On an unusually hot morning in June 2024, deep in the Chaco region of northern Paraguay, a small expedition set out on a mission few dare to undertake. The Chaco is a vast, rugged, and largely untamed forest stretching across Paraguay and spilling over into Argentina and Bolivia. It is a place of extremes: harsh heat, dense brush, scarce water, and almost no sign of human life for hundreds of kilometers. For those who know the region, it is also a secret haven for one of the most insidious challenges Paraguay faces today-clandestine narcotrafficking airstrips.

After hours of navigating narrow, winding dirt roads flanked by towering trees, the team finally picked up signs of human presence: a pair of shoes abandoned by the roadside, empty bottles, and eventually, a makeshift camp beneath a thin metal sheet. A motorcycle sat with its keys in the ignition, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

“You can tell they never stopped operating here,” said Gaspar, the local guide, in Guarani, the indigenous language of the region. Gaspar, born and raised in the Chaco, knows this harsh landscape intimately. His hat and old shotgun-once a tool to fend off jaguars and pumas-are constant companions. Today, his mission is far more dangerous: to track down drug traffickers exploiting the forest’s remoteness.

But the journey hit an unexpected roadblock. Several tree trunks and branches had been deliberately laid across the path, a warning or obstacle likely set by those who use the forest as their base. Undeterred, the team launched a drone, which soared over the canopy and revealed a startling sight: a massive brown scar running 1,180 meters long and 55 meters wide, cutting through the lush green of the forest. It was the unmistakable outline of a clandestine airstrip, one large enough to accommodate small and medium-sized planes.

The discovery was as chilling as it was impressive. This runway, the size of 24 Olympic swimming pools, was not abandoned; evidence of recent activity was clear. Burn marks cleared alongside the strip, fresh tire tracks, and connecting dirt roads all pointed to ongoing operations. Even Gaspar, who has seen much of the Chaco’s underbelly, was impressed.

“We are facing a unique situation,” he admitted.

The Gran Chaco spans over a million square kilometers and is one........

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