In an attempt to clear up the suspicions surrounding her, the representative of La Libertad Avanza (LLA) Lorena Villaverde uploaded a video to Instagram today in which she denies accusations of drug trafficking. Recorded in a private clinic, the video shows her undergoing a rhinoscopy and a urine test.
“I want to show how many pairs three boots are and who is who,” he says at the beginning. “I am a national representative for La Libertad Avanza. They have told me that I am a drug trafficker and other things. I want to show how many pairs of boots there are and who is who. We have to make society transparent about who one is. So I said: ‘I’m going to have the procedure done.'”
The images show her handing over a bottle of urine for analysis and, in the most striking sequence, a close-up of the endoscope entering her nose, a rhinoscopy that seeks to detect alterations in the mucous membranes compatible with chronic drug use. At that moment the dialogue occurs with the nurse, where Villaverde asks: “People who have consumed drugs… can it be detected?”, to which the professional responds: “Yes, the nasal mucosa changes. In other words, if you consume drugs, the nasal mucosa stops being pale and has certain characteristics such as more rubbery and perforations of the nasal mucosa are generated, which are chronic lesions.” Then he adds about the deputy’s nose: “So, the nasal mucosa is impeccable and healthy. Just a little mucus, but the same procedure creates mucosa.”
The closure comes with the doctor and the laboratory papers: “We did amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and opiates. He gave us everything that was not detectable.” Villaverde looks at the camera and concludes: “The laboratory screening was exactly negative. Looking at the camera, in front of all these drugs: neither cocaine nor marijuana nor amphetamines nor opiates nor ecstasy.”
Beyond the media gesture, Villaverde has a complex judicial past. In 2002 she was arrested in Florida, United States, with almost 400 grams of cocaine in a drug dealing case, according to records that were closed in 2017. This precedent cost her the revocation of her US tourist visa, which even limited her official trips, such as one planned to Houston linked to her role as president of the Energy Commission of Deputies.
His connection to the Espert case is part of the Narcogate network, a scandal that involved the former libertarian candidate with “Fred” Machado, an Argentine businessman extradited to the United States for cocaine trafficking, money laundering and fraud. Espert renounced his candidacy after revealing connections with Machado and his alleged front man Claudio Ciccarelli, who is also close to Villaverde.
