Scandal in FPA Córdoba: police officers were convicted of paying informants with drugs

Seven FPA agents Córdoba and three civilians admitted to having delivered seized drugs to informants as payment for information about drug trafficking. They did so before prosecutor Juan Pablo Klinger, as part of a summary trial that allowed for a faster sentencing. The verdict was issued by Control Court 8 and applied to all the accused.

Among the convicted police officers are Luis Benavídez, Isidro Rivero, Eduardo Moreno, Antonio and Sergio Ruiz, Diego Bertino, and Néstor Márquez. The three involved informants also acknowledged having received narcotics in exchange for collaborating in simulated operations. All were considered members of an illicit organization.

It was established that the officers diverted drugs from official operations to reward external informants to the force with them. The sentence was three years in prison for nine defendants, and three and a half years for Márquez, for his role as brigade chief. They were also disqualified from holding public office.

Despite the convictions, they could regain their freedom soon because they have already spent eight months in pretrial detention and have demonstrated good behavior. Most have no criminal record and will be able to request release from prison. The judicial conditions are already in place to begin those proceedings.

An organization that used drugs as common currency

The trial revealed that the use of seized drugs as payment was a more common practice than previously believed within certain FPA brigades. The informants received portions of narcotics in exchange for information about points of sale. They also actively participated in undercover operations.

Sources close to the case indicated that the procedures were set up with informants who pretended to be buyers in front of alleged drug dealers. That staging used real drugs that should never have left the system. The simulation was disguised as a valid investigative policy.

The drugs used did not come from minor or isolated seizures but from large confiscations such as those carried out at Cruz del Eje prison.  Part of the seized material was diverted before entering the judicial circuit. That amount was accumulated and then redistributed outside the law.

The verdict records that this operational logic had organized and systematic features within the force. It was a parallel and sustained structure. In this sense, the sentences reflect the aggravated nature of that dynamic.

Prosecutor Ramírez will also be tried for serious omissions

The same investigation made it possible to move forward with a parallel case against prosecutor Raúl Ramírez, his secretary Patricio Bazán, and police officer Mauricio Oyola. Control Court 8 rejected the objections of their defenses and confirmed the referral to trial. They are being investigated for aggravated cover-up and omission of duties.

All three were identified for failing to report the disappearance of more than 500 grams of cocaine and marijuana seized by judicial order. The substances had been seized and were under state custody as evidence. However, they never reached the official warehouses, nor was their absence justified.

The court considered it proven that Ramírez, Bazán, and Oyola were aware of the missing drugs and did not initiate any criminal action. Not even after the internal searches were exhausted was a formal complaint filed. That omission constituted a serious violation of their public duties.

The verdict mentions solid documentary and testimonial evidence such as records, reports from the seizure system, and statements from judicial employees. According to the court, there is sufficient legal basis to bring them to oral trial. The defense can still appeal, but the case has already taken a defined course.