Luxury en-suite cell found in Paraguay prison

Pavao's bedroom had a treadmill

Police in Paraguay raided a drug lord's prison cell, only to find he was living a life of luxury.

In the three-room cell, they found a conference room, plasma screen television, library and kitchen.

The interior of the cell, which was occupied by Brazilian drug lord Jarvis Chimenes Pavao, has now been destroyed, media in Paraguay report.

Police had learned Pavao was planning to escape by using explosives to blow a hole in the wall of the prison.

An investigation is under way to find who allowed the VIP suite to be built

Pavao has now been moved far away from Tacumbu prison

Pavao was due to complete his sentence for money laundering next year, at the end of which he was likely to face extradition to Brazil.

He has now been transferred to a special unit away from his luxury cell in Tacumbu prison, near the capital Asuncion.

An investigation is now under way to see which officials had allowed Pavao to set up his life of luxury.

Anyone wanting to stay in the suite had to pay a hefty sum

Prison clothes were apparently not among those in the wardrobe

Among the DVDs: one about the life of drug lord Pablo Escobar

Prisoners at Tacumbu told Agence France-Presse that anyone wanting to stay in the luxury unit had to pay Pavao a one-off fee of $5,000 (£3,778) and a weekly rent of $600.

"He was the most loved man in this prison," one inmate, Antonio Gonzalez, told AFP.

Pavao was transferred without his collection of shoes

The cell also had air conditioning, comfortable furniture, an en-suite bathroom and a DVD collection.

Among the DVDs were a TV serialisation of the life of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar.

Escobar, who was killed in 1993, was allowed to design his own prison in a deal struck with Colombian authorities.

Life in Tacumbu prison is usually much less glamorous