HomeNewsBriefHomicides Rising in West Argentina Amid Evolution of Drug Gangs
BRIEF

Homicides Rising in West Argentina Amid Evolution of Drug Gangs

ARGENTINA / 18 JUN 2014 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Authorities in Argentina have said a 60 percent rise in murders in the city of Mendoza is linked to the drug trade, following a nationwide pattern of rising violence as transnational organized crime takes root and local criminal groups evolve.

Between January 1 and June 18 this year, 88 murders were registered in Mendoza in west Argentina, compared to just 55 in the same months in 2013, reported La Nacion. Murders for 2014 are now on track to surpass the 141 murders seen in 2012, a high of recent years. 

Mendoza Police Chief Juan Carlos Caleri said the majority of the homicides occurred among acquaintances and took place during the first three months of the year when the drug gangs were "at their peak," both factors that contribute to the idea drug disputes were partly responsible for the rise.

Two cases that stood out this year were the the murder of Cristian Gelvez, the husband of a local drug gang leader, and that of Daiana Reynoso, a young woman who was discovered with several bullet holes in her body, signs of torture, and a plastic bag over her head. Her husband had been killed in a similar manner just a month before and investigators believe the killings could be linked to drug trafficking.  

InSight Crime Analysis

As foreign organized crime has become more established in Argentina and drug transit through the country has risen, a significant domestic market for cocaine and its derivatives has developed, leading to the emergence of increasingly sophisticated and violent homegrown criminal organizations. The epicenter of this has been the northeastern city at the end of the infamous Ruta 34 "cocaine highway," Rosario, where drug gang disputes have led to an unprecedented spike in murders

SEE ALSO: Coverage of Argentina

Mendoza, on the Chilean border, is removed from the principal land route used to traffic cocaine into Argentina from Bolivia. Nonetheless, there are indications a significant local market exists, and there have been signs of a somewhat sophisticated drug gang presence. A group known as "Yaqui's Little Angels," allegedly run by a woman nicknamed "Yaqui" who was arrested earlier this year, reportedly operated with a network of teenage assassins and at one point attacked journalists who had published details of the group's structure.

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.

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 / 6 JUL 2022

Tusi, a pink synthetic drug powder, is increasing its share of Latin America's drug markets.

ARGENTINA / 3 AUG 2022

Floodlights from Chinese fishing boats illuminate the darkness off Argentina’s Atlantic Coast, where the armada harvests tons of squid.

ARGENTINA / 12 SEP 2022

Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, fentanyl, and ecstasy are reshaping Latin America's drug trade.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

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.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…