13/06/2026 12:18 - Actualidad
Un adulto mayor sentado en una esquina de Buenos Aires con aspecto vulnerable, iluminado por la luz del atardecer, representando la situación de explotación
Argentina's federal justice system ordered preventive prison for three individuals accused of subjecting an 84-year-old man to labor exploitation and human trafficking in the Mataderos neighborhood of Buenos Aires. The ruling, issued by Judge Julián Ercolini of Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 12, determined that the defendants exploited the elderly man's vulnerability to force him to beg on public streets and steal all the money collected.
Mataderos is a working-class neighborhood in Buenos Aires, historically known for its livestock market and slaughterhouses (the name means 'slaughterhouses' in Spanish).
The judge framed the acts as aggravated human trafficking due to:
Source: Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 12
The investigation began after an anonymous call to Line 145 of Argentina's National Rescue Coordination, alerting about a possible situation of servitude. The PROTEX (Prosecutor's Office for Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons) filed the formal complaint, and the case was assigned to Prosecutor Eduardo Taiano of Federal Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 3.
Line 145 is Argentina's free, 24/7 hotline for reporting human trafficking and labor exploitation cases. It allows anonymous reporting and has been instrumental in rescuing thousands of victims.
On May 18, 2026, authorities raided the property. There they found the man in deplorable conditions: surrounded by garbage, feces, and urine in one of the rooms. Additionally, one of the accused had possession of the retiree's ID card and debit card.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the victim remained in a state of subjection at least between March 17, 2026 and May 18, 2026. The defendants took advantage of:
Judge Ercolini emphasized that "the absence of a subjective perception of submission by the victim does not rule out the objective existence of an exploitation dynamic." The elderly man didn't know how much his pension was worth or what deductions were applied, evidencing the control over his financial life.
In Argentina, the pension system is managed by the state social security administration (ANSES). Many elderly people rely solely on their pension for survival, making them vulnerable to exploitation.
The judge ordered the State to guarantee protection of the elderly man's health and physical and psychological integrity. The resolution seeks to safeguard his wellbeing and prevent any type of influence or intimidation by the defendants.
Human trafficking is a crime involving the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons for exploitation purposes. In Argentina, it's defined in the Penal Code and includes aggravated circumstances when the victim is over 70 years old or when a situation of vulnerability is exploited.
Preventive prison (prisión preventiva) is a precautionary measure in Argentine law that allows judges to detain accused persons before trial when there's risk of flight, obstruction of justice, or influence over victims or witnesses.
Sources: Public Prosecutor's Office, Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 12, Infobae, Cadena 3
Alfredo S. Quiroga
Conspiraciones