Unprecedented wave of narco-violence stuns Argentina city, testing president's tough-on-crime agenda
A river port city in Argentina was once well-known as the birthplace of soccer superstar Lionel Messi and revolutionary Eduardo “Che” Guevara. But in recent years it has grown notorious as a drug-trafficking hub with an escalating homicide rate five times the national average. The dangers reached new heights last month when narco-gangs went on a deadly rampage in Rosario targeting civilians in retaliation for government efforts to crack down on incarcerated kingpins. The wave of bloodshed presents an early test to the security agenda of populist President Javier Milei, who has tethered his success to saving Argentina’s tanking economy and eradicating narco-trafficking violence.