The Argentine lawyer Facundo Leal, who was president of the state company ARSAT and also director of the Regulatory Body of the National Airport System (ORSNA), has been arrested after authorities found more than two million euros in cash and various drugs in his home. The search is part of an operation that, at first, had been launched to investigate the lack of technological equipment in the telecommunications company.
The investigation was opened after a complaint from the Government for an alleged theft of equipment and IT assets in ARSAT. However, during the procedures, the investigators unexpectedly came across significant amounts of money and prohibited substances, which gave rise to a new case for alleged money laundering and drug trafficking, according to sources in the case cited by the newspaper "Página 12".
Leal, 42 years old, has a long career in the national public administration. He was appointed president of ARSAT in 2022, during the term of Alberto Fernández, and continued in the position after the change of government in the Casa Rosada. In 2025, the Administration of Javier Milei appointed him head of ORSNA —a function he performed until his resignation at the end of February 2026—, although at the time of his arrest he was still linked to ARSAT as permanent staff.
The case is in the hands of federal judge Lino Mirabelli and remains in the investigation phase, in which it will "seek to establish the origin of the funds, the destination of the money found and the possible connection with the maneuvers investigated around contracts and operations within the state company," according to judicial sources.
Until the facts are clarified, Leal will remain in custody at the disposal of the Federal Justice, in a case that, as a result of the discovery of money and drugs, has incorporated new criminal, economic, and political aspects.