"Los Millonarios" gang dismantled in San Juan: ten arrested and $700 million in transactions
Federal prosecutors dismantled the narco gang "Los Millonarios" following 18 months of investigation, with ten people arrested and four held in preventive custody.
"Los Millonarios" falls: the gang moving $700 million through drug trafficking in Greater San Juan
Federal prosecutors dismantled a suspected narco organisation known as "Los Millonarios", accused of trafficking drugs from Bolivia and Mendoza to Greater San Juan and of moving close to 700 million pesos, according to tiempodesanjuan.com. Ten people were arrested during operations last Thursday, and on Monday magistrate Eliana Ratta ordered preventive custody for four of the defendants.
The ringleader: "El Ojudo" and his ostentatious lifestyle without employment
The main suspect is Cristian Fernando Aciar, known as "El Ojudo" and identified by judicial sources as head of the gang. The nickname belies the lifestyle he maintained despite being unemployed: a striking residence in the Arenales neighbourhood of Chimbas, a VW Scirocco and an Amarok pickup truck. It is not the first time Aciar has faced justice: in March 2020 he was arrested at a residence in Capital where police found more than 15 kilograms of marijuana and a package containing cocaine.
Members of the organisation
Along with Aciar, his mother Paola Mercedes Aciar Aballay was arrested, along with eight other members of the suspected organisation: Fernando Ezequiel Cáceres Palacio, auctioneer Franco Gabriel Ávila López, Martín Santiago Rosales Tobares, Esteban Fabián Riveros Firmapaz, Rodrigo Agustín Molina Agüero, Enzo Gabriel Michel Cabanay, Jazmín Abigail Díaz and Carlos Manuel Aciar. An eleventh person involved, Rodrigo Parada, was already housed in Chimbas penitentiary and was not present at the formalisation hearing.
Eighteen months of investigation following an anonymous tip
The investigation began in May 2025 following an anonymous call alerting authorities to the existence of "Los Millonarios" and its operations base in Chimbas. The informant claimed to have seen 50 kilograms of cocaine at one of the organisation's houses. Based on this information, the Federal Police deployed surveillance operations, tailing and telephone wiretaps which provided evidence of the suspected gang, according to sources in the case who spoke to tiempodesanjuan.com.
The raids and seized material
On Thursday, Federal Police officers conducted approximately ten simultaneous raids in Chimbas, Rawson and Villa del Carril. The operations concluded with ten arrests and the seizure of drugs—the quantities of which were not disclosed—firearms, scales and cash. According to the prosecution during the hearing, significant quantities of narcotics were not found in several of the properties. Investigators suspect that some of those involved may have removed the merchandise before the operations upon having prior knowledge of the raids.
The auctioneer and the laundering of nearly $700 million
One of the central lines of investigation is the financial movement attributed to auctioneer Franco Gabriel Ávila López. Prosecutor Nicolás Ayestaran identified him as the person responsible for administering and laundering funds from the organisation. During 2025, according to the prosecution, Ávila López made transfers totalling more than 694 million pesos and received more than 643 million. Operations in dollars exceeding 5,000 dollars were also detected, along with million-peso movements with other suspects.
The charges and the hearing before magistrate Ratta
On Monday, the accused appeared before magistrate Eliana Ratta. Prosecutor Ayestaran attributed to Cristian Aciar the role of alleged gang organiser and the offences of aggravated drug trafficking and money laundering. Cáceres Palacio and Rosales Tobares were charged with the same offences; Ávila López with aggravated money laundering based on habituality; and Riveros Firmapaz, Molina Agüero and Cabanay with aggravated drug dealing. Paola Aciar Aballay, Carlos Aciar and Díaz were formalised as alleged secondary participants.
The defence challenged the evidence
The defence teams—public defender Sergio Herrero and private lawyers María Filomena Noriega and Gustavo De la Fuente, among others—opposed the coercive measures requested by the prosecution. They questioned the strength of the evidence and argued that bank transfers were insufficient to prove drug sales. Noriega and Herrero also noted that no narcotics had been seized from their clients' homes, and that the financial movements attributed to Ávila could correspond to his legitimate activity as an auctioneer.
Four in preventive custody and fugitives in the case
Magistrate Ratta ordered preventive custody for Cristian Fernando Aciar, Fernando Ezequiel Cáceres Palacio, Martín Santiago Rosales Tobares and Franco Gabriel Ávila López, who were transferred to Chimbas penitentiary. Three other defendants received alternative coercive measures, two were released and Cabanay retained the procedural status he already had. The investigation has a timeframe of 120 working days. According to reports, the case also includes more than one fugitive.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan