Member of Los Colorados charged with homicide in Cerro Norte, Montevideo
A member of the Los Colorados gang has been charged with homicide by judge Patricia Rodríguez for the killing of Brian Martínez Fonseca on 2 September in Cerro Norte.
Los Colorados gang: charged with homicide amid territorial warfare in Cerro Norte
Judge Patricia Rodríguez of the 32nd Criminal Division charged a member of the Los Colorados gang with homicide on Monday. Los Colorados is one of the criminal groups vying for control of drug trafficking in the Cerro Norte neighbourhood of Montevideo. According to elpais.com.uy, which obtained audio of the hearing, the man had been arrested the previous Wednesday following a raid in the area.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendant ran a drug sales point for Los Colorados on Pasaje 105 in Cerro Norte. Based on testimony from witnesses whose identities were withheld, the Public Prosecutor determined that the accused killed Brian Gabriel Martínez Fonseca on 2 September in the early morning hours on suspicion that the victim was spying on the location to pass information to Los Suárez, the rival gang.
The Police's ShotSpotter system recorded 30 gunshots at the time of the crime, which occurred in a residence at the corner of Río de Janeiro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Martínez Fonseca was 30 years old, a drug user, and had 14 prior criminal convictions.
After the killing, a woman and a man—both already charged in the case—dragged the body to the street and collected shell casings to destroy evidence.
Preventive detention for 180 days
The court accepted the Public Prosecutor's request to place the defendant in preventive detention for 180 days, basing the measure on flight risk and the possibility that the defendant could retaliate against witnesses who still need to testify. It was also considered that the defendant had been convicted in 2023 for drug supply and carrying a firearm in public places.
The Public Prosecutor emphasised that the investigation would continue, as there are additional participants in the homicide that police are seeking to identify.
Two gangs at war for territory
During the hearing, the prosecutor highlighted the context surrounding the crime: "The homicide occurs in a context of struggle between criminal gangs for territory to sell narcotic substances. Two criminal organisations, Los Colorados and Los Suárez, are responsible for several criminal acts in the area and according to what several witnesses have said, this has been plaguing the Cerro Norte neighbourhood for a considerable time".
Los Colorados continue operating in the neighbourhood despite their structure being decimated following the imprisonment of their two leaders, Axel and Gabriel Mattos. At the end of August, following Axel Mattos's imprisonment, Mirna Busich, the prosecutor in the 12th Division, noted during a hearing that the gang has about nine members. The Los Suárez group, headed by Luis Alberto Suárez, has 11 members. "Some members of both gangs are imprisoned but nonetheless operate from within the prisons," Busich stated.
The prosecutor added that a member of Los Colorados split off due to internal differences and allied with Los Suárez, operating in Parque Causeglia with a gang of ten already identified members. According to Busich, this fracture has intensified clashes between both organisations in recent months, to the point that she described the situation as "a civil guerrilla that violates residents' rights". Residents, she said, "fear going outside, have had to abandon jobs and seen the value of their homes reduced". Even ambulances avoid entering the neighbourhood as a consequence of the clashes between gangs.
Increased weaponry and attacks on Mattos himself
The arsenal in the hands of the Cerro Norte gangs has grown steadily. According to Busich, Mattos dedicated himself to "receiving and distributing weapons to gain power, respond to his rivals and defend his territory". The investigation headed by the prosecutor proved the existence of 20 properties where weapons are stockpiled, distributed and fired.
Axel Mattos himself became a target of the violence plaguing the neighbourhood. In October 2024, his residence was attacked and one of his children, a one-year-old baby, was killed, while his partner was injured. Months later, in February 2025, Mattos and his partner were attacked whilst driving in a car alongside a five-year-old child—Mattos's nephew—on Luis Alberto de Herrera near the rambla, in the Buceo neighbourhood. The woman received a gunshot wound again and was hospitalised in serious condition for a second time.
Source: Google News UY — Crime