Pablo Otero

Pablo Otero, known as the 'Tobacco Lord,' is a controversial businessman in the tobacco industry who has faced multiple legal challenges. Recently, he was accused of money laundering by the Agency of Revenue and Customs Control (ARCA, formerly AFIP), stemming from irregularities discovered in the sales of his brand, Tabacalera Sarandí. The agency's report indicated that between 2021 and 2023, Otero's company sold cigarettes worth over $33 billion to wholesalers with questionable fiscal profiles, suggesting illicit financial activities. This is not his only legal issue, as he is also under investigation for alleged forgery of stamps and selling cigarettes with counterfeit stamps, which aims to evade tax payments. Otero's rise in the tobacco market began in 2018 when he stopped paying a minimum tobacco tax, claiming it was unconstitutional, and has since gained substantial market share by undercutting competitors.