Ricardo Moccero questioned the implementation of the Zero Alcohol Law and defended alcohol consumption, even when driving
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The Kirchnerist mayor of Coronel Suárez, Ricardo Moccero, was at the center of controversy after firing the police chief of his district for having ordered a breathalyzer checkpoint at the exit of a rodeo. The incident took place in the town of Santa María, near Bahía Blanca, and led to a judicial complaint that has already begun to be investigated by the Buenos Aires provincial justice system.
The event that triggered the controversy took place on Sunday, December 7, when the police carried out a vehicle checkpoint operation at the end of the 1st Fiesta de los Basteros, a rodeo held at the El Progreso club. The measure surprised those attending and caused delays, which led to strong discontent among the festival participants.
Three days later, Moccero took part in a meeting with residents, in which he endorsed the complaints against the actions of the police and confirmed that he had taken concrete measures against the leadership of the force in the area. “I knew what the reaction of the irritated people was, and I share it,” stated the Kirchnerist mayor of Unión por la Patria (today Fuerza Patria), while he described as “ridiculous” the operation carried out around 7 p.m.
Axel Kicillof y Ricardo Moccero.
According to what he later explained in a television interview, the municipal chief intervened directly with the Ministry of Security of the province of Buenos Aires to request the removal of the person responsible for the procedure.
“I took charge personally and I asked the minister for the removal from office of Lieutenant Guevara,” Moccero stated in a conversation with Canal 2 TV Cooperativa. Hours later, Lieutenant Martín Guevara, chief of the Pueblo San José police station, was relieved of his duties.
In his public statements, the mayor also questioned the strict enforcement of the Zero Alcohol Law in the context of festivals and defended alcohol consumption, even if people are going to drive afterward. “It is a ridiculous operation at 7 in the evening. The gauchos are obviously not going to drink Coca Cola or orange juice. So, with a little glass of wine it already comes out (positive),” he maintained, a statement that caused a strong reaction and criticism from various sectors.
El intendente kirchnerista Ricardo Moccero.
After these deplorable statements, UFI No. 9 of the Bahía Blanca Judicial Department, headed by prosecutor Eduardo Quirós, began to analyze a complaint filed in recent hours. According to what was reported by the outlet El Orden de Pringles, the complaint was reportedly filed by an opposition political leader to the K municipal administration.
Meanwhile, the Estrellas Amarillas National Road Safety Awareness Campaign Foundation spoke out about the case and, through a letter addressed to Federico Montero, Undersecretary of Oversight and Police Control of the Buenos Aires Interior, requested that the mayor's actions be investigated and that the police officer who ordered the checkpoint be kept in his post.
In the text, the organization warned about the seriousness of driving under the influence of alcohol and recalled alarming figures: “In Argentina, last year, more than 5,000 people died in traffic crashes. There are approximately more than 120,000 people seriously injured. Within all those data, in every four crashes, in one, almost two, alcohol is present. Drinking alcohol and driving is really very serious.”
