Alleged drug-trafficker Federico ‘Fred’ Machado set for extradition to United States

Federico ‘Fred’ Machado, the businessman facing drug-trafficking allegations in the United States whose links to on-leave La Libertad Avanza (LLA) deputy José Luis Espert sparked controversy, is due to be extradited from Argentina this Wednesday, according to reports.

Government sources, cited by the Noticias Argentinas news agency, say Machado will be sent via airplane to the United States from Buenos Aires tomorrow after his legal appeals were exhausted.

Machado is currently under court investigation in the United States, in  particular the Court of the Eastern District of Texas, for his presumed participation in drug-trafficking activities, money-laundering and fraud. 

Both abroad and in Argentina, Machado has been accused of belonging to a transnational crime organisation.

In April, 2021, he was arrested at Neuquén Airport, after which the United States requested his extradition, a request authorised this year by Argentina’s Supreme Court. The aviation businessman was accordingly transferred to Buenos Aires to be handed over this Wednesday to the US authorities. 

The figure of Machado acquired public importance in Argentina when his relationship with Espert was uncovered. Apart from allegations that he financed the latter’s presidential campaign in 2019, apparently with funds related to drug-trafficking, he is said to have facilitated his use of aircraft and a jeep in that period.

Furthermore, during Espert’s campaign to be re-elected deputy last October, a transfer of US$200,000 to the lawmaker’s personal account, billed as consultancy fees, was confirmed.

This situation forced the libertarian legislator not only to resign his candidacy but also to take leave from Congress, where he chaired the Budget Committee, until December 8, a day before his term ends.

– TIMES/NA