Four persons who helped foreigners enter Uruguay illegally were arrested and convicted

Justice in Uruguay convicted four people for human trafficking in Rivera, a department in the east of the country that borders Brazil. Investigators from the Department of Trafficking and Trafficking in Persons managed to work on the case called Operation Antares.

The intelligence work of the Rivera Headquarters managed to determine that there was an international operation functioning that was dedicated to trafficking people across the border between one country and the other. The maneuver consisted, precisely, of illegally entering foreigners into Uruguay and those who were responsible for doing so were remunerated for it.

As part of the investigation, the police were able to arrest five suspects. They are men between 32 and 59 years of both Uruguayan and Brazilian nationalities. A vehicle disguised as a taxi and 13 cell phones were also seized.

One of the five detainees was released, while the other four were convicted. Two of them are perpetrators of a continuing crime of trafficking in persons and were sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment, to be served under the modality of nine months of effective imprisonment and 15 under the regime of probation.

The third detainee was convicted of an offence of assisting the agents of criminal activity and was sentenced to 15 months 'imprisonment under the probation regime. The fourth, on the other hand, also convicted of trafficking in persons, was sentenced to 15 months 'imprisonment under the regime of probation with measures of coercion.

Other police officers in Uruguay

As part of Operation Maleficent, Uruguayan police arrested more than twenty people on Wednesday, following several raids in more than one department of the country. The arrests were made thanks to an investigation aimed at dismantling a criminal group engaged in arms and drug trafficking. Specifically, evidence had already been found that they were doing so in the departments of Montevideo (south), Canelones (south) and Colonia (west).

According to police sources, raids were carried out in cities such as Montevideo, Canelones, Rivera, Atlántida, Las Piedras and Durazno, where different types of drugs were seized. Among them were LSD, marijuana, cocaine and tusi, known as pink cocaine. In addition, 9 millimeters were found.

Operation Maleficent began in mid-2021 and 12 people were convicted in January 2022. The investigation continued and today leads to 21 detainees who will have to testify in the Prosecutor's Office.

This Wednesday, there was also a news about a kiosk in the north of the country, in the department of Salto, which announced through a blackboard that it had a “strong promo”. Inside, he sold packs containing 3 grams of cocaine, cigarettes and mints at 1,200 Uruguayan pesos ($29).

The investigation into the case began in March, when a person sent a package from Salto to a jail in the south of the country, in the department of San Jose. When the box was checked, several stones were found that were positive for the cocaine hydrochloride test.

At that time, the procedure of setting up a surveillance was started at the place of origin of the parcel, the kiosk with the “strong promo”. The person who sold the cocaine, also received orders for the package he sold through WhatsApp.

Thanks to a search warrant, the police entered the scene and found several wrappers containing cocaine. A 33-year-old woman was arrested and charged with continuing crime of trafficking in prohibited narcotic substances, specifically through negotiation and supply.

Prosecutor's Office requested for her 11 months of pre-trial detention, which were assigned as house detention because she was a pregnant woman.