Argentina Seizes 388 Kilos of Cocaine Hidden in Bolivian Fuel Tankers

Argentine security forces have seized 388 kilograms of cocaine hidden within two fuel tanker trucks originating from Bolivia. The operation took place on National Route 34, near the city of Rafaela in the province of Santa Fe.

Personnel from the Gendarmerie established a checkpoint and stopped a Bolivian-registered fuel tanker. Acting on intelligence regarding the use of such vehicles for drug smuggling, officers conducted a thorough inspection. They discovered five backpacks containing cocaine in the truck's cabin.

Approximately ten kilometers behind the first truck, a second similar tanker, also with Bolivian plates, was stopped and inspected. This vehicle also contained backpacks filled with cocaine. Preliminary weighing confirmed a total seizure of 388 kilograms of the illicit substance.

Argentina's Minister of Security, Alejandra Monteoliva, announced the successful operation, stating, "GNA intercepted, in Santa Fe, two tanker trucks with Bolivian plates. The drug was heading straight for the streets of Buenos Aires. It did not arrive. War without quarter against drug trafficking, 388 kilos of cocaine, 9 billion pesos less for the narcos."

This method of using fuel transport vehicles to conceal drugs is not new. In May, a similar incident occurred closer to the border, where nearly 113 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in a tanker truck during a Gendarmerie operation in Salta province. The driver in that case, a Bolivian national, was arrested.