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High Times in Mar del Plata

Josh — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:11:29 +0000

Police in Mar del Plata, Argentina could never have expected the tale that would unravel after a seemingly routine drug bust. The story they found themselves a part of is still causing the lawmen to shake their heads in wonderment.

Following up on complaints from neighbors, police began a stakeout of Juan Jantum’s house. A steady stream of people coming and going from the house made the decision to investigate an easy one. Juan Jantum’s house was obviously being used to distribute drugs.

Coastal city Mar del Plata is a top vacation spot for Argentines.

At 1:50 am on March 4th, police witnessed a woman arrive by taxi, enter the house and exit a few minutes later. They apprehended her as she walked out, the two doses of acid in her purse causing the expected arrest. It was, however, a shock to find out that the person in custody was in fact a man named Sergio. Despite being caught red-handed, there are no arrest records for Sergio, probably owing as much to her baritone protestations of innocence as to what happened next.

Entering the house, the police quickly found more than enough evidence to make an arrest. Scattered about the house and largely prepped for distribution, were more than 4 kilos of marijuana and 600 grams of cocaine. Jantum (45, aka “Ruben Castro”, aka “Piti”, aka ‘Pepe”) was indignant at losing his wares and being hauled off to jail. Accusing the police of kidnapping his drugs, he shouted, “I have judicial protection!”

Cops uncovered a major corruption
scandal in Mar del Plata, Argentina

Confounded, the police wondered exactly just what he meant. As Jantum happily explained, he was legally allowed to sell the drugs because they were “taken from the evidence vault of the Federal Court.”

After being assured that there is no such thing as “judicial protection” for dealing drugs, Jantum quickly implicated everybody in his operation. Beginning with Jose “Chico” Tarantino, a local mechanic who delivered the drugs, on up to the Court Clerks and Guards who stole the drugs and finally to the Federal Judge who adjusted the evidence records to show that the drugs were never there.

Sensing they were on the verge of breaking a major public corruption case, the police moved quickly and quietly. Paperwork for their arrest was held to keep it out of the public record and avoid raising Judge Roberto Falcone’s suspicions. Turns out they needn’t have been so cagey.

Falcone was already raising eyebrows around the court house, having in the same week brazenly pocketed $400 in walking around money from the evidence vault. A quick review of records showed that Falcone was not even trying to hide his tracks, recently adjusting 20 kilos of marijuana from the evidence reports with no explanation provided.

The court clerk, Facundo Capparelli, had noticed the discrepancies and when confronted by police admitted to knowing of the thefts. Asked as to why he hadn’t felt the need to file a report he shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Report what? We’re going to burn everything.”

Sure enough that same day Capparelli signed an order to incinerate all of the drugs stored in the vault, thus destroying all evidence of the crimes. Public Prosecutor Adrian Peres was able to secure a court injunction preventing the burning and allowing an inspection of the vault. Peres discovered massive amounts of contraband were missing:

Court proceedings start this week in Mar del Plata.

64 kilos of Marijuana and 8 plants,
11.5 kilos of Cocaine,
49 doses of LSD,
239 tablets of Ecstasy,
12 doses of PCP and,
2 Hallucinogenic Mushrooms.

Later chemical tests confirmed that the drugs found in Jantum’s house were in fact from the federal evidence vault.

Court proceedings open this week in the cases against Capparelli, Jantum and Tarantino. No word on whether or not “Sergio” will be making an appearance to recount her tale of the fateful evening.

Honorable Roberto Falcone is still sitting on the federal judiciary, as no charges have been brought against him. He is also serving on a Congressional Advisory Committee on Issues surrounding the Repression of Drug Traffickers and Complex Criminality.

Drogas en Mar del Plata, episodio II. Jueces, policías y una historia de novela (El Ojo Digital)

Intercambiando

It’s Good To Be The Queen

Josh — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:34:52 +0000

In the past two weeks the Kirchners have launched an organized offensive against Clarin , the largest independent newspaper in Argentina. Although widely believed to be pro-administration, Clarin drew the ire of Christina Fernández de Kirchner with a political cartoon criticizing her handling of the campo crisis.

Sabat’s Cartoon from Clarin

Kirchner began her April 1st pro-government rally in Plaza de Mayo by holding up Hermenegildo Sabat’s cartoon and railing against it for several minutes. Calling Sabat "cuasi mafioso" she declared that she would not be quieted and didn’t understand the intent of the cartoon.

Noted Argentine humorist Enrique Pinte tried to clarify the political message for Christina during En Perspectiva la Segunda Mañana . "She took it like a mafia message to shut-up. How is the president of the republic, with the power that she has, going to believe that what he is saying is to shut-up? What he is saying is every time you speak, you fuck it up. "

The following week Luis D’Elia, a militant protest leader and former member of the administration, took to the airwaves to continue the attacks on the media. Last seen physically assaulting peaceful protesters by the Obelisco, D’Elia pulled no punches against Grupo Clarin. Clarin’s 24-hour new station, Canal 13, "is aways putting a pistol to the head of democracy" declared D’Elia. "Before you used dictatorship to remove people, today the media is the dictatorship."

Luis D’Elía Confronting Anti-Kirchner Protesters

Curiously, it was Canal 13 which provided D’Elia the forum to express his views.

Even Kirchner’s son, Maximo, has taken to the streets and is leading a piquetero movement against Grupo Clarin. Maximo began his campaign during Christina’s pro-government speech by leading a group of anti-Clarin protesters. Controlling a group of 500 piqueteros who answer only to him, Maximo has since initiated several noisy protests against Grupo Clarin.

Maximo had previously expressed a desire to be a journalist himself, but with admittedly little inclination for studies his dream came to an early end. Following in his parents footsteps, Maximo is currently pursuing elected positions in Patagonia.

Argentine media outlets have not taken the recent attacks lightly. A barrage of anti-Kirchner political satire has been printed in recent days, and is sure to continue as the Kirchners try to silence their critics.

ForniCard Ad printed in Perfil – "To be the queen of an entire country, Priceless."

Top Kirchner Thug, D’Elía Now Attacking The Press (ATexaninArgentina)

Priceless (GoodAirs)

Luis D’Elía a los golpes (Video – Mefeedia.com)

Dr. Lector (Creator of the Priceless ad)

Two Bed, Two Bath and Walking Distance to a Plaza

Josh — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:51:49 +0000

The current housing crisis has caused people throughout Argentina to homestead in abandoned buildings. In Santa Fe a group of men have taken the squatting epidemic to a new level by seizing a community plaza and constructing a pair of houses on it.

Construction in Plaza Matheu.
Photo From: Cronica

The construction began shortly after Easter, when “a group of people took over the public space, removed all of the playground equipment, the benches, and even the trees.” Shortly there-after “a truck brought bricks and they began to build”, the angry city residents said.

Neighbors of Matheu plaza protested to the municipal and provincial government yesterday, desperately pleading to have the builders evicted. The residents are becoming frantic as "construction is advancing quickly" and nobody is taking measures to halt it. The neighbors are hopeful that Governor Hermes Binner will act hastily; otherwise the plaza will be the new residence for two of the area’s more industrious families.

Related
Usurparon Una Plaza (Cronica)

2 Chicken Empanadas, 1 Ham & Cheese… And What Kind Are Those?

Josh — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:53:26 +0000

Health inspectors had an unpleasant surprise this week when they paid a visit to French , a Buenos Aires pizzeria. Aside from the typical lack of hygiene found in most Buenos Aires fast food restaurants, the inspectors also found 2 dog bodies hidden in the restaurant freezer.

Suddenly the lack of working fire extinguishers, exposed wiring and water damage in the ceiling didn’t seem so important.

Next to mozzarella cheese, ham, packaged chickens, chivitos and several kilos of rancid meat, were the carefully placed carcasses of two dogs. Both dogs were missing their heads and coats, leading the inspectors to believe that the meat was being used for empanada filling .

The inspectors also discovered that the restaurant was disposing of animal waste and rendered fat by dumping it in the municipal water supply.

The restaurant has been closed indefinitely, and it is unknown how many customers ate the empanadas with dog filling or for how long the restaurant had been serving dog meat.

French was located at Thorne 1461 in the "9 of Septiembre" district of Ituzaingó, a barrio in northern Buenos Aires.

Empanada Recipes – How to Make Empanadas (Latinfood.About.com)

Fodor’s Top Rated Pizza Places in Buenos Aires (Fodors)

Florkey, Cruising Round A Corner Near You

Josh — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:58 +0000

Presidential daughter Florencia, affectionately referred to as Florkey, has been raising eyebrows with her salacious fotoblog. Interspersed with images from her mother’s inauguration and the goings on inside the Casa Rosada were photos of drunken nights out with friends, usually in poses that would make any unelected parent cringe.

With grammatical errors and vulgar language, the Presidential daughter advertised her nightly exploits and the lack of personal security employed to protect her while moving about the city. A recent post of her freely riding the subway and posing for photos with a friend landed her on the pages of Caras, a local gossip magazine.

To avoid the wrath of her parents, Florencia regularly changed the name of her blog; from ‘bananarepublic’ to ‘coffeelove’ to simply ‘florky’. Tracking down her latest blog name quickly become a local blogger obsession. A search on Google turns up pages of Buenos Aires blogs proclaiming the latest Florky URL.

With the current problems besetting the Kirchner presidency, Christina decided the publicity surrounding Florencia had to be brought under control. With Presidential declarations having no effect on their daughter, the Kirchner’s resorted to bribery and offered Florencia a deal. Close the blog and a new Mini Cooper manufactured to her specifications will be delivered to the front gates of Casa Rosada.

Accepting the offer, Florencia closed the blog and is now motoring around Buenos Aires in a gray Mini Cooper with black racing stripes. At least she won’t be riding the subways any longer.

The search continues for the new blog name she adopted.

There’s Something About The President’s Daughter (Time)

Parental Bribery, K Style (GoodAirs)

Wild Child’s Exposure On Web Upsets Presidential Parents (The Guardian)

Cristina le regaló un Mini Cooper a cambio de que cierre su fotolog (Perfil)