Public safety and criminal incidents in Latin America

Reports from Latin America indicate various safety incidents and criminal activities. In Argentina, authorities responded to the discovery of a hand-grenade-type explosive in Resistencia and later apprehended a fugitive in Tres Arroyos for attempted homicide, alongside arrests for theft in San Juan and Necochea.

In the province of Santa Fe, an investigation continues into allegations of collective sexual abuse at the Escuela Penitenciaria N° 7 ‘Marcos Sánchez’ in Las Flores. A 19-year-old cadet reported being physically assaulted and sexually abused by a group of peers. The investigation is being led by prosecutor Jorgelina Moser Ferro of the Special Unit for Gender, Family, and Sexual Violence.

Provincial Criminal Investigation Director Rolando Galfrascoli previously described the incident as ‘absolutely extraordinary, terrible and grave.’ While two suspects have been detained, authorities are actively working to apprehend five other identified individuals. The provincial government has pledged support to the victim and stated that if the allegations are proven, the involved individuals will be barred from training or remaining linked to the provincial administration. Recent reports confirm that seven cadets from the school are now under investigation regarding the alleged abuse of the 19-year-old.

In other Argentine incidents, armed individuals posing as police officers robbed a couple in the Buenos Aires suburbs, and a 97-year-old woman in Mendoza was defrauded of significant savings via a phone scam.

In Mexico, an explosive detonation in Celaya, Guanajuato, injured two children, one of whom was critically wounded. Other reported incidents in Mexico included a supermarket shelf collapse in Mexico City and the arrest of a suspect linked to numerous convenience store robberies in Nuevo León.

Additional criminal reports emerged from Colombia, involving injuries during a robbery in Montería, and Paraguay, where suspects were arrested following a violent supermarket robbery in Fernando de la Mora.