The Federal Police arrested the Mapuche terrorist leader Cruz Ernesto Cárdenas

Cruz Ernesto Cárdenas, the terrorist leader of the Mapuche community lof Paillako, surrendered to the authorities after having been on the run since February and was taken into custody by the Argentine Federal Police (PFA).

His surrender marks the end of an extensive search that involved the Federal Judiciary, the Government of Javier Milei, and the provincial administration. Since the arrest warrant had already expired this Monday, Cárdenas chose to voluntarily turn himself in at a police station.

Within the framework of the judicial case, authorities are considering the possibility of housing him in Unit 14, located at the entrance to Esquel, where his partner and children live. Nevertheless, a possible transfer to Unit 6 in Comodoro Rivadavia is also being considered.

In this latter prison, Facundo Jones Huala, a terrorist and leader of the Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche (RAM), is currently being held under pretrial detention for crimes of advocacy of crime, unlawful association, and public intimidation.

The charges against Ernesto Cárdenas

Cruz Ernesto Cárdenas, who had a relationship with María Belén Salinas, whose family group lives within Los Alerces National Park, faces charges of usurpation in ideal concurrence, aggravated damage, and resisting authority.

In addition, he is under investigation for his alleged involvement in the forest fires that devastated thousands of hectares in the Patagonian region, according to journalistic reports.

The conflict originated during the pandemic, when Cárdenas and the lof Paillako community illegally took possession of public lands located within the national park. On January 9, 2025, the Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich, led an operation that resulted in the eviction of the group.

In the days prior to the operation, the then head of National Parks, Cristian Larsen, issued a forceful message directed at Cárdenas: “Cruz Cárdenas, your fun is over. In a month we'll remove you from Los Alerces National Park.” That public statement set the tone for a dispute that escalated from the occupation of public lands to a criminal case for serious offenses.

After the eviction, Cárdenas's legal situation worsened. He was required to appear periodically before a squad of the National Gendarmerie, but he did not comply with the measure. When Federal Police officers went to the address he had declared with Salinas, she claimed not to know where he was and stated: “He didn't even return to see his children.”

Consequently, federal judge Enrique Baronetto declared Cruz Cárdenas in contempt and issued an arrest warrant against him. During his time as a fugitive, Cárdenas turned to social media to publicly reject the accusations and attempt to discredit them.

The judicial case involving him goes beyond the occupation of public lands. Both Milei's government and the provincial administration identify him as the alleged person responsible for the forest fires that caused severe devastation in the region in recent years.

The former head of National Parks did not hesitate to label him as a “criminal and terrorist,” and warned: “He is dangerous for our national parks and for all of Argentina.”