A major corruption and drug trafficking trial is underway at the San Martín Oral Federal Court N° 1. Recently, the trial prosecutor, Marcelo García Berros, requested witness testimonies to investigate former prosecutor Claudio Scapolan. Scapolan is suspected of being a key member of a criminal organization that allegedly operated for over a decade with a repeated pattern of targeted procedures, unsupported 'urgent' raids, arbitrary detentions, drug seizures, and building cases to cover up an illegal business. The case has also highlighted the public praise Scapolan received from Sergio Massa in 2013, suggesting a close relationship that fueled suspicions of cover-ups and loyalties within the institutional framework. The discussion in court has shifted from the crimes committed by police on the streets to who provided a semblance of legality, who gave cover, and who looked the other way as drug trafficking found a structure to thrive within the state. The prosecutor argued that Scapolan was not a deceived official but a key player who planned and formalized illegal actions with a veneer of legality. This case is part of a larger narrative involving the San Isidro Prosecutor's Office during the years of Julio Novo's greatest influence, a powerful official who was eventually prosecuted for aggravated cover-up in a high-impact case linked to drug trafficking and notorious homicides. The current mega-trial, which brings together dozens of defendants—mostly Buenos Aires police officers, as well as lawyers and witnesses accused of perjury—is built on the hypothesis of a 'criminal enterprise' run with state tools: investigating drug trafficking to actually manage part of the business, steal shipments, and regulate street-level dealing. The request includes opening new lines of investigation for a wide range of serious crimes. This case illuminates the political component, revealing connections between the judicial system, the police, and local politics. The investigation into Scapolan is seen as an attempt to move beyond individual actors and uncover the broader system of power, including its political ties and relationships with influential figures.
