La Libertad Avanza councilman arrested in Bragado, accused of selling drugs

Germán Díaz, a councilman for the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party in Bragado, Argentina, has been arrested and charged with alleged drug trafficking. The arrest followed a police operation at a residence in the town of O’Brien, where authorities seized cocaine, cutting agents, and a precision scale. The UFI No. 7 of the Judicial Department of Mercedes, with the approval of Guarantee Court No. 3, requested the detention of the 52-year-old official and the search of his home.

Local media reported that residents of O’Brien had expressed concerns about the increasing sale of narcotics in the area. During a meeting that reportedly included local mayor Sergio Barenghi, residents allegedly identified Díaz as the main individual responsible for the drug trade. The councilman is currently in police custody and is expected to be transferred to judicial headquarters in Mercedes to provide his statement to prosecutor María Laura Cordiviola.

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We understand that any issue related to said investigation and the personal situation of the councilman must be resolved exclusively before the Justice system, an area to which this bloc is absolutely alien and in which it is not appropriate for us to issue any kind of assessment regarding his eventual responsibility.

In response to the arrest, the president of the LLA bloc in Bragado, Daniela Monzón, issued a statement with the other three members. They emphasized that any matters related to the investigation and Díaz's personal situation should be resolved solely through the justice system, stating the bloc is "absolutely alien" to it and should not offer any judgment on his potential responsibility. The statement strongly condemned any involvement in the sale and trafficking of narcotics, calling it a "grave scourge" with profoundly detrimental consequences for families and the community. The Bragado Deliberative Council is scheduled to hold an inter-bloc meeting to discuss Díaz's case and consider his potential suspension.

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We want to express our strong repudiation of any act, action, or omission related to the sale and trafficking of narcotics, an activity that constitutes a grave scourge for our society, which generates profoundly detrimental consequences for families and the entire community.