Over 800 Kilos of Cocaine Seized from Tanker Trucks in Argentina

Argentine law enforcement has intercepted a significant drug trafficking operation, seizing over 800 kilograms of cocaine concealed within three tanker trucks in separate incidents within a single week. The operations, conducted in the provinces of Salta and Santa Fe, highlight a sophisticated method of transporting illicit substances.

In the most recent bust, Gendarmerie officers tracked a tanker truck from the western outskirts of Salta city. After a nearly two-day surveillance, the vehicle was intercepted in Santiago del Estero province. A subsequent inspection revealed 446 kilograms of cocaine hidden within the truck's body. This operation targeted a logistics chain believed to be heading towards Buenos Aires.

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According to the representatives of the MPF, on July 27, the truck left a warehouse located in the western area of Salta, on the edge of the Circunvalación Oeste highway, near the access leading to Rosario de Lerma.

Prior to this, in the Santa Fe locality of Rafaela, authorities had already seized 388 kilograms of cocaine from two other tanker trucks. The repeated success of these operations, using similar methods, suggests a new variant in the terrestrial transport of cocaine is emerging.

Investigators noted an ingenious, hermetically sealed hiding system within the tanker truck intercepted in Tintina, Santiago del Estero. This method is designed to confuse drug-sniffing dogs. While the dogs still detected the contraband, leading to the truck's body being cut open, this technique is reportedly an imitation of systems developed in Colombia and adopted regionally. The Federal Public Ministry is involved in the investigation, with federal prosecutor Diego Iglesias overseeing aspects of the case.

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The vehicle was driven by one of the defendants, who later left via Route 5 in the direction of Pichanal, during the night.