary and arrested him, as well as three others who were supposedly part of his jail-break plan.
After plotting a getaway to a hideout in the central region of Paraguay, César was shortly taken to another prison, the Emboscada National Penitentiary - 32 miles away from his original prison.
However, his wife Jessica Salinas urged that authorities moved him back to the Tacumbú National Penitentiary after she expressed concerns that prison guards could not ensure his wellbeing at his new prison.
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An investigation into a minimum of 20 prison guards was launched by the Justice Ministry in connection to César’s escape.
At least four people were handed into custody, including Rolón Figueroa, who was reinstated into the San Pedro police department in June 2021 after having served a six-year drug trafficking sentence.
Another of the supposed plotters was Víctor Paredes, Ortiz's brother-in-law, who was wanted for the murder of a woman in March.
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The woman worked as a maid for the Insfrán clan, a family who were allegedly associated with drug trafficking and money laundering.
Meanwhile, César had been incarcerated at the Tacumbú National Penitentiary since 2019 as part of an eight-year sentence after he and three other suspects were arrested for robbing around $4,400 from a petrol station in Asunción, according to reports.
His gang, the Rotela Clan, is said to be involved in a fight for control over the drug trade in Paraguay’s prisons against the First Capital Command, the most powerful prison gang and cocaine exporter in Brazil.
Featured Image Credit: Tacumbu PoliceTopics: News, World News, Crime