"They took everything": command robberies reported amid reappearance of a crime

Rural producers in Carmen de Areco, Buenos Aires, are facing a surge in violent crime, including armed home invasions and cattle rustling, prompting widespread concern. Nicolás Mac Dermon, an agricultural producer and member of the Association of Rural Producers of Carmen de Areco (Apaca), described the situation as alarming. He noted that groups of four to five armed individuals are entering properties, stealing everything from televisions and appliances to vehicles and even wood-burning stoves. This marks a return of such frequent and violent incidents, which had not been seen in years. In addition to these robberies, there have been multiple instances of abigeato, or cattle rustling, with reports of four pregnant heifers being slaughtered on one property and other attacks on herds. The incidents are concentrated along a stretch of National Route 7, between kilometers 135 and 144. Producers are frustrated by the lack of progress in investigations, with none of the reported crimes having been solved. While acknowledging dialogue with municipal authorities and security forces, Mac Dermon expressed concern that the available resources for prevention are insufficient to combat the escalating problem, particularly citing a shortage of personnel in the Rural Prevention Command (CPR).

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In a field, four or five armed people enter and take everything; in others, slaughtered animals appear. These are situations we haven't seen with this frequency for a long time.