In the case regarding the appearance of almost half a ton of drugs inside a ship at the port of San Lorenzo, in Santa Fe, the main suspect is the cook, as the cocaine was found in his work area. The Public Prosecutor's Office formalized the investigation and charged the Filipino chef with attempted aggravated drug smuggling.
The final destination of the drugs was the port of the city of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. According to authorities, this was the most important river operation in the country, and results from the analyses of all seized cell phones are now awaited. Additionally, preventive detention for 90 days was ordered, a decision made by federal judge Carlos Vera Barros after the hearing of all crew members.
Regarding the other 19 individuals noted, Justice ordered the retention of their passports and documentation. Although they are not detained, they must remain on the ship while they continue to be investigated given the possibility that any of them may also be involved in the operation. As for the ship, it cannot leave the port of San Lorenzo and is guarded by Gendarmerie personnel.
The complaint reached the Decentralized Prosecutor's Office of San Lorenzo, where the investigation began and the operation was organized in which the Argentine Naval Prefecture and the General Customs Directorate finally found 469.500 kilograms of cocaine in 16 packages hidden in the ship's cold storage. The ship had departed from the United Arab Emirates and had arrived at the port of San Lorenzo last week to load sunflower.
