阿根廷当局在一艘准备驶往阿姆斯特丹的货船上查获近半吨高纯度可卡因，该船厨师在供认参与走私计划后被捕。  

**冷库惊现毒品**  

4月29日，散货船"Ceci"号即将驶离圣洛伦索港时，船长在冷库中发现可疑包裹。

阿根廷执法部门随即联合警犬队、金融情报局（UIF）及海岸警卫队展开大规模搜查。  

这艘悬挂马绍尔群岛国旗、由希腊公司管理的船舶载有4.6万吨压榨葵花籽，计划经蒙得维的亚前往阿姆斯特丹。

执法人员在冰箱和更衣室中查获469.5公斤可卡因，这些毒品被分装在16个防水包裹内，共计379块，外层印有皇冠标志，疑似与贩毒集团有关。  

**精密走私网络** 

调查显示，GPS设备、绳索和渔网等物品同时被查获，当局认为这些工具用于海上接应毒品。

这批可卡因在阿根廷***价值约600万美元，若运抵欧洲价格可能飙升至2000万欧元以上。  

阿根廷安全部长帕特里夏·布尔里奇在社交媒体称赞此次行动是"对组织犯罪的致命打击"，并确认这是圣洛伦索港历史上最大规模的河道毒品查获案。

此次行动由国家安全部、检察院、海军、海关总署及罗萨里奥金融情报局联合执行。  

**厨师认罪细节**  

20名菲律宾籍船员均被拘留问讯，其中厨师乔纳森·卡普特罗在承认参与***后被审前羁押。

据其供述：  

- 毒贩原选定其他船只实施走私，后临时变更计划  

- 更多毒品本计划在圣洛伦索港装载但未实施  

- 毒品可能趁船舶停靠蒙得维的亚时被偷运上船  

**海上走私新模式**  

包裹上的海水痕迹支持"海上接货"推测——贩毒集团可能利用小艇靠近货船，通过补给物资夹带或绳索吊运等方式转移毒品。

执法部门透露，犯罪组织常利诱经济困难的底层海员协助走私。  

今年阿根廷已累计查获超过3.6吨可卡因。

目前调查人员正在分析港口监控录像，以还原完整的毒品走私链条。

▲Image for representation purposes only

▲Image Credits: Argentina government

英文原文

Authorities in Argentina have uncovered nearly half a ton of high-purity ***e hidden aboard a cargo vessel preparing to sail to Amsterdam, arresting the ship’s cook after he confessed to being involved in the smuggling plot.

On April 29, just as the bulk carrier Ceci was getting ready to leave the port of San Lorenzo, the ship’s captain reported suspicious packages stored in the cold food storage room.

This alert led to a large-scale inspection involving Argentine law enforcement, sniffer dogs, the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), and the coast guard.

The vessel was carrying 46,000 tons of pressed sunflower seeds and was bound for Amsterdam via Montevideo.

Authorities found 469.5 kilograms of ***e hidden in refrigerators and changing rooms, alongside regular crew provisions. The drugs were packed in 16 watertight bundles containing 379 individual ***e bricks.

Each package had been sealed tightly with multiple layers to protect against water damage, and they were marked with crown symbols, suggesting cartel involvement, according to law enforcement sources quoted in Argentine media.

The Ceci, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, is managed by a Greek company and had arrived in Argentina after travelling from the United Arab Emirates and the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini.

The ship anchored in Montevideo, Uruguay, from April 20 to April 24 before docking in San Lorenzo on April 25 to load grain for export.

Per reports, the vessel’s captain, during a routine inspection on the night of April 29, noticed the hidden cargo and informed the shipping company. The company reported the issue to the Financial Intelligence Unit, leading to a quick operation with sniffer dogs and detailed searches.

GPS devices, ropes, and nets were also recovered- items authorities believe were to be used for transferring the drugs overboard to be retrieved later by accomplices.

The ***e seized is valued at roughly $6 million in Argentina, but its price could have soared to at least €20 million had it reached Europe.

Officials stated that the professional nature of the smuggling effort, the packaging method, and the logistics pointed to the involvement of an organised crime network.

Investigators are currently working to identify the group behind the operation and determine whether a new drug cartel leader is emerging.

The Argentine Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, praised the operation on social media, calling it a “knock-out against organised crime” and part of Argentina’s ongoing fight against drug trafficking.

She also linked the government’s tough stance to the broader anti-gang model seen in El Salvador, led by President Nayib Bukele.

Bullrich also confirmed that this was the largest river-based drug seizure in the history of San Lorenzo port.

According to a government statement, the operation was coordinated by the Ministry of National Security, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the General Directorate of Customs, and the regional UIF office in Rosario.

After the discovery, all 20 Filipino crew members were detained and questioned.

Investigators placed the ship’s cook, Jonathan Caputero, in pretrial detention after he admitted that he was involved in hiding the ***e. His phone was confiscated for further examination, and the vessel remains held at the port as investigations continue.

According to Argentine media reports, Caputero told police that another ship had originally been selected for the drug operation, but plans were changed. He also claimed that more drugs were meant to be loaded at San Lorenzo, but that never happened.

He added that the ***e was possibly brought onboard while the vessel was anchored in Montevideo, though investigators remain sceptical, especially since the ship was inbound at the time.

Police are now reviewing surveillance footage from the port and examining all possible methods by which the drugs could have been smuggled onboard.

Authorities believe the bales might have been transferred from a small boat alongside the ship, hidden among supply deliveries or hoisted aboard using ropes.

Traces of saltwater found on the bundles support the theory that the packages may have come from sea-based drop-offs.

Law enforcement sources told local newspapers that cartels often target low-level seafarers with financial troubles, recruiting them to assist in covert smuggling operations in exchange for payment.

Officials from various departments, including the Financial Intelligence Unit president Paul Starc, federal prosecutor Dr. Claudio Kishimoto, and high-ranking customs and naval prefecture authorities, were involved in the operation. Bullrich also stated that Argentina has already seized over 3,600 kilograms of ***e this year.

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