A plan meticulously laid out over a year and a half was destroyed in a matter of minutes, when a delivery man foiled what could have been the biggest heist of the decade.
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The criminals, who had planned rob a bank branch in the historic center of San Isidro, Argentina, They fled in haste, abandoning their “base of operations” before the police arrived. For months, they worked in a tunnel 155 meters long and 4.35 meters deep.designed to reach the vault of Banco Macro, located at Chacabuco 444.
All the ingenuity and professionalism that the criminals employed were exposed in the footprints they left in the warehouse they rented as a starting pointInside the site, nine pairs of muddy shoes, clothing, tools, kitchen utensils, and bags of dirt removed during the excavation were abandoned.
The gang also left behind food such as cans of tuna and ready-to-cook bell peppers, proving that they had spent long days working underground. In their hasty escape, They threw their mobile phones into the water, believing they were safe on their way to Uruguay.
The dark tunnel and the engineering work of crime
The tunnel that began at Chacabuco 535/547, where a mechanical workshop used to operate, was a true work of criminal engineering. The thieves managed to dig five meters from the curb towards the bankand everything was structured to support the weight of the ground. They reinforced the walls with wood to prevent collapses, and despite the lack of natural light and the oppressive air, they continued working.
“Since the criminal plan was discovered, the only ones who traveled the entire length of the tunnel, from the sidewalk of the bank to the place chosen to begin excavating, were tactical divers from the Buenos Aires police. There are places where it is very difficult to move around,” said one researcher.
Inside the tunnel, detectives found notes made by the criminals with charcoal and white chalk: arrows indicating the direction towards the bank vault and dollar signs, symbolizing the ultimate goal of the burglarsThe low-consumption lamps that illuminated the tunnel, as well as an improvised ventilation system, demonstrated the gang’s meticulous planning.
The improvised kitchen and the plan that was left halfway
The gang of criminals not only dug; also lived in the placeIn one area of the warehouse, investigators found a makeshift kitchen with bottles of oil, cans of tuna and mattresses on which they took turns sleeping.
“The discovery of a stove that was fuelled by gas from a gas cylinder, bottles of sunflower oil, a bag of peppers and cans of tuna, plus the mattresses that were found, show that part of the gang spent a lot of time in the warehouse,” said a source from the investigation. Also left behind were pieces of wood that they used to reinforce the walls of the tunnel and some muddy boots.
The robbery was foiled when Damián Otero, a delivery man, parked his truck near the bank on August 6. As he got out of the vehicle, he noticed an iron rod sticking out from between the cobblestones. Unbeknownst to him, Otero had discovered a key component of the tunnel the gang had dug. Although they tried to hide it by bending the rod, the noise and curiosity alerted the neighbors, who alerted the authorities. That same night, the police parked a patrol car near the bank, and the next day, the tunnel was discovered.
Arrests and the complex logistics of the failed robbery
Until now, There are four detainees in the framework of the investigation, which is being led by prosecutor Carolina Asprella and deputy attorney general Patricio Ferrari. Three of the detainees, Alan Daniel Lorenzo Rodriguez, Nicolas Carpani Romero and Cesar Leonardo Cazenave Pena, are Uruguayan and were arrested on the other side of the River Plate. The fourth, Alejandro Israel Rosendo Lopez, known as “Johnny”, is Argentine and has a history of drug trafficking. He is suspected of being in charge of transporting the gang members to and from Uruguay.
Judge Ricardo Costa ordered López to be held in preventive detention for attempted robbery with damage. In his ruling, the magistrate highlighted “the great plurality of those involved in the incident under investigation here, the sophisticated logistics employed, the evident availability of information, means, economic and human resources combined to perpetrate it.” In addition, he rejected the request for extraordinary release presented by Johnny’s defense.
The investigation continues
Detectives are still working to identify other possible members of the gang. Around ten people are suspected of having been involved in digging the tunnel. One of the alleged accomplices, Nicolás Cardozo Merladet was shot dead in Uruguay just two weeks after the robbery was foiled. His murder, carried out by criminals disguised as police officers, appears to be linked to the failed criminal plot.
Meanwhile, Otero, the delivery man who discovered the iron rod, He was rewarded for his key role in solving the case: Banco Macro hired him as an employee.
Gabriel Di Nicola
The Nation (Argentina) / GDA
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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