A high-impact incident recently took place in Paysandú, where authorities detained two men with a shipment of 10 kilos of cocaine. One of the detainees maintained a link with the local administration, since he had worked in the mayor’s office and was part of a party list for Mayor Nicolás Olivera.
In statements to the Arriba gente program on Channel 10, Olivera recognized the integration of this individual in his political listbut denied any relationship of trust with him. “Obviously, this person did something aberrant, reprehensible. I claim all the weight that has to fall,” the mayor emphasized.
Olivera explained that the detainee entered the Paysandú mayor’s office in 2022 through an agreement with the National Directorate of Support for the Released (Dinali)an entity dedicated to the social reintegration of ex-convicts. “That was the entry mechanism. Fortunately, he was given a second chance, and unfortunately he wasted it,” Olivera said. Despite his inclusion in political list number 51Olivera stressed that there was no personal relationship between them. “How does one guarantee, when you put 250 names on a list? Do you have to do traceability, a private investigation? “In this there are people who let you down,” said the leader, highlighting his disappointment in the situation.
The case has generated debate about the reliability of candidate selection processes on political lists. When asked about the potential negative impact on his image and that of the mayor’s office, Olivera was confident that the incident would not affect his reputation. “He was not my driver, he is not my trust, nothing like that. In politics there is a double standard”he added, suggesting that the episode would not change public perception of his management.
Cocaine seizure and police actions
The charge the individual faces is serious. He was sentenced for drug trafficking to serve a sentence of 2 years and 10 months in prison. The arrest occurred when the Police intercepted a vehicle that was leaving the bridge towards Paysandú. During the search, authorities found 9 bricks of cocaine hidden in the doors of the car, totaling 9,393 kilos of the narcotic.
The anti-drug control was a success in operational terms, according to statements made to Subrayado by the Paysandú Police Chief, Eduar Álvez. The drug was valued in an estimated market between 85 thousand and 90 thousand US dollars. Both detainees had criminal records, a situation that increased the alert of the security forces.
