SANTA FE: A turboprop plane used to transport drugs was found in the town of Coropaite, San Cristobal province, 224 kilometers west of the capital. It is the sixth plane of this type that has been abandoned in the region’s fields so far this year, and it is an indication of the scale of drug smuggling in the region, as its routes begin in neighboring countries (especially Paraguay and Bolivia) and seek to deposit their illegal cargo into the hands of the next logistical link for smuggling, which distributes shipments from the center of the country.
It is a Cessna 182, and its flight range is 1,500 kilometers at a cruising speed of 280 kilometers per hour. “It is a short-term unit, like those used in this type of intervention,” he added. Nation An expert is familiar with these activities.
The specialist consulted by this newspaper added: “It is a type of aircraft used by drug traffickers in this region.”
The plane, bearing Bolivian registration number CP 3487, was subjected to technical examination and inspection with the help of drug detection dogs of the Gendarmerie.
Authorities suspect that the plane crew unloaded drugs and managed to flee the scene before the arrival of anti-narcotics officers, who responded positively.
According to the stories he received NationThe plane was found in a field in Koropiti, about two kilometers from National Road 34, when a rural producer noticed the plane.
According to the reaction of the police dogs, it was assumed that the plane was used to transport cocaine. However, subsequent analyzes carried out using special scanners found traces of ecstasy in the cockpit of the plane.
An expert in these cases confirmed that this is the sixth “stealth” plane found in the region, even after the recent downfall of the drug trafficker in Rosario, Brian Bilbao, who specializes in dropping drugs by air taxi, and whose operation has continued since at least 2020.
The official report added, “The discovery occurred shortly before three o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday the 20th, when a field manager saw the plane parked in a wheat field and informed the local police. Minutes later, agents from Arovo 7th Police Station arrived. Drug control dogs reacted by sniffing various parts of the plane’s fuselage, which practically confirmed that the plane had landed to drop drugs.”
When asked, investigators indicated that they assumed that the cargo had been removed before the authorities arrived, and that, as in recent events, officials had abandoned the plane for reasons they were still trying to explain.
The result of the dogs’ action was sent to the Prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPA) Emiliano Odriozola, who ordered the preservation of the scene and notified the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rafaela, which intervened because it was a possible federal crime.
As mentioned, this case adds to a recent precedent: on November 11, another small plane linked to wholesale drug traffickers was found in the state of Arquito, in the province of Caseros, with a suitcase containing 60 kilograms of cocaine.
That plane had “dropped” part of the 956 kilograms of cargo seized when the Rosario drug trafficker, Brian Bilbao, was arrested in Exaltacion de la Cruz. The investigation into the drug trafficker and his gang began in 2020, after a drug shipment via small plane landed in Cañada de Gómez state.
No detainees have yet been registered as part of the investigation that seeks to determine the source of the flight, the size of the cargo, and the reasons for abandoning the plane in the heart of Santa Fe Province.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice and Santa Fe Police have determined that the plane had a fraudulent license plate, so investigators are trying to determine its true origin.
Regarding the route sheet, the investigation revealed that the plane did not have a GPS, but it did have a Starlink antenna that provides satellite internet, so the prosecutor’s office will request information from the North American company to try to determine the path of the turboprop.
Another issue that will take weeks to resolve is the identity of the crew members. It is estimated that there were two men, a typical crew for this Cessna model. It is also assumed that they could have received support from third parties to leave the place immediately, even to neighboring countries.