Three women flee Salta border patrol, leaving 4.21 kg of marijuana in backpacks
Gendarmes of the Agua Blanca section of the 20 "Orán" Squadron seized 4.21 kg of marijuana in two school backpacks dropped by three women at the Chalanas Viejas crossing into Aguas Blancas, Salta, on the Bolivian border. The women fled and none was arrested; the Orán decentralised prosecutor's office ordered the drug held and an investigation opened.
Gendarmes of the Agua Blanca section of the 20 “Orán” Squadron were patrolling
at the Chalanas Viejas border crossing in Aguas Blancas when, at a distance,
they spotted three women walking towards Argentine territory, two of them
carrying school-type backpacks.[1]On seeing the force, the women fled quickly
and dropped what they were carrying.[1]
Gendarmes inspecting the discarded backpacks found four amorphous packages
inside.[1]Forensic staff of the Unidad Técnica Criminalística y Estudios
Forenses “Orán” ran a Narcotest field test, which came back positive for
marijuana, with a total weight of 4 kilograms210 grams.[1]Gente de Salta
reported that the women fled towards the Bolivian side.[2]
Chalanas Viejas is a frequently used crossing for informal crossings between
Argentina and Bolivia, in a border corridor that Gendarmería Nacional patrols
for contraband and drug trafficking.[2]The Orán decentralised prosecutor’s
office took charge of the case, ordered the paperwork drawn up and the drug held
under preventive seizure.[1]Gente de Salta reported that the purpose of the
investigation was to try to identify the people involved, and none of the
outlets reported an arrest.[2]Que Pasa Salta also reported the seizure in
Aguas Blancas after the three women fled on detecting the patrol.[3]
Photos and video
Main picture published with the Gendarmería Nacional statement on the 4.21 kg seized at Chalanas Viejas. Photo: Gendarmería Nacional ArgentinaPhoto details
No date for the procedure itself was published; 8 July 2026 is the Gendarmería statement's date and is used as the incident date.
No one was arrested: the three women fled, Gente de Salta says towards the Bolivian side, and the suspects were not identified.
The women are not named and their ages and nationalities were not published.
No street value for the 4.21 kg was published.
No charge sheet or court outcome is reported; the Orán decentralised prosecutor's office ordered the drug held and the paperwork drawn up.
The Gendarmería statement and El Tribuno describe only a rapid flight; only Gente de Salta says the women fled towards the Bolivian side.
El Tribuno, Gente de Salta and Que Pasa Salta reproduce the agency account; no separate Gendarmería release or Bolivian outlet for this event was found, and TodoJujuy could not be opened.
The three Gendarmería pictures are uncaptioned; they are linked from the agency's own page and credited to Gendarmería Nacional Argentina.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in El Tribuno: El Tribuno reported the same seizure, weight and prosecutor's order, crediting Gendarmería Nacional.
Police in Salta detained a 26-year-old driver during a vehicle checkpoint on Ruta Nacional 9 in Campo Alegre, La Caldera. Officers from the División Investigación Narcocriminal 2 seized 70 doses of marijuana and cocaine after preliminary field tests.
Road police at the Subfluvial Tunnel control post identified a 33-year-old Buenos Aires man carrying cocaine and marijuana in a van. Field tests confirmed 2.1 grams of marijuana alongside 5.9 grams of cocaine, and the case was treated as simple possession.
Cleaning staff found a package of marijuana on a long-distance bus that had arrived at the Chajarí terminal in Entre Ríos after leaving Paraná, and the drivers called the police. Officers of the Federación department drug division tested and seized the substance and left the case with the prosecutor's office, with no one arrested.
Chaco police securing a woman's belongings from a room she rented in Resistencia found two cannabis seedlings, marijuana flowers and indoor growing equipment, and anti-drug officers' field tests were positive for marijuana. The woman was detained after another clash with the owner and released on the order of the anti-drug prosecutor's office, which kept the items but not the cash.
