Leonardo Airaldi sentenced to 12 years for drug trafficking

The Federal Court of Paraná has sentenced Leonardo Roberto Airaldi to twelve years in prison for financing drug trafficking activities. Airaldi, a 41-year-old agricultural producer and former president of the Sociedad Rural de Diamante, was found to have facilitated the movement of cocaine from Entre Ríos to Rosario between 2019 and 2022.

Investigations revealed that Airaldi utilized police protection to transport narcotics. He had previously served as an advisor to Luis Etchevehere, the former head of the Sociedad Rural and former Minister of Agriculture. Airaldi has been held in Ezeiza prison since February following revelations of a criminal plot to assassinate federal judge Leandro Ríos, prosecutor José Ignacio Candioti, and the Minister of Security of Entre Ríos.

The case highlights the infiltration of organized crime within regional production entities and political spheres in Entre Ríos.