Liquids gate-confiscated at EZE, but duty free OK???
I googled around quite a bit and couldn't find any discussion of this.
Leaving Buenos Aires on AA 908 EZE-MIA last night (15 March), I was pulled out of boarding and directed to dispose of my just-purchased bottle of water and soda. These were purchased post-exit immigration and security. The security person indicated that "because the police don't control what is sold, we can't control it, so we can't allow it on." They were visible in the outer pouches of my backpack, but it looked like every passenger was going through some kind of hand-search so it's not like I was singled out.
At the bottom of the jet bridge, though, there was a cart and an agent from the duty free shop. There, all kinds of liquids were welcome onboard, if they had been purchased at duty free!! It was too late to go ask what the difference was, and I probably would have been singled out as some kind of troublemaker.
It seems unlikely to me that there is any kind of screening on the items for sale in the duty free shop versus one of the takeaway restaurants? Or is this just pure security theatre in that they say "oh, the duty free purchases are in sealed bags"? As if that matters even one iota once on board the flight.