Argentina’s Security Minister Confuses Foot Powder With Cocaine, Wrongly Detains Man For 21 Days
Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich hailed the capture of a “criminal” allegedly smuggling over two kilograms of cocaine in talcum powder containers.
According to La Nación, the detainee, 42-year-old Maximiliano Acosta from Mar del Plata, was stopped by Argentina’s Gendarmería, a national paramilitary force, at a tollbooth in Mendoza province. He was detained, held in isolation for days and faced the prospect of years in prison.
Three weeks later, however, a second forensic test exposed a grave mistake. The supposed “cocaine” was actually talcum powder. Acosta was released, but Bullrich has yet to acknowledge the misstep or apologize.
The Arrest: A Simple Misunderstanding Turns Into A Nightmare
Acosta had been visiting Mendoza, looking to improve his financial situation by selling goods, including bottles of talcum powder he’d bought from a local vendor.
Preparing to return home, he hurriedly packed his merchandise, which included 18 bottles of talcum powder, into his backpack. On his bus ride back, officers from Gendarmería, a force that …