Paco and the Other Side of Buenos Aires

Yesterday afternoon, one of my friends from the US invited me over to his apartment to go swimming. My apartment was built in the 1950's and does not have a pool and, since the temperature was in the 90's I couldn't pass up a chance to cool off in a pool. Gabriel and I were finishing up lunch and headed over there around 4 pm. After a few hours in the sun and the pool, we came back to my apartment (where he has been staying until he can find an apartment here in Buenos Aires) so he could get one of his bags, since he was going to his province this weekend to spend time with family.

Literally two minutes after I unlock the front door to the apartment for him to leave (at about 7 pm), I get a text message telling me he was robbed at gunpoint at the bus stop just one block from my apartment. He said a teenager approached him with the gun, told him he was on "paco," which is a cheap type of meth that is popular with the poor people, and demanded money and his cellphone. I live in a very safe neighborhood, but there is a group of homeless paco addicts who live in the park across from my apartment and Gabriel thinks it was one of them, because we walk past them every day speaking English, so they probably thought he would be an easy target as a "tourist," even though he is from Argentina.

Needless to say, Gabriel was very shaken up, ended up not being able to get a bus to his province, and had to come back to crash at my place again. At 10, we went out to eat and he refused to walk by the park in case they saw him again. Instead, we had to walk several blocks around the block to get to the restuarant. I think if I had a gun pointed to my head earlier in the day, I wouldn't want to walk by the people who were likely the suspects either.

So, the obvious lesson learned for me is to be more careful, even in a safe neighborhood. I don't plan on taking my mobile phone with me unless I am waiting for a call and will never take more than 100 pesos with me in the event I am targeted.

Paco is a very addictive and dangerous drug and causes addicts to become angry and violent and they often turn to crime to feed their habits and stay alive. Unfortunately, many paco addicts die within 6-12 months of their addiction. Click here to read an article from the L.A. Times about the impact paco is having in Buenos Aires.