Bus driver and conductor detained for transporting contraband from Chuy

Police in Uruguay's Lavalleja department have arrested a bus driver and conductor involved in smuggling undeclared goods valued at over $600,000. The interdepartmental bus was traveling from the border city of Chuy when the operation took place.

During a routine inspection by personnel from Seccional No. 7 and the Rural Security Brigade, authorities examined passenger luggage. They discovered that a significant portion of the bags, belonging to the driver and conductor, were undocumented. The confiscated items included 136 bottles of various alcoholic beverages, coffee, personal hygiene products, perfumes, chocolate bars, and tobacco, among other articles.

Adding to the illicit cargo, alcoholic beverages were found packed in boxes within the bus's engine compartment. This placement posed a fire hazard due to the heat generated by the engine. The discovery highlighted a dangerous method of concealing contraband.

The Prosecutor's Office of the first turn subsequently convicted J.S.B.R., 45, and A.G.C.C., 28, as "penally responsible authors for the commission of a smuggling offense." They received a sentence of eight months in prison, served under probation. Their probation terms include residing in a location allowing supervision by the National Directorate of Alternative Measures (Dinama), reporting to a police station weekly, and performing two hours of community service per week for the duration of their sentence.