BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – During the 12 years that he led the NGO La Alameda, Gustavo Vera denounced drug- and human-trafficking networks, corruption and money laundering.
In late 2013, Vera’s statements in support of confronting criminal mafias led to his electoral victory in the city of Buenos Aires, with 500,000 votes.
He leads the National Anti-Mafia Network, which seeks to replicate, in Argentina, the experience of the Italian NGO Libera, an essential element in the fight against the mafia in the 1990s.
“What we do is channel the complaints from the public,” Vera told Infosurhoy.com during a recent interview.
Infosurhoy: What is the situation with organized crime in Argentina?
Vera: During the last decade, organized crime has grown so much that the country is now Latin America’s largest consumer of cocaine and the third largest exporter worldwide. The Mexican and Colombian cartels are increasingly active in the country. Human trafficking for exploitative labor practices has increased, particularly in the textile industry, with the exploitation of Bolivian and Peruvian immigrants. Two years ago, the industry organizations themselves acknowledged that 78% of the products manufactured in Argentina came from sweatshops. Also, along with corruption and money laundering, about 8,000 brothels exist in the country, with 1,200 in Buenos Aires alone.
Infosurhoy: Why?
Vera: Only two money-laundering convictions have been handed down in the last 20 years, one involving the owner of a butcher shop in the province of Córdoba, and the other involving a group of Mexicans who smuggled money into the country. In terms of officials being found guilty of corruption, we’ve only had [former Secretary of the Environment] María Julia Alsogaray in the 1990s, and [former Minister of the Economy] Felisa Miceli in the 2000s. Therefore, there’s an illegal economy based on drugs, human trafficking and smuggling. Nobody is convicted for money laundering or corruption. Organized crime is connected with a process wherein the mafia accumulates capital. When foreign journalists tell me that Argentina seems like Venezuela, I disagree. Argentina seems more like Russia [due to the presence of the mafias].
Infosurhoy: How is money from organized crime allocated?
Vera: In the police force, for example, some officers and brigade commanders organize monthly payoffs from businesses run by organized crime. They collect bribes from brothels, illegal sweatshops and drug-dealing locations. They divide the amount collected from organized crime into three parts: one goes to the judicial and political classes, another goes to the police commanders, and a third is used as part of the regular budget of the police stations, including for the maintenance of police vehicles and the payment of police salaries.
Infosurhoy: Which international criminal organizations operate in Argentina?
Vera: The Sinaloa cartel, for example, has a strong presence. The mafias finance election campaigns. And I’m not talking about just the ephedrine traffickers. The products made with slave labor at La Salada [the largest illicit market in Latin America, located in the Argentine municipality of Lomas de Zamora] also finance campaigns. And the organized soccer supporters, known as barras bravas, provide a labor pool for politicians and organized crime.
Infosurhoy: In 2013, with the help of the residents of Buenos Aires, La Alameda released a list of the city’s “100 drug-trafficking locations.” What are these places like?
Vera: They vary greatly. The distribution of drugs for domestic consumption is done through narcomenudeo, which is the sale of small quantities. This allows the individual arrested with the drugs to argue that it was for their personal use. A few meters from the point of sale is the aguantadero, where the drugs are stockpiled. The aguantadero could be a house taken over by drug dealers or an apartment disguised as a brothel but is really used for the drug trade. All of this is done quickly, in small quantities. In the slums, the drug traffickers install bunkers, with a system of soldiers to warn them when police approach.
Infosurhoy: Is the justice system investigating the 100 drug-trafficking locations?
Vera: Yes, but the courts also have problems. The honest judges and prosecutors recognize that they need to rely on two to four different security forces, due to corruption. We’re trying to make progress in the creation of a Judiciary Police Force, which would operate directly under the judiciary, at least for the intelligence and investigation stages. All of the forces have some level of corruption, but also a bit of honesty. The Anti-Mafia Network receives numerous complaints from security forces.
Infosurhoy: Describe the Anti-Mafia Network’s job.
Vera: On the one hand, the mafias are organized. But, on the side of honesty, no collective channel existed that allowed people to level their complaints and begin to attack the mafia. The Anti-Mafia Network, which was created in April 2013, provides that channel to all people, from every political party and religion. The Anti-Mafia Network investigates crimes, proposes laws and promotes public policies to eradicate human trafficking, slavery, social exclusion and drug trafficking. The idea is to replicate what Libera did in Italy in 1992 and 1993 to mobilize society against the mafia.
Infosurhoy: What are the Anti-Mafia Network’s chances of success?
Vera: The phenomenon of slave labor is an issue for only one sector of the population. Sex trafficking also is an issue for just one sector. But the explosion of drug trafficking is an issue for everybody, because nearly every family [in Argentina] has someone who is directly or indirectly affected by drug use. And there’s a growing level of violence generated by the drug trade. People are very concerned, and the fight against corruption and the mafia is starting to gain ground.
Infosurhoy: What’s the key to combating the mafia?
Vera: We have to attack the foundation, which is money. Mafias don’t operate based on ideology or religion. Mafias seek fast money, on a large scale. That’s why they need the support of the state to commit serious crimes and launder money. The most effective way to combat the mafia is to pursue them not just criminally, but also economically. In other words, confiscate their assets throughout their value chain and reuse them for social purposes. The mafia process can’t be stopped through a single election or political party. It will be stopped by society as a whole, willing to react. And there are plenty of indications that people are fed up.
