Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in Venezuela since December 2024, was released after 448 days and is returning to Argentina on a plane from the Argentine Football Association (AFA). His wife, María Alexandra Gómez, confirmed the news with an emotional message on social media. The return involved diplomatic and sports-related efforts, with arrival expected at Ezeiza in the early hours of March 2, 2026.
Nahuel Gallo, a first corporal in Argentina's National Gendarmerie, was detained on December 8, 2024, in Venezuela and held in El Rodeo I prison. After 448 days of detention, he was released on March 1, 2026, as confirmed by his wife María Alexandra Gómez in a message on social media platform X: “I just spoke with Nahuel Gallo and can inform you that he is already flying to Argentina. We are deeply emotional. Víctor will be able to hug his dad in a few hours. Thank you all for being attentive”.
The AFA facilitated the transfer on a Learjet 60 LV-KMA plane from Baires Fly, a company linked to the entity's president, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia. Gallo is traveling accompanied by executives Luciano Nakis, the AFA's pro-secretary, and Fernando Isla Casares, secretary of Protocol and Ceremonial. Both were in Caracas to meet with the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) and tour works on a high-performance center. The flight includes stops in Ecuador and Chile, with arrival at Ezeiza between 3:45 and 4:30 a.m., where he will be received by Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Alejandra Monteoliva.
The AFA issued a statement titled “Football, a humanitarian bridge”, thanking Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez for her “sensitivity and willingness” and the FVF for facilitating contact. The efforts began in January 2025 and advanced last week in Brazil, where Tapia met with the FVF president and Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez.
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno confirmed the release and thanked the support from Italy, the United States, and the NGO Foro Penal. Bullrich celebrated: “Nahuel Gallo is flying home! This victory belongs to all who fought for his freedom”. However, the Government warned the AFA that their closeness to the Venezuelan regime will not “clean their image”. The Executive insisted on demanding the release of Germán Giuliani and other detainees for political reasons in Venezuela.
