On December 18, 2022, the house at 4500 José Luis Cantilo Street in Villa Devoto was the epicenter of an unforgettable celebration. The smell of barbecue, mate, medialunas, and Argentine flags invaded every corner of the three-story chalet where Diego Maradona lived in the 1980s. The host, Ariel García Furfaro, had bought the property a month earlier with his brothers for $900,000 after learning it could be demolished. That day, he opened the doors to any fan who wanted to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France. “It’s what Diego would do,” he repeated as he walked through the rooms. The day ended with foam, dips in the pool, and Montiel’s penalty that gave the third world title.
Almost four years later, that snapshot has been frozen in time. While the national team prepares for the 2026 World Cup final against Spain, García Furfaro can no longer open the doors of the historic house. The businessman is detained in the federal prison of Marcos Paz, accused of being part of the structure behind the manufacture and sale of contaminated fentanyl that the courts are investigating for over a hundred deaths.
The case, led by federal judge Ernesto Kreplak, is already analyzing the deaths of 111 patients and 49 other non-fatal cases allegedly linked to contaminated fentanyl vials. The file reconstructs medical histories, microbiological tests, and testimonies from relatives who claim their loved ones entered hospitals for unrelated conditions and ended up dying after receiving the drug manufactured by HLB Pharma and Laboratorios Ramallo, companies of García Furfaro’s group.
Among the victims is Renato Nicolini, 18, who entered the Italian Hospital of La Plata after a motorcycle accident and developed an infectious condition that led to brain death. Also appearing are Luis Rossetti, former AFA linesman; Miguel Maino, hospitalized for scheduled surgery in Rosario; Daniel Sebastián Oviedo, a patient at the Italian Hospital of La Plata; and Héctor Vilches, among dozens of cases.
Tests from the Malbrán Institute concluded that the bacteria detected in the vials were genetically identical to those found in the patients. For the courts, contamination occurred during manufacturing, with serious deficiencies: lack of cleaning between batches, failures in sterility controls, allegedly falsified documentation, and a production system that showed “deliberate indifference” to health risks. The file also included cell phone conversations in which executives spoke of “fudging” records and deleting information from servers.
Investigators identify García Furfaro as the real owner of the conglomerate comprising HLB Pharma, Laboratorios Ramallo, and the drugstore Alfarma, from which the production, distribution, and sale of the drug were controlled. In addition to the fentanyl case, the businessman has been indicted in another case for alleged aggravated smuggling, linked to the import of machinery from China through alleged over-invoicing: the machines were supposedly bought for about $500,000 but declared to Customs for over five million to access the official exchange market.
García Furfaro has always denied the accusations. In a nearly six-hour interrogation, he claimed he handled the commercial activity, blamed former collaborators, and questioned ANMAT. “If any employee of mine did something wrong, I take responsibility, but they are working people,” he stated before the judge. Today, the man who celebrated the world title at Maradona’s house awaits trial in prison, while the case continues to add victims and reveal a plot that shakes the country.
Para mí este vende patria se hace el picante con la casa de Maradona y termina preso por fentanilo. Todo chamuyo. Los zurdos llorando porque lo detienen pero no ven que es un narco de mierda. Bienvenido a la cárcel mogólico.
Para mí esto es el capitalismo en su máxima expresión: García Furfaro, un empresario chorro que se llena los bolsillos con la casa de Maradona y después envenena al pueblo con fentanilo. Me parece una basura explotadora, ojalá se pudra en cana pero la justicia clasista seguro lo largan. ¡Qué asco!