Argentine authorities have detained Ariel García Furfaro, owner of the laboratories linked to contaminated fentanyl that caused a nationwide health crisis, leaving at least 87 confirmed deaths and exposing hundreds more to serious risk.

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Federal Judge Ernesto Kreplak, who is leading the investigation, issued the arrest order on Wednesday. García Furfaro turned himself in after being notified. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich confirmed the detention, posting a photo of him on social media and stating: “This is Ariel García Furfaro, owner of the contaminated fentanyl lab. The last one missing, arrested.”

Earlier, she had written: “They do it, they pay. The people responsible for the lethal fentanyl batch, behind bars. Those guilty of the deaths caused by contaminated fentanyl no longer walk free.”

The judge also ordered the arrest of at least nine others, including García Furfaro’s brothers Diego and Damián, his mother and shareholder Nilda Furfaro, general director Javier Tchukran, technical directors Carolina Ansaldi and Víctor Boccaccio of Laboratorios Ramallo, José Antonio Maiorano of HLB Pharma, and board members Horacio Tallarico and Rodolfo Labrusciano.

The arrests followed a report by the national laboratory ANLIS Malbrán, which analyzed the production records of fentanyl batches 31.202 and 31.244. The report found “significant risks that would compromise the quality and safety of the product.” Investigators say the batches were contaminated with the bacteria Klebsiella and Ralstonia, and raised suspicions of possible diversions of the drug to the illegal market.

Prosecutor María Laura Roteta, who brought the case with Narcocrime Prosecutor Diego Iglesias, described it as “a case of complex criminality involving a high number of victims and an organized corporate structure.” She warned that the full scale of the outbreak has yet to be determined.

A forensic report also indicated that while the contaminated fentanyl was not always the direct cause of death, it significantly worsened patients’ conditions and contributed to fatal outcomes.

The tainted fentanyl was distributed for use in intensive care units as an anesthetic and painkiller. The case began in May after the Italian Hospital of La Plata reported unusual hospital infections. Later genetic analysis confirmed that bacteria found in patients matched those detected in seized ampoules of fentanyl.

Judge Kreplak has also ordered raids and additional investigative measures targeting companies and individuals tied to HLB Pharma. Prosecutors are considering charges that could include negligent homicide.

The case has revealed major failures in Argentina’s pharmaceutical oversight and production practices. With multiple executives under arrest and evidence of systemic irregularities, the investigation marks a turning point in accountability for the country’s drug industry.

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