BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich has vowed to crack down on drug gangs that have fueled rising violence and a surge in cocaine shipments to Europe. In a rare interview with international media, Bullrich told Reuters that her efforts under President Javier Milei’s administration are already yielding results.
Argentina has become a key transit hub for cocaine, as production from Peru and Bolivia flows down waterways and out through ports like Rosario, the hometown of Lionel Messi. The increase in trafficking has coincided with a rise in gang-related murders.
Bullrich claimed that Argentina’s record cocaine seizures have earned it regional and European recognition. “In 2024, no shipment from Argentina was detected in Europe,” she stated, though she acknowledged the possibility that some undetected shipments may have slipped through. The security ministry confirmed this claim, though Reuters was unable to independently verify it.
Crackdown on Crime and Gangs
As a former presidential rival to Milei, Bullrich now spearheads the administration’s tough-on-crime approach. She has implemented stricter border controls with Bolivia and Brazil, privatized some prisons, and utilized artificial intelligence to track criminal networks.
Her policies appear to have had an impact in Rosario, a city notorious for gang violence. Murders there dropped to 90 in 2023—the lowest in at least a decade—compared to 261 in 2022 and nearly 300 in 2021, according to local government data.
“We decided to hit hard against the gangs,” Bullrich said, crediting increased cooperation between national and regional governments, as well as tougher judicial measures. Her administration has also targeted incarcerated drug lords, preventing them from running operations from behind bars. “We took away their power by isolating them,” she added.
Andrei Serbin Pont, a security specialist and president of the regional think tank CRIES, highlighted that “prioritizing criminal intelligence rather than just increasing police presence” has been key to crime reduction.
Learning from Global Models, Strengthening Borders
Bullrich has introduced a bill in Congress to establish an anti-mafia law modeled after the US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. She has also studied law enforcement tactics in Britain and Italy and hosted El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, whose controversial mega-prison for gang members has been both praised and criticized internationally.
“Our system is a little less harsh, but when we need to be tough, we are tough,” she said.
To further combat drug trafficking, Argentina is boosting collaboration with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Bullrich is also planning visits to cocaine-producing areas in Peru.
Border Security with Bolivia and Brazil
A key part of Bullrich’s strategy is tightening border controls, particularly with Bolivia and Brazil. Argentina has begun constructing a short border wall in Salta province, aimed at reducing smuggling from Bolivia. Additional security forces are also being deployed along the border with Brazil, which Bullrich said had seen “a lack of control in recent years.”
“We are sending troops to the border area with Brazil,” she confirmed.
While Bolivian and Brazilian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Brazil’s Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski last week expressed support for stronger border security measures.
Political Evolution and Support for Milei
Bullrich, a veteran politician, has played a key role in consolidating center-right support for Milei’s administration. Once fierce rivals—Milei previously labeled her a “leftist bomb-thrower,” while she called him “emotionally unstable”—the two have since aligned.
Now, she says, “We’re more libertarian than conservative,” as she backs Milei’s sweeping economic and social reforms. With Argentina’s legislative mid-term elections approaching later this year, Bullrich remains a crucial figure in Milei’s push to secure more congressional seats.