The National Anti-Drug Squad seized 25 kilos of cocaine in Montevideo and San Jose, which presumably would have been taken to Europe through the Carrasco Airport. In simultaneous raids on houses in the capital and San Jose police arrested six people yesterday among which is an Uruguayan. The rest are Colombians and Argentines.

The cocaine had been admitted from Argentina. Also  weapons and vehicles were seized to the band and new arrests are not ruled out for the next hours. The cocaine seized would be worth about US$ 140,000 in Europe.

In parallel, the police were preparing to carry out several raids in the hours after the arrest of one of the largest distributors of marijuana and cocaine base in the districts 40 Semanas, Lavalleja, Marconi and Cerrito, last Friday. Researchers estimate that this case was a blow to drug trafficking that fuels "mouths" for sale in those neighborhoods after they seized more than 3,000 doses of cocaine base and nearly 50 kilos of marijuana. In total the value of the seized about US$ 6,000. While investigating the route by which cocaine base came from Argentina.

Police sources consulted indicated that the operation was undertaken within the work being done by the four focus groups in fighting the "mouths" of drugs in the Security Directorate of Police Headquarters.

(www.elpais.com.uy, 8 February 2010)