The Milei administration is implementing the "anti-mafia law" to combat organized crime in the troubled city of Santa Fe, making Rosario the first location in the country to utilize this new crime-fighting legislation.
President Javier Milei's administration has revealed plans to implement Argentina's new "anti-mafia law" in the troubled city of Rosario, located in Santa Fe Province. Officials characterized this action as a significant step in their "all-out war" against organized crime.
The decision, announced by the National Security Ministry via Resolution 572/2025 and published in the Official Gazette on Friday, empowers federal security forces with enhanced authority to investigate and prosecute criminal organizations in the area.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, a strong supporter of the law, took to social media to celebrate the initiative, stating, "This all-out war is one we are winning."
In a stern warning to drug traffickers and gang members, she stated that they would face serious consequences for their actions, asserting, “If a gang commits a crime, they all fall—together, not one by one.”
Passed during special sessions in March, Law 27.786, known as the Anti-Mafia Law, imposes stricter penalties on members of criminal organizations.
Importantly, it permits prosecutors to seek the same sentence for all gang members, regardless of their individual roles, if they operate in a coordinated manner over time and within specific territories.
Additionally, the law establishes judicially authorized intervention zones that grant extensive investigative powers, including the authority to conduct detentions, raids, wiretaps, and asset seizures.
Rosario is set to become the first city in the country to implement the new law. The Security Ministry has requested federal judges to classify it as a “special investigation zone” in response to a proposal from Santa Fe Province Governor Maximiliano Pullaro. This decision is based on a report from the National Directorate of Criminal Intelligence, which highlighted the ongoing operations of criminal groups engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and other illegal activities. Earlier this year, Bullrich and Pullaro initiated a collaborative security plan to address the rising violence.
Rosario, Argentina's third-largest city with a population of 1.3 million, is located along the Paraná River. It has emerged as a key transit point for drug trafficking from Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay to Europe and Asia. The city faces the highest homicide rate in the country, with 22 murders per 100,000 residents—five times the national average.
The community has been shaken by frequent shootings, high-profile murders, and a rise in gang violence. In response to the escalating crisis, Governor Pullaro declared a state of emergency in early 2024.
