Pilar, Paraguay Pilar, Paraguay Pilar () is the capital city of the Paraguayan department of Ñeembucú, located along the Paraguay River in the southwestern part of the country. Located about from Asunción, Pilar serves as an important center of commerce and government for the far southwestern region of the country. Pilar was founded by Pedro Melo de Portugal on October 12, 1779. The original name of the settlement was "Villa del Ñeembucú", named for the nearby Arroyo Ñeembucú that flows into the Paraguay River. Four years later it was renamed "Villa del Pilar" by Spanish priest Marcial Antonio Uliambre, for the Basilica
Illegal drug trade in Paraguay Ramón Rosa Rodríguez, the head of Paraguay's national anti-drugs agency, Secretaría Nacional Antidrogas (SENAD), was assassinated whilst delivering a report to President Juan Carlos Wasmosy. The report, which went missing, is said to have implicated ex-President Andrés Rodríguez, then a Senator, as "the chief drug kingpin in Paraguay". The border region with Brazil around Pedro Juan Caballero, in Amambay Department, is one hotspot for drug smuggling, with the Brazilian crime organizations Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital given as prime targets for Paraguayan anti-drugs operations in 2011. Illegal drug trade in Paraguay The illegal drug trade in Paraguay is