The federal judge of Azul indicted the president of the meatpacking plant La Canaria S.A. for polluting the Salado River with illegal industrial discharges.
The Justice determined that the company, located in Roque Pérez, systematically discharged toxic effluents , violating the hazardous waste law.
Therefore, the magistrate set a 10 million pesos embargo on the company and its owner.
The judicial decision marks the first environmental criminal indictment in the region and reinforces the policy of water resource protection in the province of Buenos Aires.
Inspections detected repeated violations in the Salado River
The investigation began after a complaint from UFIMA, the Environmental Matters Investigation Unit, led by federal prosecutor Ramiro González.
Later, journalistic images showed the direct discharge of industrial effluents.
Between 2023 and 2025, at least three official inspections confirmed serious environmental violations:
- Water Authority (ADA) detected contaminant parameters exceeding the allowed limits
- The provincial Ministry of Environment verified repeated violations at the establishment
- Environmental Crimes Department of the Federal Police also documented evidence of systematic discharges
Faced with this, technical reports demonstrated “repeated and systematic presence” of hazardous substances such as BOD, COD, total phosphorus, settleable solids, and fecal coliforms above the legal values.
Hazardous waste with environmental damage potential
Judge Gabriel Di Giulio considered that the pollution of the Salado River constituted the crime provided for in Article 55 of Law 24.051.
This regulation punishes with a sentence of 3 to 10 years of imprisonment anyone who dangerously contaminates water, soil, or atmosphere.
The resolution, signed on October 27, indicated that the discharges had the potential to “affect the environment and public health“.
Moreover, the final destination of the effluents towards the Salado River ecosystem aggravated the judicial assessment of the case.
For his part, the businessman chose not to testify and submitted a written defense.
He claimed they were “administrative irregularities” and that improvements were implemented at the plant. However, the judge rejected these arguments.
Di Giulio considered that the defense failed to “disprove the inspection results” or the technical evidence obtained in raids and official samplings conducted by competent authorities.
A precedent for environmental protection
The case was driven by the Decentralized Prosecutor’s Office of Azul, led by prosecutor Santiago Eyherabide, along with assistants María José Buglione and Lucas Moyano.
The prosecution highlighted that it constitutes a “fundamental step” in the regional environmental judicial policy.
The indictment aligns with the “Rio Declaration on combating organized crime“, signed in October 2024 by the interim attorney general, Eduardo Casal.
This document promotes justice and socio-environmental sustainability in the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
From the prosecution, they indicated that the resolution “reinforces the institutional commitment” to the prevention and punishment of behaviors that put water resources at risk.
It also reaffirms the obligation of industries to adapt their activities to current regulations.
The magistrate did not order preventive detention as there were no procedural risks.
The embargo of 10 million pesos will guarantee potential pecuniary liabilities and future environmental remediation measures in the Salado River.
