Milei's government announced the arrest of Brian Bilbao, Argentina's fifth most-wanted criminal.

The Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich, announced the arrest of drug lord Brian Walter Bilbao (47), who was, until his arrest, Argentina's fifth most wanted criminal.

The operation, carried out by the National Gendarmerie, ended with a chase in Buenos Aires province, where the detainee was transporting more than 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of cocaine in a pickup truck.

The arrest took place this Tuesday in the Buenos Aires district of Exaltación de la Cruz, when Bilbao was intercepted by Gendarmerie officers and presented false documentation. After his capture, federal forces conducted simultaneous raids in Buenos Aires and Santa Fe, resulting in the arrest of three more individuals, identified as Pablo José A., Carlos E. V., and Eduardo D. P.

During the procedures, cell phones, laptops, pistols, revolvers and shotguns, cartridges of various calibers, jewelry, handheld radios, cars and pickup trucks were seized, all items linked to the criminal organization led by the detainee.

Known by the nicknames "Negro," "Barba," or "Patoruzec," Bilbao had been under investigation for years for his role as the leader of a cocaine trafficking network with branches in several provinces. His capture represents a significant blow to drug trafficking.

The arrest was the result of intensive surveillance of the drug trafficker's movements, and authorities were tracking the fact that he was unloading cocaine at various locations in Santa Fe and Buenos Aires.

The intelligence work was part of a case called "Cosecha blanca," where it had been detected that he used his own planes to carry out drug airdrops in the fields, later leaving the aircraft in rural areas of Campo Timbó and Carrizales.

The case is also linked to a clandestine flight that landed in October 2024 in Andino, during which retired Bolivian Air Force Colonel Óscar Armando Caba Hurtado (57) was arrested. That officer was sentenced in April to 7 years and 2 months in prison for conducting an airborne drug shipment for Bilbao's organization.

The organization brought drugs into the country from Bolivia via cargo flights, subsequently transporting the cocaine to Buenos Aires and various cities in Santa Fe province.