Major operation in Cerro Norte: 20 raids, four arrested and weapons seized
Police conducted 20 raids in Cerro Norte on Tuesday, arrested four people and seized rifles, pistols and 63,000 pesos and dollars.
Police operation in Cerro Norte yields four arrests and multiple weapons seized
Police deployed a major operation in the Cerro Norte neighbourhood of Montevideo on Tuesday. According to ladiaria.com.uy citing sources from the Ministry of the Interior, 20 simultaneous raids were executed, resulting in four arrests and the seizure of a significant arsenal.
The operation was triggered following reports of multiple gunshots during preceding nights in the area. Montevideo Police Headquarters indicated in a statement that the procedures enabled them to "seize real firearms and replicas, which are believed to have been used to commit various criminal acts that are under investigation".
Among the seized material are five rifles, a Glock pistol with extended magazine and supplement to increase its firing capacity, an AR-15 sub-machine gun replica, two 9mm calibre pistols and a 44-calibre revolver. Additionally, 60,000 Uruguayan pesos, 3,000 dollars, ammunition, pistol holsters, military clothing, binoculars, a telescopic sight, seven mobile phones and several security cameras were seized.
One of the arrested is a 25-year-old man under investigation for belonging to a criminal group active in the area. The Los Suárez gang operates in Cerro Norte, a family-based organisation led by Luis "Betito" Suárez, who is serving a sentence under maximum security regime. The other three arrested are a 25-year-old woman and two men aged 21 and 44.
The operation involved personnel from Montevideo Police Headquarters, the Republican Guard, Police Aviation and the Directorate General of Special Operations.
The Ministry of the Interior is simultaneously pursuing measures to control arms and ammunition trafficking: it recently sent a bill to Parliament and is currently drafting a decree along the same lines. In the first half of this year, 74.9% of homicides were committed with firearms, compared to 63.9% recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Source: Google News UY — Crime