HomeNewsAnalysisSpanish Arrests Focus Spotlight on Argentina
ANALYSIS

Spanish Arrests Focus Spotlight on Argentina

ARGENTINA / 23 FEB 2011 BY INSIGHT CRIME EN

The recent arrests of three Argentines in Spain highlight the increasing use of this country as a trampoline to send drugs to Europe. The use of Argentina as a drug transhipment point also seems to have led to increased corruption and more local drug consumption.

In January, Spanish authorities seized three Argentine nationals carrying more than 900 kilos of cocaine on an Argentine aircraft, the EFE news agency reported. Two of the Argentines were sons of the former head of the Argentine Air Force. The third was the son of a former high-ranking official.

The air force later dismissed Jorge Ayerdi, the commander of Moron Airbase where the so-called 'narco avion' reportedly began its journey. The government reinforced rules regarding the use of private aircraft at Argentine airports.

The growth of the European consumer market seems to be fueling the increased use of Argentina as a transhipment point. The 2010 United Nations World Drug Report says 4.5 million Europeans consume cocaine regularly versus just over 6 million in the North American market. Much of these drugs pass through Argentina. The UN report said seizures were up 51 percent in 2008 from 2007.

This has had unintended side effects. The UN says that Argentina has the highest cocaine use in South America. And it ranks second in marijuana use in the region.

What's more, since the early 1990's, Argentine state officials have increasingly been linked to the expanding drug trade. The 'narco avion' case in Spain is just the latest example. As Clarin details, cases of corruption date back to 1991, and include former high ranking officials of all stripes and colors.

Links to drug traffickers have also surfaced in the Argentine Drug Control Division. In 2008, director of the Division, José Ramón Granero, was accused of transporting some 50 pounds of cocaine.

Drug traffickers use the same trafficking corridors for other products moving north as well. Taking advantage of Argentina's robust pharmaceutical industry and responding to recent changes in legislation in Mexico that prohibited bulk imports of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, Mexican drug cartels have established networks with pseudoephedrine importers in Argentina (which also prohibited ephedrine imports in 2008).

The so-called "ephedrine highway" links the Argentine importers to Mexican cartels, who then produce methamphetamines in Mexico or transport the ephedrine to the United States to produce it closer to the buyers.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 25 OCT 2021

Argentine province bordering Uruguay has become a transit hub for drug trafficking out of Paraguay, revealing a new route used…

ARGENTINA / 5 JUL 2022

Why did drug trafficking enjoy such a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic…

ARGENTINA / 12 AUG 2022

Uruguayan authorities have dismantled a smuggling ring moving weapons into the country from Argentina.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.