Argentina Police Capture Only One of Three Fugitives In Massive 13-Day Manhunt

In an embarrassing admission by the Argentinian Federal Police, it seems that the manhunt is still ongoing for two of the country's most notorious criminals, despite the announcement of their capture.

The massive 13-day search for the trio of convicts in Argentina involved helicopters, police commandos, and sharpshooters. According to The Guardian, they were convicted of the "triple murder" after they killed three businessmen in 2008. Their victims, who were in the pharmaceutical industry, were allegedly linked to an ephedrine drug-trafficking gang.

They broke out of a maximum-security prison nearly two weeks ago, and BBC noted that President Mauricio Macri's office initially reported that they were captured north-west of Buenos Aires. However, as one of them, Martin Lanatta, was transferred from a local police station in the province of Santa Fe to the country's capital, questions arose over the whereabouts of the other two: Martin's brother, Christian, and Victor Schillaci.

Reuters reported that head of the Argentine Federal Police force Roman Di Santo has acknowledged that they are still looking for the other two convicts.

In a statement, the security minister for Macri, Patricia Bullrich, said that the government was mislead, possibly with the intention of buying the escapees time.

In a televised statement, Bullrich said, "There will be a full investigation into this false information, which might have been meant to give the other two time to make good their escape."

The high-profile operation for the jailbreakers' capture has given attention to the growing number of drug gangs in Argentina, and has raised questions about possible political connections. The daring escape has raised suspicions of outside help, and started a blame game between Macri and the officials from the previous government lead by Cristina Fernandez.

The current governor of the Buenos Aires province, Maria Eugenia Vidal, however, dismissed the intrigue, saying that the jail break was an inside job, and fired the head of the prison service.

Macri, however, vowed to take on the escapees, saying that "Drug trafficking has grown in the last decade like never before in our country because of the inaction or complicity of the last government."

In August, just two months before the presidential election, one of the prison escapees, Martin Lanatta, rose to political fame when he said that Fernandez's cabinet chief, Anibal Fernandez, was involved in the trade that led them to the "triple murder" case in the first place.

Anibal, who was running to be the new governor of Buenos Aires province, denied the accusation, and five months later, prosecutors still have not investigated the claim. However, it was enough to hurt the campaign.