Fugitive from Argentina's largest MDMA seizure captured in Bolivia: 52 kilograms of ecstasy
Alex David Coronil Polanco was detained by Interpol in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and transferred to Argentina. He was linked to Argentina's largest synthetic drug seizure in history.
Fugitive from Argentina's largest anti-drug operation captured in Bolivia
Alex David Coronil Polanco was apprehended by Interpol of the Bolivian Police in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, according to argentina.gob.ar. As he had entered the country illegally, Bolivian authorities ordered his expulsion and transfer to the Salvador Mazza–Yacuiba border crossing.
After completing immigration procedures, Coronil Polanco was handed over to a commission of the Superintendence of Investigations Against Drug Trafficking of the PFA, with intervention from the Anti-Drug Division San Ramón of Nueva Orán and cooperation from DUOF Salvador Mazza.
His role in the organisation
The fugitive was being sought in the framework of the investigation that dismantled an international MDMA trafficking operation from Belgium to Argentina. According to the inquiry, he would have participated in the structure responsible for receiving the vehicle used to transport the drug and for extracting the cargo hidden inside it. He would also have been present in the area of the Zárate Port during the operation under investigation.
The case is under the charge of the National Court for Economic Criminal Matters No. 2, temporarily headed by judge Gustavo Meirovich, with intervention from the Narco-Criminality Prosecution (PROCUNAR), headed by Diego Iglesias.
The September operation: 52 kilograms of maximum-purity MDMA
The detention is part of the investigation carried out by the Federal Operations Division of the Superintendence of Investigations Against Drug Trafficking of the PFA, which on 16 September resulted in the seizure of 52 kilograms of maximum-purity MDMA. The drug was hidden in various compartments of a vehicle located at the Zárate Terminal.
The shipment had arrived from Belgium. With the quantity seized, approximately one million ecstasy tablets could have been produced. The operation constituted the largest synthetic drug seizure recorded in Argentine history.
Specialised PFA personnel and staff from the General Directorate of Customs of the Tax Collection and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) inspected the vehicle using non-intrusive inspection technology, detected anomalies in various parts of its structure and found the 52 kilograms of MDMA.
Investigation initiated with DEA information
The investigation began in March based on information provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States, and made it possible to advance in investigating a transnational criminal organisation dedicated to introducing large quantities of synthetic drugs into the country.
During the September operation, a Mexican national, a Venezuelan and an Argentine were detained. The courts also issued international arrest warrants against other members of the organisation.
With the delivery of Coronil Polanco to Argentine authorities, the investigation continues to advance against the different members and levels of the narco-criminal structure involved in the trafficking, reception and logistics of the shipment.
Source: Google News AR — Crime