Argentine security forces arrested Rodolfo Aguirre Covarrubias, a Mexican citizen wanted by Interpol in connection with an investigation into his alleged role in drug trafficking in the United States. Argentina's Ministry of National Security and the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) announced the arrest.
"This is Rodolfo Junior Aguirre Covarrubias, a Mexican drug trafficker. Today, Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest for extradition purposes, following a request from U.S. authorities in connection with drug trafficking offenses," Argentina's Minister of National Security, Alejandra Monteoliva, wrote on social media.
Minister Monteoliva said the arrest resulted from a joint operation involving SIDE, the National Directorate of Migration, and the Federal Investigations Division (DFI) of the Argentine Federal Police.
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"We tracked him down and arrested him in the City of Buenos Aires," she said.
Who Is Rodolfo Aguirre, the Mexican Citizen Arrested in Argentina?
Aguirre Covarrubias, who was born in 1998, was arrested last Friday, July 10, by the Argentine Federal Police in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in the Puerto Madero neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Preliminary reports indicated that he had traveled to Argentina to attend a medical conference and not for the purpose of selling drugs, despite the Interpol Red Notice and the ongoing investigation by a U.S. District Court.
Images that circulated following his arrest showed Aguirre with a tattoo across his chest reading, "I would rather die standing than live on my knees," a phrase commonly attributed to revolutionary figures.
Authorities said his stay in Argentina was expected to be brief because he had planned to travel to Colombia after the conference. However, the Interpol Red Notice led to his arrest before he could leave the country.
U.S. authorities accuse the Mexican national of drug trafficking involving the possession, distribution, and sale of more than 10 kilograms of cocaine. He was considered a fugitive after allegedly violating the conditions of his release on bond. Argentine authorities are expected to extradite him at the request of the United States.
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