Ariel García Furfaro is not complicated just because of the fentanyl lot that ended with several deaths and made him “the Lord of Fentanil.” Its judicial map expands through other lanes. It has causes in commercial justice for fraud, serial labor trials, health retreats for contaminated medicines and criminal records that reappear every time Googlea. The Fentanyl case is just a part – the most visible – of its judicial history.
In 2017, García Furfaro signed the acquisition of HLB Pharma for a million dollars. The operation, formalized by a ticket for sale of shares and its addenda, was registered with the notary: the signatures of Hernán López Bernabó, seller, and Ariel Fernando García, buyer, were certified on May 29 of that year.
Four years later, in January 2021, the seller intimidated by letter document the payment of the balance default: $ 600,000. The text set a period of 48 hours and anticipates actions to recover the actions if the breach persisted. Beyond the nuances between the parties, the exchange shows a deteriorated contractual relationship and an unresolved economic conflict. This conflict resulted in presentations in commercial headquarters and, with procedural comings and turns, today remains without a background definition. In practice, the file was waiting for a resolution in the Cassation Chamber: there is no judgment, nor acquittal, nor firm movement, an impasse that contrasts with the public centrality of the health case.
While the controversy for the purchase of HLB advanced to the tumbos, work claims accumulated. In the city of Buenos Aires and in San Isidro – where HLB set corporate domicile at Av. Tomkinson 2054 – there are demands initiated by formerly employed by dismissals and salary differences. The most illustrative is the action promoted by Juan Carlos Romero against HLB Pharma Group SA: he claims compensation for dismissal and accompanies telegrams, receipts and, especially, photographs of his workplace.
In his labor demand, Juan Carlos Romero described that within HLB Pharma was asked to do tasks that, in his opinion, involved adulterating quality controls. He said that they ordered him to mix old or not suitable pills with new ones, so that the lot could go to the market without being detected. He also reported that he was asked to invent pressure and temperature records in the control notebooks, simulating production conditions that did not actually exist.
ANMAT
The health variable adds another critical layer. An opinion of the Attorney for Administrative Investigations (PIA) reviewed 276 administrative files sent by the Prosecutor’s Office and found a pattern of irregularities from 2018 to 2025 that involved HLB and its elaborator, Ramallo laboratories. This survey describes behaviors, omissions and deviations that could lead to criminal complaints.
ANMAT account for structural failures: manufacturing in unauthorized containers and in non -enabled areas; out -of -specific products; sales without current qualification; labeled disagreements; absence of notification of deviations; and delays or breaches of mandatory withdrawals. PIA emphasizes that they were not isolated but a sustained pattern in various product lines.
The chronology of 2025 is illustrative. On May 5, the Italian hospital in La Plata reported an alleged quality diversion of HLB fentanyl (lot 31202); Subsequent crops identified bacterial contamination. On May 11, Anmat prohibited the use, distribution and commercialization of lot 31202. Days later, the agency reclassified the withdrawal as class I – maximum criticality, with 100%verification – and reiterated documentary demands before breaches of the laboratory. In parallel, reports were recorded in Santa Fe with fatal outcomes associated with different lots.
There are more
In February, not authorized plastic container was detected in parenteral solutions, despite previous warnings; In March and April, critical deficiencies were documented in Ramallo Laboratories, where HLB Pharma medications were made, and the prohibition of operating was sustained; On May 12, an unchanging inspection found the “auto -file” plant and without visible productive activity; Two weeks later, he was required to open the sanitary summary to the firm and its technical director. The picture exhibits persistence of late findings and responses.
The “other causes of Mr. Fentanilo” reveal a pattern. Contractual breaches, conflicts with workers and low tolerance to critical production and control standards are repeated. It is not an isolated anecdote: it is a way of operating that crossed the commercial, the labor and the health. And that, piece by piece, helps to explain why García Furfaro’s name today is synonymous with systemic risk in an industry where the error – or the trap – kills.
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