The explosion at a gas station in northern Argentina resulted in two injuries and one arrest. Shockingly, amidst the chaos, kilos of hidden cocaine were ejected from the vehicle by the blast, revealing a deeper illicit operation beyond the car parts initially suspected.
As can be seen in security camera footage of the incident from the gas station (first shared with us by a reader going by Diegudio), there is little warning that an explosion is imminent. In any case, the blast manages to do a lot of damage, blowing the doors open and tearing sheet metal apart.
Read: Confused Boston Driver Creates Fireball After Slamming Acura Into Gas Pump
The cause of the explosion remains uncertain; however, there is relief that the woman driving the car and the three accompanying children were outside the vehicle at the time. This was attributed to safety regulations in Argentina mandating occupants to vacate their vehicle while refueling with compressed natural gas.
Unfortunately, one adult and one child suffered injuries in the incident, reports A24. The driver was arrested in the wake of the accident. She is a police officer from Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.
The woman denied knowledge of the cocaine hidden in the car’s fuel tank, claiming that the car did not belong to her. She said she was driving from Oran to Salta, which is about 168 miles (270 km) away. Given the proximity to the country’s northern border, some suspect that the vehicle, and its illicit cargo, were bound for export.
Authorities say that 20 kilograms (44 lbs) of cocaine were identified, though the nature of the incident makes it difficult to determine precisely how much the vehicle was carrying in total before the explosion.
