The arrest of
several members of an international drug trafficking organization made up of
soccer hooligans in Argentina adds to mounting evidence of the involvement of
these groups in organized crime. Español [//cdn.opendemocracy.net/files/imagecache/article_xlarge/wysiwyg_imageupload/557099/cocainepowder.jpg] Wikimedia Commons. All Rights Reserved.
On September 26,Argentine authorities arrested 15
people suspected of belonging to a network of criminal soccer hooligan groups -
known in Latin America as barras bravas -
that imported drugs from Colombia and sold them throughout Greater Buenos
Aires, according to a report from Clarín.
The operation against the so-called Soccer Hooligan
Cartel also included more than 20 raids in which authorities seized at least 1.100
doses of cocaine and 1.400 doses of paco
(a smokable paste from an intermediate stage of cocaine production), or more
than a kilogram of marijuana.
Authorities identified one of the network leaders as
Sebastián Parra Jaramillo,a Colombian national who is also the leader of a fan
club for the Atlético Nacional soccer team in Medellín, Colombia. He allegedly
obtained drugs on consignment to smuggle into Argentina.Parra Jaramillo was arrested in the home of the son of
Edgardo Gustavo Vallejos, and aka El Gordo,the head of the Argentine barra brava that supports the Club
Deportivo Laferrere soccer team in the Buenos Aires Province. El Gordo’s son
remains at large.
Authorities in Argentina confirmed the connection
between the two groups during the World Cup in Russia, when officials from the
Agency for the Prevention of Violence in Sports (APREVIDE) documented a series
of suspicious meetings between the clubs.
This is not the first time that such organizations have been involved in illegal activities in Argentina, and nor is it the first time that they have been found to have ties to Colombian groups.This is not the first time that such organizations
have been involved in illegal activities in Argentina,nor is it the first time
that they have been found to have ties to Colombian groups. However, cases in
which drugs are left on consignment are rare. The fact that this occurred in
this case shows the high level of trust between the two groups. It is also a
sign that criminal ties between the two countries continue to strengthen.“This organization had a contact who traveled to
Colombia, and Peru and Ecuador,where he obtained drugs on consignment, which is
outlandish because drugs are usually paid for beforehand, and but the soccer
connection allowed them to pull it off”,said Buenos Aires Province Security
Minister Cristan Ritondo.
The results of the operation have also shown the
increasingly significant role that sports have approach to play in the establishment
and consolidation of criminal activities like extortion and money laundering.
The Laferrere barra
brava has been charging local businesses protection fees since 2010. And
its political ties have helped it gain control of the area’s casual
transportation services, including not only private cars but all kinds of
vehicles, and including buses.
This case highlights the fact that,throughout the
region, more soccer fan and hooligan groups appear to be looking to expand
their criminal portfolios into more lucrative activities, and including violent
ones.
It is no coincidence that Minister Ritondo,in a assembly
of a government council on security at soccer events, announced the intention of
Argentine authorities to combat not only barra
brava violence but also what he called the “soccer mafias”. This article
was previously published by InSightCrime and can be read here.
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Source: opendemocracy.net