Venezuelan detained in Bolivia over 52 kilogrammes of MDMA seized in Zárate
A Venezuelan citizen linked to the CJNG was arrested in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and transferred to Argentina. The consignment represents the largest seizure of synthetic drugs in the country.
New arrest in Bolivia over Argentina's largest ecstasy seizure in history
A Venezuelan citizen identified as Alex David Coronil Polanco was detained on Tuesday evening by Interpol in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, as part of an investigation into the trafficking of 52 kilogrammes of MDMA seized at the Zárate port terminal in Buenos Aires province. According to rosario3.com, this represents the largest synthetic drug seizure procedure recorded in the country: with that consignment, approximately one million ecstasy tablets could have been manufactured.
Coronil Polanco had an international arrest warrant issued by the Argentine Federal Police (PFA). After it was confirmed that he had illegally entered Bolivia, local authorities ordered his immediate expulsion and transfer to the Salvador Mazza–Yacuiba border crossing, where he came under the custody of the PFA with involvement from the National Court for Economic Crime No. 2 and the Procunar.
According to the judicial investigation, Coronil Polanco would have been part of the structure responsible for receiving the vehicle used to transport the consignment and for extracting the substance hidden inside it.
Route from Antwerp and link to the CJNG
The specialised website Encripdata, cited in the investigation, links the operation directly to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). According to judicial sources reconstructed by that outlet, the case began in March following a DEA alert about a methamphetamine shipment from the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
Encripdata further notes that the consignment did not arrive in Argentina in September, but was already in the country from October 2025 aboard the Grande Hamburgo vessel, hidden inside an Opel Combo van. The logistics for withdrawing the vehicle from the terminal were delayed following the death of the cartel's historic leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes—alias "Mencho"—which occurred in February of this year.
Investigations conducted by judge Meirovich made it possible to activate a controlled delivery at the Zárate port.
Three detained in the initial phase of the operation
In that initial stage, three individuals were arrested: Luis Enrique C. O., a Mexican citizen identified as a presumed CJNG envoy; a resident of Salta with the initials Á. R. G., accused of having rented him accommodation in the city of Buenos Aires; and another Venezuelan citizen who had allegedly been hired as a driver for 2,000 dollars to transport the vehicle.
The delay that proved decisive for the detention of the group occurred at the cargo terminal itself: the organisation's envoy attempted to pay the port costs with cryptocurrencies instead of cash, which alerted the authorities.
Justice seeks to tighten the noose on the transnational network
With Coronil Polanco's detention in Bolivia, Argentine justice is seeking to identify and capture the remaining links in the transnational network. The case involves the PFA, the National Court for Economic Crime No. 2, the Procunar and cooperation from Interpol and the DEA, in an investigation that extends across Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Belgium.
Source: Google News AR — Crime