Overview

• Interpol notified Argentina’s Federal Justice of Neuquén that Machado will be transferred under a special security operation, with a commercial flight planned from Ezeiza while he remains in custody in Viedma.
• Argentina’s Supreme Court authorized the extradition and the Executive approved the handover, completing the domestic steps for transfer to U.S. custody.
• U.S. prosecutors in Texas accuse Machado of narcotrafficking, money laundering and fraud linked to aircraft deals, and an alleged associate was convicted in 2024.
• In an eight-hour interview, Machado warned “If I speak, the country falls” and claimed a “message received” reply after sending a warning to presidential adviser Santiago Caputo.
• Machado alleged a triangulation that routed funds via firms linked to the Bada Vázquez family to Patricia Bullrich’s 2023 campaign and cited a US$200,000 transfer and aircraft support tied to José Luis Espert’s 2019 bid, assertions that remain unproven and drew reactions including Juan Grabois urging him to “tell everything.”