A recent string of vehicle thefts in Montevideo culminated in the arrest of seven individuals, including a teenager who had escaped from the National Institute for Minors (INAU), after a comprehensive investigation by the police motorcycle brigade. The probe was initiated following the theft of a gray car on Thursday at 2:00 AM on the intersection of Assembly and José Batlle and Ordónez.
The investigation led the police to two houses located on the way to the troops and rich Orfilia, and in the passage of Morlán and the ferns, in the Cerro neighborhood, which were raided in the afternoon of the same day. In total, six adults aged between 18 and 26 years, along with a 16-year-old who was wanted by the authorities for escaping from INAU, were apprehended. Notably, one of the raids, conducted in collaboration with the Tactical Support Unit, resulted in the arrest of a 20-year-old individual with three prior criminal records and an outstanding arrest warrant.
Another 24-year-old, also wanted by the car brigade, was taken into custody during the operation. In the first house raided, officers seized cell phones that held significant interest for intelligence work related to vehicle theft. In the second house, three men and a woman attempted to flee through a field upon seeing the police arrive but were caught and arrested for drug possession. Upon entering the house, the police found a narcotic substance and precision scales.
Out of the seven detainees, a 19-year-old was released, the minor was reinstated to INAU, and the remaining five were made available to the justice system. The Automotive officers were able to recover a stolen Volkswagen Golf car, which had been taken at dawn on Thursday. Additionally, they seized drugs, two motorcycles, cell phones, altered license plates, and notebooks detailing vehicle ownership. These seizures and arrests mark a significant step in dismantling the band responsible for the theft of vehicles in Montevideo.
