Who is Ariel García Furfaro, the K activist accused in the deadly fentanyl case

Ariel García Furfaro, owner of HLB Pharma and Kirchnerist activist, is at the center of the judicial investigation into the distribution of a batch of contaminated fentanyl that has been linked to dozens of deaths and severe cases across the country.

In his first public statements since the beginning of the case, the businessman denied any responsibility and suggested the possibility of a deliberate scheme to harm him.

"I want people to know that fentanyl has nothing to do with the deaths. If the ampoules really have that contamination, someone put it there," he stated in an interview.

The case, led by federal judge Ernesto Kreplak, is investigating the distribution of batch No. 31.202, manufactured in December 2024 by Laboratorios Ramallo for HLB Pharma. The product is undergoing judicial and health analyses due to suspected bacterial contamination.

The National Ministry of Health reported that more than 540,000 ampoules of fentanyl from the company were distributed in 16 provinces, with Santa Fe(302,000), Córdoba (251,000), and Buenos Aires(126,000) as the main recipients.

The case gained public attention after a march by victims' relatives in front of the Italian Hospital of La Plata and the addition of new cases to the file. In addition to denying any wrongdoing, García Furfaro questioned the investigation and emphatically rejectedthe claims linking him to drug trafficking. "So many outrageous things have been said, like that I was a drug trafficker or that I was involved in other things, and none of that has been proven," he pointed out.

García Furfaro, along with his siblings, his mother, and his grandmother, is among the 24 people suspected of having some connection to the production and commercialization of the questioned fentanyl. Precautionary measures have been imposed on all of them, including asset freezes and a ban on leaving the country.

The businessman, previously convicted and imprisoned for attempted homicide, studied law at the Melchor Romero prison. He maintained ties with Kirchnerist leaders, unionists, and former officials, including former presidentCristina Fernández de Kirchner, whom he visited at the Instituto Patria in April of that year, as shown in published images.

García Furfaro's career and his business group have also been marked by other controversies. HLB Pharma Group traveled to Moscow as part of the Ministry of Health delegation of then-president Alberto Fernández to distribute the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19.

The company was reported by ARCA for tax evasion, irregular imports of machinery from China, and document forgery. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Security, under the leadership of Patricia Bullrich, reported the falsification of the operating license certificate issued by the Municipality of San Isidro to operate with chemical precursors, including fentanyl citrate.

Meanwhile, as the investigation progresses, the businessman insists that the incident is the result of sabotage and not a production failure. Judge Kreplak continues gathering evidence to determine the origin of the alleged contamination and any potential criminal responsibilities.