Rosario authorities arrest Los Monos gang members in crime and laundering raids

Authorities in Rosario have conducted several operations targeting members and financial structures of the Los Monos criminal organization.

Mariano Hernán Ruiz, a 50-year-old individual previously convicted in 2015, was arrested in a federal investigation into money laundering. Ruiz, described as a key financial figure or “accountant” for the gang, is suspected of managing the laundering of narcotics proceeds through various business activities and bank movements. The operation, involving the Police of Investigations (PDI) and the Prosecutor's Office for Economic Criminality and Money Laundering (Procelac), included multiple raids in Rosario and surrounding areas like Pérez and Piñero.

In a separate arrest, a 22-year-old man was apprehended in central Rosario. He is accused of participating in a drug network in the La Lata neighborhood and is linked to the homicide of “el Chino” Figueroa, a known hitman associated with Los Monos and the Newell’s Old Boys supporters group. During the search of a property linked to the suspect, authorities seized digital storage devices and items related to the cult of the gang's former leader, Claudio Ariel “Pájaro” Cantero.