Arrest during routine patrol
Police from the City of Buenos Aires' Brigade of the Communal Investigations Division (DIC) 9 arrested Vicente Adrián Pérez, secretary general of the UOM section covering Quilmes, Florencio Varela and Berazategui, on Tuesday. The arrest occurred on Juan Bautista Alberdi Avenue in the Mataderos neighborhood after officers spotted three men getting into a Peugeot 308 with tinted windows. The officers, who were conducting preventive patrols against robberies using signal inhibitors, followed the vehicle and stopped it at the 5900 block of the same avenue.[S1][S3]
When approached, the occupants spontaneously stated they had firearms inside the vehicle. One of them identified himself as the UOM secretary general and said he had documentation for one of the pistols. The officers then recognized Pérez, who had authorized possession from the National Agency for Controlled Materials (ANMAC) for a Bersa Thunder pistol. However, this authorization did not permit carrying the weapon in public, leading to charges of illegal possession.[S1][S3]
Weapons and other items found
During the search, officers found two pistols in different parts of the vehicle: one on the rear seat inside a handbag, and another in the glove compartment. Neither had ammunition in the chamber, but both had magazines inserted. The second weapon, a Bersa Thunder Plus 380, belonged to one of Pérez's companions and had no documentation. In addition to the firearms, police seized two knives, a baseball bat, an extendable metal baton, and the cell phones of all three detainees.[S1][S3]
Traveling with the union leader were José Ignacio Esquivel, who served as driver, and Pedro Fabián Pérez, 56, identified as his custodian and owner of the undocumented weapon. All three were arrested. After completing procedures at the scene, the Flagrancy South Unit was consulted, and prosecutor Nancy Haron ordered formal detention for illegal possession of a war weapon, along with the seizure of the pistols, cell phones, and the vehicle itself.[S1][S3]
Union context and leadership
Vicente Adrián Pérez has led the UOM section representing metalworkers in Quilmes, Florencio Varela and Berazategui since 2022, when he won with the Green List, displacing historic leader Francisco Virgilio Gutiérrez, who had headed the section for 38 years. In March, he began his second consecutive term after an election with a single list, the traditional Green List, which received 99.4% of member votes.[S1][S2][S3]
The arrest comes amid judicial conflict within the UOM. At the end of May, the Eighth Chamber of the National Chamber of Labor Appeals ordered the union's intervention for 180 days and the removal of the national secretariat leadership, including Secretary General Abel Furlán. The measure was linked to alleged irregularities in the national electoral process held on March 18. In June, the court-appointed intervenor Alberto Biglieri designated five union leaders opposed to Furlán, including Pérez, to handle salary negotiations with the six business chambers, which are set to begin next week.[S4][S6]
