In the Argentine city of Santa Fe, a police officer and two civilians were charged with belonging to a criminal ring that committed property crimes. The charges were brought during a hearing held this morning in the city's courts. According to the Argentine News Agency and the Santa Fe Public Prosecutor's Office, the 41-year-old officer was accused of providing information on potential robbery sites in Cayastá and its surroundings. Prosecutor María Rosario Haeffeli presented the charges against the officer and his alleged accomplices, aged 42 and 52, who were identified by the initials MMDM and CGM, respectively. They were placed at the disposal of Judge Pablo Ruiz Staiger. Haeffeli explained that 'the criminal organization was made up of at least three other people who are fugitives, and one of them has already been identified,' while noting that 'the investigation aims to clarify at least two other criminal acts in Cayastá linked to this association.' The prosecution stated that 'last December, the police officer under investigation participated as a member of the criminal band, providing information on potential places to rob. Due to his public function, he knew the operational protocols, resided in Cayastá, and made his home available to meet with other group members.' According to the lawyer's account, 'the man with the initials MMDM organized the illicit activity, gathered the data provided by the police official, and coordinated trips to plan and execute property crimes with the other co-authors.' The 52-year-old man was the one who brought the police officer into the association, was present in meetings prior to the property crimes, and participated in one of them, as referred by the prosecutor. The police officer was charged with being part of the organization and aggravated cover-up as a public official. The man with the initials MMDM was charged as the organizer and investigated as a co-author of aggravated robbery, simple robbery, and theft; while the third is accused as a participant and co-author of the theft. The prosecutor will request preventive detention for the three of them next Friday during the hearing on precautionary measures.
