Uruguay police seize 408kg of drugs dropped from aircraft

Uruguayan authorities conducted ‘Operation Polux’ in the Artigas department, intercepting a drug shipment dropped from an aircraft over a rural property in Baltasar Brum. The operation resulted in the seizure of 408 kilograms of narcotics, consisting of 305 kilograms of cocaine and 103 kilograms of base paste.

Law enforcement officials reported that the drugs have an estimated value of USD 3 million in the local market and USD 14 million in the European market. The aircraft involved reportedly carried a Bolivian registration, though this is subject to verification, and the narcotics may have originated in Peru.

Following months of intelligence work, police intercepted several vehicles and detained seven men. Authorities also seized six vehicles, a firearm, nine mobile phones, communication equipment, a jet ski, and 23 containers of aviation fuel. Investigations are ongoing to dismantle the international criminal network involved in these aerial deliveries.