Operation "Black Storm": 27 arrested and 5 drug bunkers closed in Buenos Aires settlements
More than 1,500 officers from the City Police deployed a simultaneous operation across 15 Buenos Aires settlements. Drugs, weapons were seized and businesses were shut down.
27 arrested and five drug bunkers closed in major simultaneous operation in Buenos Aires settlements
The City Police arrested 27 people and closed five drug bunkers during Operation "Black Storm", deployed on Wednesday between 19:00 and 22:00 hours across 15 settlements and low-income neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. According to buenosaires.gob.ar, more than 1,500 officers participated in a procedure that authorities described as unprecedented in the city's settlements.
The operation was carried out simultaneously in Villa 31, Villa 1-11-14, Villa 21-24, Zavaleta, Ciudad Oculta, Barrio 20, Fraga, La Carbonilla, Rodrigo Bueno, Los Piletones, Fátima, Ramón Carrillo, Barrios INTA-Bermejo, Padre Mujica and Cildañez, in addition to Barrio Mitre.
Arrests by neighbourhood and seizures
The distribution of arrests by area was as follows: Villa 31 recorded six arrests; Zavaleta, four; Barrios 20 and Cildañez, four; Villa 1-11-14, four; Barrios 15/INTA/Bermejo/Mugica, three; Fátima, Carrillo and Piletones, three; Rodrigo Bueno, two; and Carbonilla and Fraga, one.
In Villa 31, five adults were arrested for violation of Law 23,737, which penalises the possession, trafficking and distribution of narcotics. Packets containing cocaine, marijuana and cocaine paste were seized, along with mobile phones and weapons. A sixth detainee was arrested for assault and resistance to authority. A bunker was also closed and 14 motorcycles and 5 cars were impounded for traffic violations.
In Villa 1-11-14, four people were arrested for violation of the narcotics law — with marijuana, cocaine paste, mobile phones and tablets seized — and another bunker was closed. 32 motorcycles and 14 cars were impounded, five mobile phone retail outlets were shut down and 16 abandoned vehicles were removed.
In the Carbonilla and Fraga area, one person was arrested for marijuana possession, a bunker was closed and 11 retail outlets in both neighbourhoods were shut down. Five abandoned cars were also seized.
In Barrios INTA-Bermejo-Mugica, two people were arrested for violation of the drugs law with marijuana. In Rodrigo Bueno, arrests included one adult for assault and resistance, another with an outstanding arrest warrant and a third for harboring a criminal — with a motorcycle seized — plus a bunker closure. 17 cars and 8 motorcycles were impounded.
In Villa 21-24 and Zavaleta, four people were arrested for violation of the narcotics law, with cocaine paste and firearm possession. Seven abandoned vehicles were removed and aesthetics and mobile phone retail outlets were closed.
In Barrios 15 and surrounding areas, four people were arrested: one for violation of the narcotics law and three for firearm possession and possession of stolen goods.
In Fátima, Carrillo and Piletones, three people were arrested for violation of the drugs law and one for disobedience, with a motorcycle seized. Two mobile phone retail outlets, a butchers and two food establishments were shut down.
Forces and agencies involved
The operation involved officers from Urban Order, Neighbourhood Pacification, Special Units — including K9 canine division, drones, helicopters and bomb disposal — Community Safety and Investigations, as well as personnel on motorcycles, quad bikes, infantry guard and anti-narcotics and vehicle theft brigades.
Personnel from the Vehicle Decontamination and Compaction Programme, the Government Control Agency, the Public Space department, SAME emergency medical teams and Traffic Officers also participated.
Macri supervised the operation in Villa 31
The head of city government, Jorge Macri, supervised the procedure and then travelled to Villa 31, in Retiro. "There has never been an operation like this before, coordinated as never before. It has a single objective: to protect the lifestyle of the City of Buenos Aires, where we will not tolerate anyone coming to impose insecurity, drug trafficking or petty drug dealing," said Macri.
The official added: "Anyone who comes from outside to cause trouble for porteños should know that we will put them in jail. And if they are a foreigner they should be certain that we will send them back to their country". He concluded his statement by saying that the goal is "to protect the good people who live in each of those neighbourhoods and to catch the criminals who hide there".
Framework for urban ordering
The operation is part of a broader Government of the City plan aimed at advancing the ordering of public space in settlements and low-income neighbourhoods. According to the authorities, the strategy aims to strengthen urban integration and guarantee the same obligations, rights and rules for all residents, regardless of the neighbourhood where they live.
Along the same lines, the city government reported having recovered more than 780 illegally occupied properties that functioned as hideouts for criminals in neighbourhoods such as Constitución, Balvanera, San Telmo, La Boca, Almagro and Palermo.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires