Two people were arrested after several raids this Wednesday, in the framework of an investigation that allowed to arrest the leader of a gang that brought large quantities of pasta to Uruguay. “It is an organized organization and we hit it hard “said the interior minister, Luis Alberto Heber, at a press conference.
During the raids the police seized 110 kilos of base pasta, weapons and various objects. “They were prepared for war because of the caliber and force of fire that the weapons had ”, added the hierarch. There are two people who are fugitives and who are now required by the Justice.
The band, which had been following up, supplied drugs to the domestic market. Its ringleader, who is in custody, has criminal record for concealment and assistance to agents of criminal activities with a crime of unauthorized possession of firearmsthe Interior Ministry reported in a statement.
“For some time it had been possible to verify that the leader dominates drug trafficking in the area of Villa Española and its surroundings, maintaining conflicts with other drug leaders due to a dispute over the territory “he added.
The man was arrested while moving 60 bricks of base paste, together with his main collaborator, whose task was to receive, collect and distribute the drug. He has a history of theft, narcotics, misappropriation and possession of weapons.
There was even a chase and an “attempt to evade” the police, the portfolio said. A van and a high-end motorcycle were seized from them. Later, several raids were carried out in neighborhoods of Montevideo. One of the points was an apartment in the Parque Rodó area, a place that was used as a collection point. There the troops seized U $ S 165,279, which were hidden under a tile and in a metal box.
Later, another raid was on a luxury apartment in Malvín, where they were found 48 base paste bricks and more than 10 weapons –among revolvers and rifles–, in addition to other objects. Also, bulletproof vests and two exotic birds, “which may be the product of animal trafficking, this being a common hobby among drug traffickers from other latitudes,” according to the police.
Ministry of Interior
Rifles and pistols were seized during a raid
In total there were 108 bricks seized, weighing 110.1 kilos. If the drug were sold wholesale it would amount to a total of approximately US $ 648,000, while at retail it would yield a profit of approximately US $ 1,272,000.
The detainees were brought before the Justice, which will have to express itself in the next few hours.
