Another crime in Rosario, Argentina, raised awareness of violence in the port city that is home to big names in football. Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, 53, leader of the Rosario Central fan club, was shot dead this weekend in the street.
The initial autopsy revealed that five gunshots struck him. The investigation has just begun, but reports indicate that armed men attacked him a few blocks from the Gigante de Arroyito stadium. Another man who worked with him, Raúl Attardo, died in the same action.
The case raised alarm among authorities and residents not only because of the history of violence in Rosario – the city where Lionel Messi and Ángel Di Maria came from – but also because it could shed light on a topic that has been known for decades: relations between the city’s organized fans. port and drug trafficking networks.
The crime could only be related to internal disputes within the fans — and the authorities indicate that they prioritize this hypothesis —, but there is fear that Bracamonte’s death will spark a new wave of violence in the city of 1.3 million inhabitants ( size equivalent to the city of Guarulhos).
The Rosário fan leader had public relations with Los Monos, the city’s main criminal group, linked to drug trafficking. His ties to the drug trade were being investigated, but Bracamonte did not hide his closeness to the Cantero family, leader of Los Monos.
The group has transformed over the last 20 years into a criminal network. The drug trade, facilitated by the River Plate, was just part of the mechanism of other activities such as kidnappings, extortion and payment for protection (the “vaccines”, or “vacunas”).
In the recent book “Rosário: A História por Trás da Máfia Narco que se Apoderou da Cidade”, journalists Germán de Los Santos and Hernán Lascano, who have covered the topic for decades, show how drug trafficking networks have become closer to the supporters through the capillarity that these organizations have in the neighborhoods and have co-opted leaders.
He did not hide the links so much that Bracamonte recently told one of the country’s largest newspapers, La Nacion, that, in August, when he was reportedly the target of another assassination attempt, Los Monos “offered him to go hunting that same night.” .
“They offered me ten cars with armed people to go out and look for those who had shot me; I stopped them because I didn’t want to go back to prison. I’m different. I live well, I don’t use drugs, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke.”
The interview was given 20 days ago for a more extensive investigation and published now, after Bracamonte’s death. What he said to the reporter is noteworthy: “If they kill me, the city will burn.” This is the fear of the authorities, and the Security team of Javier Milei’s government has already said that it will help the police in the province of Santa Fé, where Rosario is located, to increase patrols on public roads.
Bracamonte was murdered shortly after leaving the stadium that hosted a match between Rosário and Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo, which they won 1-0 on Saturday night (9), at their rivals’ home.
Violence linked to drug trafficking has escalated in Rosário in recent years. Among the cases of greatest national commotion, last year an 11-year-old boy was killed in the street amid an exchange of gunfire from different factions. Máximo was with other friends on the street, after a birthday party. Three other children were injured in the same episode.
With a strong security agenda, Javier Milei’s administration prioritized this issue, created the so-called Operation Flag in the city and sent federal troops. In August, the Ministry of Security, under the leadership of former presidential candidate Patricia Bullrich, stated that the homicide rate there had been reduced by 62% in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2023.
The scenario was reflected in football. Both Messi and Di María have already been threatened in the city. In the case of the Benfica athlete, before renewing his contract with the Portuguese club in August, he signaled that he would like to return to Rosario Central, where it all started.
But the threat of death in a part close to the region where some of his family members live also weighed heavily. Di María even told a TV channel that “influenced a lot” in his decisions.
