Public officials must conduct themselves exemplarily to avoid suspicion
En la madrugada del 27 de mayo, una operación policial en Zárate, Buenos Aires, culminó con cinco detenidos tras una persecución y un tiroteo, revelando la intersección entre el crimen organizado y las instituciones encargadas de combatirlo. Entre los arrestados se encontraba el hijo del propio subsecretario de Seguridad municipal, una coincidencia que obligó al intendente a actuar de inmediato para preservar la credibilidad del Estado. El episodio también enlazó con el asesinato de un oficial naval ocurrido semanas antes, recordándonos que la violencia no se agota en un solo hecho, sino que teje redes cuyas hebras tardan en desenredarse.
- Un vehículo con alerta activa por robos desencadenó una persecución en tiempo real a través de la red de monitoreo digital de Zárate, terminando en un intercambio de disparos cuando los ocupantes intentaron huir.
- Entre los cinco detenidos apareció Esteban Manuel Ferreyra, hijo del subsecretario de Seguridad municipal, sacudiendo los cimientos de la institución que debía garantizar el orden.
- El intendente Marcelo Matzkin reaccionó en horas, suspendiendo preventivamente al funcionario y declarando que el Estado y la ciudadanía deben estar por encima de cualquier cargo, por doloroso que sea el costo personal.
- Uno de los arrestados está vinculado al asesinato del oficial naval Nicolás Cañete, baleado en un asalto el 20 de abril y fallecido tras más de un mes de agonía en el Hospital Militar de Buenos Aires.
- La operación dejó al descubierto armas, municiones y una pistola modificada con kit Roni, señales de una organización con capacidad de fuego que trasciende el delito común.
La mañana del 27 de mayo, la policía de Zárate interceptó un Volkswagen Vento que figuraba en alertas por robos en la región. El sistema de monitoreo digital del municipio rastreó el vehículo en tiempo real hasta que unidades policiales y la prefectura naval tendieron un cerco. Al intentar identificar a los ocupantes, estos abrieron fuego y trataron de escapar. Tres fueron reducidos en el lugar; dos más, capturados poco después. Entre el armamento incautado había varias pistolas, una de ellas equipada con un kit Roni que la convierte en una plataforma similar a un fusil, y una importante cantidad de municiones.
Lo que convirtió el operativo en un escándalo institucional fue la identidad de uno de los detenidos: Esteban Manuel Ferreyra, de 40 años, hijo de Alejandro Ferreyra, subsecretario de Seguridad del municipio. El intendente Marcelo Matzkin anunció de inmediato la suspensión preventiva del funcionario, subrayando que los cargos públicos exigen conducta ejemplar y que la responsabilidad de determinar culpas corresponde a la justicia. Matzkin aclaró que el subsecretario le había asegurado no tener contacto con su hijo, quien vivía fuera de la ciudad, y que al enterarse del hecho colaboró con las autoridades entregando su teléfono para peritaje.
El operativo también arrojó luz sobre un crimen anterior de mayor gravedad. Uno de los cinco detenidos era buscado por el asesinato del oficial naval Nicolás Cañete, baleado el 20 de abril durante un asalto en el barrio San Jacinto. Cañete permaneció internado en estado crítico por más de un mes antes de morir en el Hospital Militar de Buenos Aires. Cámaras del centro de monitoreo municipal habían permitido rastrear a los sospechosos hasta una vivienda del barrio España, donde se realizó un allanamiento previo con un detenido y material secuestrado. La captura de un segundo implicado en la causa el 27 de mayo indica que la investigación por la muerte del oficial continúa abierta y avanza.
A police operation in the Buenos Aires municipality of Zárate ended with five people in custody on the morning of May 27th, one of them the 40-year-old son of the city's security subsecretary. The detentions came after officers spotted a Volkswagen Vento that had been flagged in connection with robberies across the region. The vehicle's license plate triggered an alert at the municipal operations center, and real-time surveillance through the city's digital monitoring network tracked its movement through several streets until police established a perimeter with support from patrol units and federal maritime police. When officers moved to identify the occupants, the suspects opened fire and attempted to flee. Three were arrested at the scene; two others were apprehended shortly after. Police recovered multiple handguns, a pistol equipped with a Roni kit—a device that converts a standard pistol into a rifle-like platform—and a substantial quantity of ammunition.
The arrested man was Esteban Manuel Ferreyra, whose father, Alejandro Ferreyra, held the position of subsecretario de Seguridad, or security subsecretary, in the municipal government. The arrest triggered an immediate response from city leadership. Mayor Marcelo Matzkin announced through social media that he was preventively removing Ferreyra from his post, stating that while the facts were now public knowledge, the determination of responsibility belonged to the courts. Matzkin emphasized that public officials must conduct themselves exemplarily to avoid suspicion or doubt, and that the state and its citizens must come before individual officials, no matter how painful the circumstances.
Matzkin also noted that Ferreyra had assured him they had no contact—his son was an adult who did not live in the city. When informed of the incident, the subsecretary provided all available information to authorities and handed over his phone for forensic examination. The mayor's statement suggested a measured approach: acknowledging the gravity of the situation while preserving the presumption of innocence for the father and allowing the judicial process to unfold.
Beyond the detention of the subsecretary's son, the incident connected to a far graver crime. One of the five detainees was wanted in connection with the murder of Nicolás Cañete, a naval officer killed during a robbery attempt on April 20th in the San Jacinto neighborhood. Cañete was shot during the holdup and remained hospitalized in critical condition for more than a month before dying the following weekend at the Military Hospital in Buenos Aires. Security cameras from the municipal operations center had captured images of suspects entering a house in the España neighborhood after the attack. A tactical unit from the First Police Station, along with officers from the sub-directorate of investigations and patrol command, conducted a raid and arrested one suspect at that time, also seizing a vehicle and a weapon connected to the case. The arrest during the May 27th operation of another individual wanted in Cañete's death suggests the investigation into the officer's killing is ongoing, with multiple suspects still being pursued.
Citas Notables
Public officials must conduct themselves exemplarily to avoid suspicion or doubt. The state and its citizens must come before individual officials, no matter how painful the circumstances.— Mayor Marcelo Matzkin, in statement announcing the suspension
The subsecretary assured the mayor they had no contact—his son was an adult who did not live in the city—and provided all available information to authorities when informed of the incident.— Mayor Marcelo Matzkin, regarding Alejandro Ferreyra's account
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that the detainee was the security subsecretary's son, rather than just another suspect in a robbery ring?
Because it creates a collision between the appearance of authority and the reality of crime. The subsecretary's job was to oversee security in the city. When his own adult son is arrested in a shootout connected to robberies, it raises questions—not about his guilt, but about what it means for public trust when the family of a security official is implicated in the very crimes he's supposed to prevent.
The mayor moved quickly to suspend him. Was that necessary?
It was a political necessity, yes. Matzkin couldn't afford to appear as though he was protecting a colleague. By suspending Ferreyra immediately, he signaled that no one is above scrutiny. But notice what he also did—he said he believed Ferreyra's account that they had no contact, that the son was an adult living elsewhere. He was trying to separate the father from the son's actions while still acknowledging the optics problem.
What about the naval officer's death? That seems like the heavier story.
It is. A man was shot during a robbery, spent weeks fighting for his life, and died in a military hospital. Now one of the people arrested in this separate incident is wanted for that murder. It suggests a pattern of violence connected to robbery in the same city, possibly the same network of people. The Cañete case was already being investigated; this operation may have given investigators another suspect or another piece of the puzzle.
Did they find enough evidence to hold these five?
They seized multiple weapons, including one modified with a Roni kit—a device that turns a pistol into something more like a rifle. They have ammunition. They have a vehicle connected to robberies. And they have the fact that the suspects fired on police during the operation. That's substantial. Whether it's enough to convict them is for the courts, but the evidence for holding them pending trial appears solid.
What happens to Ferreyra now?
He waits. He's suspended from his job pending the investigation's outcome. If his son is convicted, Ferreyra's career in government is likely over, regardless of his own innocence. If his son is acquitted, he might return to his post, though the damage to his credibility may be permanent. Either way, he's caught in a situation where his professional standing depends on someone else's legal outcome.