Doses of paco. (Photo courtesy of Ministerio de Seguridad)

Police in the province of Buenos Aires seized and burned 17,000 doses of the paco drug yesterday, and arrested six people who are allegedly part of the drug trafficking gang.

The drugs were seized in the south of the province in Quilmes, and Security Minister Ricardo Casal said that each dose of paco was “wrapped in pages of a phone directory, at a cost of $10 each and ready to sell on the street.”

According to investigators, the drug was being sold in the houses of the ‘Los Eucaliptus’ village in Quilmes, and police are still searching for the suspected leader of the drug trafficking group. The leader is thought to be a woman nicknamed ‘La Dueña’ or ‘The Owner’, who still remains a fugitive.

Casal said that the paco seized amounts to about “one-third of what is seized every year” by police, and the burning of the drugs took place yesterday afternoon at the headquarters of the Ministry of Security in La Plata.

Paco is a by-product of cocaine, often mixed with sulphuric acid, kerosene, rat poison, and crushed glass, and it has been estimated that over 400,000 doses are consumed daily in Argentina.

The Argentina Independent plans on launching a free, independent, monthly publication in June. In order to remain 100% independent, we are hoping to raise the funds to cover the initial costs of design, printing and distribution via crowdfunding platform Ideame.

And to remind you of all the good things we have done over the course of the past six years as a publication, as well as giving you a reason to support us in our bid to go into print and help us keep doing such things, we will be bringing you a taste of some of the good times each week! This week – a selection of our best content.

If you would like to support us in our fundraising campaign, please visit our Ideame page where you can either make a donation (every cent counts), or help us by spreading the word!

Endangered: Argentina’s Disappearing Languages

Every two weeks, one of the world’s languages dies out, and Argentina is not immune to this mass linguistic extinction. Kate Granville-Jones’ investigated this phenomenon and discovered of the 35 languages spoken in Argentina in pre-Columbian times, now just 15 remain, and one has only two living speakers.

Family members fight to be heard at a protest against family member's deaths in February 2010 . (Photo: Beatrice Murch)

Gatillo Facil and Deaths in Police Custory

“2009 was not just another year. It started with a new Miguel Bru that was Luciano Arruga, and finished with a new Walter Bulacios: Ruben Carballo. Police repression and violence grew to the point of taking the life of someone every 24 hours.” Any student of Argentine history is familiar with the dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s, and the thousands of students, unionists and activists that were “disappeared” by the military regime. A subject which is less-publicised, however, is that state violence and repression did not end with the return of democracy in 1983. As Daniel Edwards discoverd in his 2010 report, federal and provincial police forces continue to routinely use extreme violence and torture against suspects and detainees in their facilities, which often results in the death of the victim.

Guaraní Suicide

After a 2008 report indicated that the Guaraní indigenous group had the highest rate of suicide as a people in the world, Kristie Robinson headed up to community in Misiones, just 15km from the world-famous Iguazú Falls, to meet with Guaraní leaders to talk about the alarming rates of suicide and what is being done to tackle the issue.

Paco in the hands of an addict (Photo: Kate Stanworth)

Paco: Drug Epidemic Sweeping the Streets of Buenos Aires

Anthony Bale’s 2008 article on paco, a by-product of cocaine that is wreaking havoc on the lives of many shantytown inhabitants, brought the stark reality of life in Buenos Aires’ underclass home to many of our readers.

Secret Squats and Silent Evictions: A Response to BA’s Housing Deficit

In 2009 Harriet Hernando’s looked into Buenos Aires’ social housing crisis and the city government’s handling of the situation, highlighting mass migration to the cities and inadequate government policies, as well as violent police crackdown on illegal squatters as the main culprits in the crisis.

This morning, 11,000 doses of the drug, paco, a large sum of money and firearms were recovered in the provincial city of Lomas de Zamora.

This operation led by the Buenos Aires police resulted in the capture of ten gang members who are believed to be involved in the production and distribution of paco. This drug is comprised of cocaine residue processed with sulphuric acid and kerosene.

The arrests were made following several raids and an on-going investigation by the police of Lanús in the Lomas district. This area is located in the central-eastern Buenos Aires province, 13 km from Buenos Aires.

This morning eight other raids were conducted in the southern suburbs of Parque Barón and Villa Rita, leading to the capture of other drug traffickers.

According to a group of Catholic priests, drugs have basically been decriminalised in the villas. A team of priests from Buenos Aires’s 13 villas gathered together to present a document citing their views on the drug problem within the city’s slums.

The document was entitled ‘Drugs in the villages: in reality, decriminalised’. It spoke about the dismay of the priests regarding the gravity of the drug problem as well as, according to them, the lack of adequate answers, bordering on inaction, regarding the issue.

The text was presented yesterday, 3 April, at the school for professionals, Father Daniel de la Sierra, next to Villa 21 in Barracas. Twelve of the 19 priests present signed the document.

“Between us, the drug is in fact decriminalised. You can virtually have, carry and consume it without being bothered. Usually, the public and organisations representing the state do not involve themselves in the lives of these kids who have poison in their hands,” began the paper.

“Given the confusion that is generated in public opinion by the yellow press that has led to the city blaming the problem of drugs and crime on the villas, we say clearly: the problem is not the villa, but the drug trade. The majority of those make money through drug trafficking do not live in these neighbourhoods where the electricity is cut, ambulances are late to arrive and where it is common to see the sewer overflow.”

They did admit that, as “free zones”, drug trafficking can easily function with the neighbourhoods without consequence. 

They explained that the lives of the youths in these neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly difficult. As the kids become convinced that there is no place for them in society, they are becoming the first victims of this de-facto decriminalisation. The priest continued by saying that the drug problem is deeply linked to crime and violence. This link brings up another issue: the trafficking of arms.

“When we look at the deaths caused by young addicts, we also wonder who is putting weapons in the hands of minors? In this spiral of madness and violence, the first victims are the residents of the villas.”

The paper also addressed the absence of authorities in helping those whose children or family members are addicts. The priests called on the state to intervene and save “thousand of kids who have been mentally and spiritually ruined.”

The priests spoke of the need to establish areas of recreation and projects to give the people a sense of purpose. They raised the subject of education and emphasised that school needs to be a place where children can develop a live plan and form a solid identity.

This declaration has come shortly after the state began talking about decriminalising the use of substances for personal consumption. In response to this, Bishop Jorge Lozano wrote:

“We now hear talk about a law to decriminalise the consumption of substances. We ask: minister and judges, do you know the situation in our neighbourhoods? Have you spoken to the common man of the villa? Have you sat with them to develop projects to free the drug-enslaved or do you simply think to implement recipes from other latitudes.”

This is the second time in two years that the priests from the villas, who are part of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, have publicly spoken out on the topic of drugs in the areas. In July 2007, they called for “urban integration” of the slums.

“We will not enter into the conflict. This document is the result of a reflection on pastoral work. It is a sign of what we want to do for everyone,” said Father Gustavo Carrara of Villa 1-11-14.