Gendarmerie Seizes Abandoned Aircraft Tied to Rosario Drug Syndicate

Nearly half a ton of cocaine was discovered aboard a Bolivian-registered aircraft that landed in Argentina near Rosario. The National Gendarmerie tracked the aircraft, a Cessna 206, using radar from Santa Fe’s northern region.

The plane landed in a rural area near the towns of Luis Palacios and Andino in the San Lorenzo department, where it was abandoned with 480 kilograms (over 1,000 pounds) of cocaine onboard. Authorities suspect the flight was organized by a Rosario-based drug trafficking ring whose leaders have evaded arrest since the high-profile "White Harvest" operation of 2022.

Hours later, the alleged pilot of the plane was arrested by Pueblo Andino police officers. A bystander had alerted them about a suspicious man wandering by the Carcarañá River.

The Argentine Air Force detected the plane through a radar system stationed in Tostado, northern Santa Fe, and sent interceptor aircraft to force its landing. The Gendarmerie located the plane shortly afterward, though the crew had already fled the scene. However, they later apprehended a Bolivian pilot, identified as Oscar Caba, near Pueblo Andino.

This latest seizure is part of an ongoing investigation by federal authorities into Rosario’s drug trafficking networks, which are believed to coordinate drug flights from Bolivia to Argentina. The “White Harvest” investigation, which first identified this criminal group, uncovered that the organization smuggled drugs using three of its own aircraft and stored light aircraft at a private hangar in Campo Timbó, located in Oliveros.

The organization’s leaders have been on the run since, allegedly using a network of illicit businesses to launder drug profits. This includes purchasing taxi fleets, car rental services, media franchises, agricultural machinery, bars, real estate, and construction materials.

The seizure, led by the Justice Department and Gendarmerie’s Anti-Drug Investigation Unit, marks significant progress towards dismantling the region’s well-established trafficking operation.

FMI: www.santafenm.gov