Over the weekend, the Argentine National Gendarmerie intercepted a large truck abandoned at a service station in Villa Nueva, Córdoba province. The vehicle was carrying about 1,100 liters of a liquid substance presumed to be ecstasy or ketamine, both illegal synthetic drugs. The shipment is believed to have entered Argentine territory from Paraguay via the San Ignacio de Loyola border crossing.
Argentine authorities were alerted to the truck's movement, which was officially transporting 27,990 kilograms of sunflower flour, with its final destination being the Cristo Redentor international border crossing in Mendoza province. During the investigation, the Gendarmerie's tracking efforts put the traffickers on alert, prompting them to abandon the vehicle in Villa Nueva.
When agents located the truck, they noticed that one of the fuel tanks was not connected to the engine. Inspection revealed that the tank contained a liquid that was not fuel, and preliminary tests confirmed it was ecstasy or ketamine. Samples were sent to forensic laboratories for confirmation.
Argentine authorities emphasized that ecstasy is a drug widely used by young people, especially in nightlife venues. In recent months, there have been several seizures of synthetic drugs in the country, many originating from Paraguay. In a previous case on March 28, a white Scania truck driven by 40-year-old Joel Rolando Román Ávalos, from the Presidente Hayes department, was intercepted in Buenos Aires carrying about 400 liters of ketamine hidden in a fuel tank.