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Another crew member arrested under suspicion of drug smuggling

Another Filipino man was arrested, accused of participating in drug smuggling aboard the 'Ceci', that had arrived at the port of San Lorenzo on May 1. He was suspected of being the alleged accomplice of chef Jonathan Caputero, the only defendant still in custody. The drug seizure was the result of an operation organized by the San Lorenzo Regional Federal Prosecutor's Unit, in which the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA) also intervened. Approximately 400 kilos of drugs were found hidden in bags inside a refrigerator containing the crew's food. The 'Ceci' was coming from Dubai and, before arriving in San Lorenzo, had made a stop at the Recalada Pontoon, in international waters of the Río de la Plata, carrying a declared cargo of sunflower pellets,

Bulk carrier and crew released, cook remains in custody

On May 14, after several days of investigation, both the 'Ceci' and its crew were released. The only person detained was the ship's cook. The ruling was issued by Federal Guarantee Judge Carlos Vera Barros. The sentence indicated that the man, identified as Jonathan Caputero, was to be held in preventive detention for 90 days. The cook had admitted to bringing the drugs onto the ship. The decision was also made following the investigation into the cell phones seized on the ship. So far, the origin of the cocaine shipment is unknown. For now, Caputero admitted full responsibility for loading the 379 loaves of cocaine into the cold storage and other parts of the vessel.

Nearly 500 kilos of cocaine seized in San Lorenzo

On April 30, 2025, 469 kilos of cocaine were found aboard the 'Ceci' in San Lorenzo. The ship's cook was arrested on May 2 by the Federal Guarantee Judge Carlos Vera Barros, who also ordered the 20 Filipinmo crew members to remain on the vessel. They will not be allowed to leave the port of San Lorenzo while the investigation was continued. They were brought to an arraignment hearing in the Federal Courts of Rosario. Before Guarantee Judge Carlos Vera Barros, federal prosecutors primarily charged the vessel's cook, who was remanded in custody. The, federal prosecutors Claudio Kishimoto and Francisco Bernhardt, together with the Procunar (National Prosecutor's Office), ordered measures to further investigate a line of investigation publicly presented by the Minister of National Security, Patricia Bullrich: that the cocaine was transported on a boat that provides food to the ship. One of these measures was to request video surveillance cameras in the area and inspect warehouses for material of interest. There were no elements that implicated the port of Vicentin with the drugs. The vessel's captain was important in the procedure, as he was the one who reported the strange packages in the cold storage, with a market value of $6 million. The ship had been inspected that same morning, and after that inspection, the food supplier boarded the ship to the place where the drugs were ultimately found. Another point to be elucidated was the destination of the drugs. Although the ship's final destination was Amsterdam, it had previously stopped in Montevideo. However, it was assumed that during the voyage, it was to be thrown into the water to be collected. In this context, it became relevant that one of the 16 packages had GPS and nets, elements to lower the cocaine into the sea or river. Investigators would evaluate the possibility that the drugs had been loaded on Argentine territory. However, there was also the possibility that they had been collected in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There were traces of salt water inside the packages which were protected by several materials that would guarantee the substance's impermeability. The drug packages were stored inside waterproof bags. The ship remained stationary in San Lorenzo as of May 15. Report with photos: https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/policiales/2025/05/03/casi-500-kilos-de-cocaina-en-un-barco-el-cocinero-del-buque-quedo-preso/