A report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States has revealed that the Security Ministry knew in 2021 of alleged contributions which the suspected drug-trafficking and aviation entrepreneur Federico Andrés ‘Fred’ Machado had made to Jose Luis Espert during the lawmaker’s unsuccessful 2019 presidential campaign.
Existence of the DHS reports were made known last Tuesday by local media. The US government sent to Argentina in 2021 a memorandum indicating that Machado was linked to a series of crimes including drug-trafficking and money-laundering, mentioning four incidents in particular.
The memorándum included the crash of two aeroplanes in Venezuela and Mexico, as well as the interception of two other flights, in Guatemala and Belize, all with cargoes of cocaine totalling 6,400 kilos, trafficked by the Sinaloa cartel – one of the most powerful criminal organisations in Mexico.
The DHS report further recalled the episode known as Narco Jet in Spain which also involved aircraft operated or owned by Machado and linked companies.
“From open sources it emerges that in 2010 the company South Aviation leased an aeroplane to the Juliá brothers, which was finally intercepted after taking off from San Fernando Airport in Barcelona with 994 kilos of cocaine,” they affirmed.
The report also highlights that between 2016 and 2019 Machado aircraft flew from various Argentine provinces to Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and Panama, all epicentres of drug-trafficking.
The reports also highlight that Machado maintained links with the businessman Sergio Daniel Mastropietro, an executive of Grupo Macri, with whom he shared an address in the street Juez Tedín 2860 (Palermo Chico).
Mastropietro “is an executive in a series of companies, among which stands out the chairmanship of Avian Líneas Aéreas S.A., a continuation of MacAir Jet, the aviation company of the Grupo Socma,” read a fragment of the report published in La Nación.
“Taking into account the increase of his transits from 2016 and his links with businessmen connected to commercial aviation and to groups related to the 2015-2019 government [of ex-president Mauricio Macri], it may be inferred that Machado could have taken advantage of his influence to extend his illegal operations in our country”
The information indicates that the National Security Ministry was aware of Machado’s presumed participation in drug-trafficking, knowing him to be indicted on these charges in Texas since 2021, as well as the alleged payments to Espert.
Only in the last week or so has Bullrich admitted that Machado had contributed to the La Libertad Avanza deputy’s campaign, as well as transporting him in his aircraft.
Machado is up for extradition to the United States following Supreme Court assent to a Texas court’s request after having sat on it for the last four years.
– TIMES/NA
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