Brazilian drug lord serves his time in a 'VIP cell' that had a library, plasma TV, 3 rooms and an en-suite bathroom
A Brazilian drug lord serving an eight-year prison sentence, spent his time behind bars in a 'VIP cell' - complete with a plasma television, a kitchen, wardrobes, conference room, air conditioning, tiled walls, furniture, and library - complete with a DVD collection that included all episodes of a television show about Pablo Escobar.
Jarvis Chimenes Pavao, one of South America's deadliest and most feared drug lords was sentenced to 8 years in prison after being found guilty of money laundering charges and was locked up in Tacumb prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, where he lived a life of luxury.
But Pavao's cushy life behind bars came to an end at his own doing, after officers began to suspect he was planning to detonate a bomb in order to smash through one of the jail walls and escape.
Investigators flooded the Brazilian's cell in search of the explosives on Tuesday night, but instead found his luxury prison pad.
After the raid, Pavao's lawyer said the lifestyle her client was able to lead while locked up was proof of how deeply corrupt the Paraguayan prison system had become.
'Six or seven justice ministers and six or seven prison directors' took bribes from Pavao, his lawyer alleged.
The lawyer also claimed her client paid for lodgings for prison directors, toilets for the guards, the renovation of the prison library and the cooks' salaries.
In the wake of the scandal, Justice Minister Carla Bacigalupo was sacked almost immediately.
Tacumbu penitentiary is considered one of the most overcrowded and violent jail of Paraguay - with inmates often starving to death or being involved in riots.
