Officials from the Provincial Government’s Ministry of Justice and Security and prosecutors from the Public Prosecution Service (MPA) oversaw the demolition on Monday of drug-dealing hideout number 78 in Rosario – the 88th in the department and the 133rd across the whole of Santa Fe province – under the Micro-trafficking Act, which was passed at the start of Governor Maximiliano Pullaro’s term of office. The operation took place at a property located at 790 Benteveo, in the Gráfico neighbourhood, on the western outskirts of the city.
On this occasion, Santa Fe’s Secretary for Public Security, Omar Pereira, praised the demolition of yet another drug den, noting that it was “the 78th in Rosario and the 133rd across the province, in a location where activities deemed by the Micro-trafficking Act to constitute ‘harmful violence’ were concentrated”. He explained that it was “a ‘hideout’, as it is known in slang, which gave rise to issues such as micro-trafficking, violence and extortion – in other words, a complex problem for the neighbourhood, in an area where we have already carried out several operations”, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Mercedes Banchio recalled that the demolition is “the fifth to take place in the Gráfico neighbourhood following a lengthy investigation carried out by the Micro trafficking team, which uncovered not only drug dealing at the site but also highly harmful acts of violence and activities linked to extortion. “At the site – which was in a very dilapidated state – small quantities of narcotics such as cocaine were found,” she said.
Furthermore, the MPA representative pointed out that during the investigation, “calls to 0800 and 911, and testimonies given with the anonymity permitted under the Micro-trafficking Act, were key, as were the forensic analyses carried out on the mobile phones seized during the initial raids, which made it possible to identify new individuals involved and the roles they played”.
It should be noted that, because of the operations, several people have been arrested and are currently in pre-trial detention, with some awaiting a preliminary hearing and others awaiting trial.
Furthermore, the MPA representative pointed out that during the investigation, “calls to 0800 and 911, and testimonies given with the anonymity provided for under the Micro-trafficking Act, were key, as were the forensic analyses carried out on the mobile phones seized during the initial raids, which made it possible to identify new individuals involved and the roles they played”.
Micro-trafficking Act
The Micro-trafficking Act was passed by the Provincial Legislature in December 2023 and enacted by Governor Pullaro. It is within this framework that these shutdowns are being carried out, through coordinated efforts between the Government of Santa Fe, the MPA, the provincial judiciary, the Santa Fe Police, and with the collaboration of federal forces and local authorities.
Since then, the law has provided for the closure of drug-selling outlets and properties linked to the spread of serious violence throughout the province of Santa Fe.
