Authorities believe Salta "functioned as a transit province towards major urban centers of Argentina or even abroad", which reinforces the hypothesis of a well-organized criminal structure behind the shipment.
Millions of dollars worth of cocaine were seized and two suspects linked to an international network were arrested.
This discovery led to the opening of an investigation aimed at dismantling a transnational criminal organization, as reported by the Argentine News Agency.
Prosecutor María del Carmen Núñez took charge of the case and ordered both the seizure of the vehicle and its cargo for examination, and the implementation of new investigative measures.
The main objective is to identify the supply chain, establish the exact origin of the drug—"probably Bolivia"—and confirm its final destination, which, given the quantity seized, is presumed not to be the local market.
Buenos Aires, December 14 (NA) -- An operation carried out by the Federal Police under the Plan Güemes service resulted in the arrest of two people from Orán, following the seizure of 200 kilos of cocaine on the northern access to Hipólito Yrigoyen, in the province of Salta.
The incident was triggered this Saturday when the driver of a dark gray car "braked abruptly meters before a routine vehicle checkpoint on National Route No. 50", which alerted the officers.
The two detainees were transferred for identification and preliminary questioning, while the investigation continues to determine the full structure of the involved organization and its possible connections with international drug trafficking networks.
As they approached the vehicle, officers noticed the "man's nervous attitude", who claimed to be transporting only coca leaves in the trunk.
The police officers' insistence led to a consultation with the Prosecutor's Office, which authorized the inspection of the vehicle in the presence of two witnesses.
During the search, officers found several bundles wrapped in black canvas, which, when opened, revealed "rectangular packages carefully wrapped in yellow adhesive tape, disproving the driver's initial version".
The narcotic, which was hidden in a double bottom at the rear of the vehicle, was taken to the Orán Bus Terminal for precise weighing, confirming a total of "200 kilos of pure cocaine".
The street value of the seized drug is estimated at "millions of dollars", depending on its final destination.
