Bangladesh, July 13 -- 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...