Paraguayan authorities report journalist shot to death in drug trafficking region

ASUNCION, Paraguay – A Paraguayan journalist was shot to death in a northern area that is a hotbed for drugs and arms trafficking.

Paraguay's journalist union said 48-year old Pablo Medina was hit by bullets Thursday. Medina worked for the newspaper ABC Color and was based in the northern state of Canindeyu.

He had worked on investigations exposing drug traffickers and illegal loggers. He recently told The Associated Press he constantly wore a bulletproof vest due to numerous threats on his life.

On its website, ABC Color published a picture of Medina inside his car covered in blood. Police suspect he was shot by gunmen who fled on a motorcycle.

Two other journalists have been killed so far this year in Paraguay while working along the porous and crime-ridden northern border with Brazil.