They found a human torso in the Rio de la Plata in front of Montevideo and police link crime to drug trafficking

The torso of a person was found in front of the Rambla de Montevideo, the street that borders the coast of the Uruguayan capital, among the waters of the Río de la Plata.

According to sources from the National Navy, this Thursday at 9 am a complaint was received from a private line to the police alerting the existence of human remains floating on the water. The complaint indicated that it was the area of Barrio Sur, west of the Rambla. Upon arrival, the Prefectural troops found a torso, which was only a thorax, of a person who was “presumably” a white-skinned adult male, Montevideo Portal reported.

In this regard, the body was removed from the site and the corresponding technical expertise began to be carried out. The evidence is in the hands of the Technical Police, which is working to find more data about what happened. The case is being handled by the Montevideo Criminal Law Prosecutor for 3rd turn Homicide, Adriana Edelman.

The situation put the entire police on alert. “Everything points to a crime linked to drug trafficking,” police sources said. The thorax of the corpse was referred to the Technical Forensic Institute (ITF) for the different skills and they added that “there is great concern”.

“His head and hands are removed so that he cannot be identified,” explained the source and stressed that “the body had exact cuts at the joints of the shoulders and head. It's a dismemberment. In addition, the torso had 17 stab wounds.”

In addition, “the torso had bruises that could indicate it was not long ago in the water”. Currently, the investigation has the review of video surveillance of the area, in search of elements that allow a line of evidence.

Uruguayan figures on violence

In January 2022, the Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, made public the figures of violence and its analysis so far in Uruguay. He said that the numbers show that the rising trend in the level of crime in the country was reversed for two consecutive years.

Heber explained that, until 2019, the trend was upward and that in the last two years the decline began. He also admitted that, until 2019, the scenario did not include the pandemic, and since 2020 there was a health emergency situation, which could have altered the figures. He also stated that impunity ended in Uruguay, because more people were accused and convicted.

The announced data reveal that, when compared to 2019 and 2021, the number of homicides fell by 23.7% in the country, the number of robberies fell by 19.9% and the predators by 18.8%. Likewise, if 2020 is compared with 2021, homicides fell by 11.2%, those for theft by 5.5% and for rapiñas by 13.5%.

As for domestic violence, it is 0.06% more than in 2020 and 1.3% less than in 2019. With regard to rustling, it is 39.2% less than 2020 and 36.4% less than in 2019.

If we compare the semesters of 2020 and 2021 with full mobility (July-December of each year), we can see that there were 24.1% fewer homicides, 20.2% fewer thefts, 15.8% fewer predators, 7.2% more domestic violence and 46% fewer abigeates.

The chief mentioned that the figures presented show “the frontal and effective combat of the National Police against drug trafficking and drug trafficking” and evidenced this by showing that more than 1,200 outlets selling base pasta have been closed since Luis Lacalle Pou assumed office in March 2020.

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