Argentina extradites Diego Dirisio to Brazil over leading 230 million-dollar arms trafficking network
Diego Dirisio, accused of leading an arms trafficking network that moved 230 million dollars, was extradited this Wednesday from Buenos Aires to São Paulo.
Extradition of Dirisio to Brazil for international arms trafficking
Argentine businessman Diego Dirisio was transported by plane this Wednesday from Buenos Aires to São Paulo under heavy security measures, according to a report by the Argentine Ministry of Security. He was placed at the disposal of the Brazilian authorities, who accuse him of heading one of the largest arms smuggling networks on the continent. Elpais.com reported that the extradition concludes a judicial process that began nearly two years ago.
In December 2023, Paraguayan and Brazilian forces dismantled the network as part of Operation Dakovo. The raids, around twenty in Asunción and its surroundings, resulted in the seizure of hundreds of pistols, rifles and ammunition, and 12 arrests. Dirisio and his partner, Julieta Nardi, managed to escape at that time and remained fugitives for three months, until the Argentine Federal Police captured them in February 2024 in the city of Córdoba.
The Argentine Supreme Court authorised the extradition in June. Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva celebrated the transfer this Wednesday on the social media platform X: "We found him, we detained him, and today we are removing him from our country. Goodbye. He's gone."
Criminal network of international reach
According to the investigation by the Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office, Dirisio and Nardi led an organisation that carried out operations worth approximately 230 million dollars. Both are accused of having imported at least 25,000 weapons from Croatia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. The weaponry entered Paraguay legally through an import company of which they were president and vice-president, respectively. The illegal diversion to Brazil occurred at a later stage.
Before crossing the border, the weapons' serial numbers were erased in Ciudad del Este, in the Tri-Border Area between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, to prevent their tracing. This enclave is considered a critical point for drug trafficking and regional smuggling, given the ease of illegally crossing the Paraná and Iguazú rivers.
Among the clients identified by investigators were two of Brazil's most powerful drug trafficking organisations: Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho.
Financial structure to conceal money
Investigators maintain that the network operated through a complex financial scheme designed to make it difficult to track the money. They used informal money changers in Paraguay and the United States, and split transfers into amounts below 5,000 dollars to avoid controls.
Among those arrested in 2024 were high-ranking officials from the Paraguayan Armed Forces, including former General Arturo González. During the raid on his residence, close to 300,000 dollars in guaraníes, foreign currency and cheques were found.
Despite the initial escape of Dirisio and Nardi, Operation Dakovo was regarded as a major success by regional governments. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly congratulated his Paraguayan counterpart, Santiago Peña, on having "destroyed the largest arms smuggling network known in South America."
Source: Google News AR — Crime