CRIME & SECURITY Authorities identify substance cut with ‘contaminated cocaine’ that killed victims 12-02-2022 08:55 ‘Laced cocaine’ that killed 24 people in Buenos Aires Province was cut with carfentanil, a derivative of fentanyl and a powerful opiate.
CRIME & SECURITY Ramos Mejía murder shifts election spotlight onto crime 12-11-2021 22:01 Slaying of kiosk vendor Roberto Sabo in populous La Matanza delivers indignant protests, clashes with the police, public recriminations, media scrums and campaign talking points.
Politics The Berni Headlock and the Cristina Shake 16-10-2021 00:01 Whether on purpose or not, the pan-Peronist coalition led by Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is trying to drag the conversation away from the economic failures during their tenure in an attempt to claw back votes. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CRIME & SECURITY Horror in Caseros: Police kill kidnapper, find captive dead 05-10-2021 22:03 Ten-hour ordeal in Caseros ends with kidnapper Alejandro Maldonado gunned down by Grupo Halcón crack unit of the Buenos Aires provincial police. Three officers wounded, man taken hostage found down.
EMERGENCY MEETING Fernández and Kicillof hold urgent meeting as ICU wards fill up 24-04-2021 00:27 Tighter restrictions may be on cards, with government leaders concerned by latest surge in Covid-19 fatalities.
FOUND IN LUJÁN Missing seven-year-old found ‘safe and well’ after three-day search 20-03-2021 08:01 Maia, missing since Monday, found safely in Luján with captor after massive search effort. Disappearance of seven-year-old highlights number of families living in poverty in Argentina.
FEMICIDE Protesters demand action after brutal murder of teenager 13-02-2021 10:04 19-year-old Úrsula Bahillo found brutally stabbed to death. She had previously denounced her suspected killer, former boyfriend and Buenos Aires Province police officer Matías Ezequiel Martínez.
POLICING More than 550 police officers suspended over 2019 pay mutiny 13-02-2021 09:59 Further suspensions may follow, with a total of 1,800 cops under investigation for their role in last year’s controversial police pay mutiny that saw a group of officers encircle the Olivos presidential residence.
LAND OCCUPATIONS Photo gallery: Police evict families, protesters from Guernica camp 29-10-2020 17:47 Police officers clash with protesters and homeless during strong-armed eviction of Guernica encampment, with Buenos Aires Province Security Minister Sergio Berni helping to lead the operation.
LAND OCCUPATIONS Violent eviction of Guernica squatters camp draws criticism 29-10-2020 17:34 Hundreds of mostly homeless families living in improvised shacks at the Guernica encampment in Buenos Aires Province evicted by police, with violent clashes between demonstrators and officers.
POLICE PROTEST Police officers in Buenos Aires Province protest to demand better salaries 08-09-2020 15:59 Government promises pay increase after retired and active police officers stage demonstration outside Governor Kicillof's residence in La Plata to demand urgent salary increases and more protective equipment to protect against Covid-19.
DEATH OF FACUNDO ASTUDILLO CASTRO How the search for Facundo Astudillo Castro unfolded 05-09-2020 09:02 Facundo Astudillo Castro was missing for more than 100 days. Here are key moments from the search for the missing 22-year-old and the investigation into his disappearance. by Héctor Velázquez
FACUNDO ASTUDILLO CASTRO Berni: It’s ‘probable’ discovered remains belong to Facundo Castro 29-08-2020 09:59 "I think that at this point there are no more doubts,” says provincial security minister, as autopsy on unidentified remains gets underway.
FACUNDO ASTUDILLO CASTRO Search for Facundo Castro: Body found by investigators 16-08-2020 17:00 Skeletal remains of corpse discovered near where missing 22-year-old's mobile phone was last detected. Body has yet to be identified, though family believe remains may be from their relative.
Coronavirus pandemic Sergio Berni, Gerardo Morales test positive for coronavirus 14-08-2020 22:43 News broke late Friday that Buenos Aires Province Security Minister Sergio Berni and Jujuy Province Governor Gerardo Morales have both tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
INTERVIEW / PERIODISMO PURO Sabina Frederic: ‘Security means protecting people, not repression’ 08-08-2020 08:37 During almost eight months leading the Security Ministry, social anthropologist and university professor Sabina Frederic has found herself under criticism from both Sergio Berni and Horacio Verbitsky. In a feature-length interview, she discusses those debates, Sergio Maldonado, Facundo Castro and why mediation should be prioritised over the violent use of force. by Jorge Fontevecchia
SECURITY & CRIME Bullrich, Berni express support for ‘vigilante justice’ pensioner who killed his attacker 25-07-2020 09:53 Politicians express support for 71-year-old Quilmes retiree Jorge Adolfo Ríos, as crime and security returns to forefront of political agenda.
DONDE ESTA FACUNDO CASTRO? Search continues for missing 22-year-old, UN calls for ‘exhaustive’ probe 18-07-2020 10:03 Facundo Astudillo Castro was last seen on April 30 after being stopped by police in Buenos Aires Province for breaching Covid-19 lockdown.
Facundo Astudillo Castro UN demands ‘exhaustive’ probe into 22-year-old’s disappearance 13-07-2020 13:48 Facundo Astudillo Castro was last seen on April 30 after being stopped by police in Buenos Aires Province for breaching Covid-19 lockdown. UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances demands ‘all possible hypotheses’ be considered, as family alleges officers may have been involved in their relative’s disappearance.
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Metropolitan area blues 04-07-2020 07:29 The display of bipartisan civility, even with disagreements behind the scenes between Buenos Aires City and Province, is now routine. Yet the volatility has not gone away. by Martín Gambarotta