Prosecutor María Alejandra Mángano of the National Criminal and Federal Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 12 requested on Apr. 1 that a case be brought to trial in which a mother and her son are accused of recruiting and transporting a 15-year-old girl for exploitation as a “human courier” in an attempted international drug transport operation from Peru.
The case is significant due to its focus on the use of minors in drug trafficking, highlighting issues related to human trafficking, child exploitation, and vulnerability.
According to the investigation, the victim was recruited from Padre Pedro Mugica neighborhood (formerly Barrio 31 de Retiro) in Buenos Aires while living in extreme social vulnerability, including homelessness, substance abuse problems, and disconnection from education. The accused are a 34-year-old man and his 53-year-old mother, both Peruvian nationals. The man faces charges as co-perpetrator of human trafficking for exploitation purposes—aggravated by deception, violence, threats, intimidation, coercion; taking advantage of the victim’s vulnerability; and involving a minor under 18 years old. He is also charged with sexual abuse with penetration combined with corruption of minors. His mother is charged as co-perpetrator of aggravated human trafficking for exploiting the girl’s vulnerability and her age.
A central aspect raised by Mángano is that using someone as a “human courier” or “mule”—defined as transporting drugs inside capsules or hidden within one’s body—is comparable to one form of exploitation constituting human trafficking crimes. “The actions carried out by the defendants are compatible with reduction to servitude,” said Mángano.
The plan involved building trust with the teenager beginning mid-August 2025 before proposing travel to Peru under false pretenses. The real aim was allegedly to exploit her as a carrier for drugs inside her body between countries—a practice not explicitly listed among exploitative purposes when early international instruments against trafficking were drafted but recognized by Mángano as meeting minimum standards required under relevant protocols.
On September 18, Gendarmería Nacional intercepted an intercity bus at kilometer 152 on national route nine near San Pedro (Buenos Aires), following an anonymous tip about possible trafficking activity involving foreign citizens traveling with a young woman suspected of carrying drugs. Authorities found both accused adults traveling with the adolescent who lacked documentation or registration among passengers; she showed signs of drowsiness and spontaneously told officers that her companions were transporting drugs inside their bodies while they tried controlling her responses.
Professionals interviewing the girl emphasized her severe vulnerability at every stage—from initial contact through recruitment—and described threats made when she refused further participation: “If you do things wrong you could end up in a coffin,” one threat reportedly made by one defendant read according to court filings.
After gathering evidence—including testimony from law enforcement personnel, witness statements, forensic reports on electronic devices seized during arrest operations plus key testimony from the victim—the prosecutor moved forward seeking trial proceedings.
