Monday April 10, 2023 | 2:00 p.m.
Three people, one of them with an arrest warrant, were arrested after an armed confrontation with members of the Argentine National Gendarmerie (GNA), when they tried to avoid a vehicle control in the province of Santiago del Estero, after which they kidnapped cocaine, weapons, cash and items of interest for the cause.
It all started on Friday when GNA troops, belonging to Squadron 59 “Santiago del Estero”, controlled a motorcycle on Provincial Route 2, in the “Cruz Bajada” area and, after requisitioning the vehicle, found among its belongings a handy and a satellite phone.
After that, the gendarmes coordinated a lockdown operation with other units and, moments later, they observed that a vehicle with several occupants stopped the march when it perceived the presence of the members of the force.
Under these circumstances, the suspects brandished firearms and began shooting, while the driver of the vehicle tried to back up.
The spokesmen specified that during the confrontation the gendarmes shot at the tires of the vehicle and managed to prevent them from fleeing, after which they tried to flee on foot but were unsuccessful and were reduced to a few meters.
According to sources, one of the criminals had a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, for which he was transferred to the hospital in the provincial capital, where he remained hospitalized, out of danger and under custody.
In turn, the spokesmen specified that the injured suspect had an arrest warrant issued by the Federal Court of Salta.
During the procedure, the troops seized a semi-automatic carbine, 70 ammunition, a kilo of cocaine, three handys, two satellite phones, a 9mm pistol with a laser sight, five cell phones, 239,860 Argentine pesos and 50 Bolivians, among other items of interest to the cause.
Likewise, the gendarmes carried out a helicopter search of the surrounding areas of the Cruz Bajada and Nueva Esperanza areas without registering any news.
Federal Court 2 and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Santiago del Estero intervened in the case, who ordered the rigorous proceedings.
