Overview

• U.S. authorities in the Eastern District of Texas charge Machado with five federal offenses, including cocaine trafficking conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud.
• The U.S. Embassy’s extradition request was formally lodged with Argentina’s Foreign Ministry on June 11, 2021.
• Federal Police re-detained Machado last week at the ranch where he was under house arrest and moved him to police facilities in Viedma.
• Authorities are arranging his transfer to Buenos Aires, with an expected commercial flight to Texas, though no timetable has been confirmed.
• Argentina’s Supreme Court recently rejected defense appeals, clearing the legal path for the executive to grant extradition, as the case continues to reverberate over Machado’s payments to deputy José Luis Espert.