Argentina police rescue seven labor‑exploitation victims in Virrey del Pino
During a joint operation by the Federal Investigation Department (DFI) of the Argentine Federal Police and the anti‑human‑trafficking unit, police rescued seven people who had been forced to work under slave‑like conditions on fruit‑horticultural farms in Virrey del Pino, Buenos Aires Province. The raid, authorized by judge Juan Manuel Culotta, involved drone surveillance, rapid containment teams and four simultaneous searches of the implicated farms. Sixteen hours after the intelligence was gathered, officers located the victims, secured them and placed them under the protection program of the Ministry of Justice.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of two Argentine men, aged 65 and 68, suspected of overseeing the exploitative labor scheme. Both were detained and presented to the judge for alleged violations of Law 26.842 on the prevention and punishment of human trafficking. The rescued victims were handed over to the national assistance program for trafficking victims and received medical and social support.