Eleven criminals were arrested in Montevideo, Uruguay, accused of several crimes, including digging a tunnel to rob a bank. According to a report from Uruguay's Ministry of the Interior accessed by the Argentine News Agency, the General Directorate for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (DGRTID) carried out several operations in different areas of the metropolitan area as part of the 'Blindaje' operation to determine the tunnel's full path and its connections. Minister of the Interior Carlos Negro highlighted the police work at a press conference: 'My special recognition to all officials and units that participated in the operation. This is an example of a gang or group of people who organized to commit various types of crimes, including attempted theft, criminal association, and drug trafficking.' The Uruguayan official also stated that this operation 'had a very specific component, which was preventing a robbery of a financial institution, which would have dealt a severe blow to the country's entire financial system and, ultimately, the national economy.' Police seized excavation equipment. During the operation, various units supported the investigation: the National Directorate of Firefighters, the National Directorate of Scientific Police, the Unified Command Center (CCU), the General Directorate of Special Operations, and the National Directorate of the Republican Guard. The Ministry reported that the investigation began on September 11, 2025, when police were alerted by an anonymous call about a possible drug sales point in the Neptunia area. The investigation led to the identification of both Uruguayan and foreign nationals, and researchers arrived at a location in Ciudad Vieja where a tunnel leading to a nearby financial institution was detected. On Tuesday, the General Directorate for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking, with the support of the General Directorate of Special Operations, conducted five raids in Ciudad Vieja and El Pinar, arresting ten people and foiling a bank robbery attempt. During the procedures, police seized two vehicles, work tools such as shovels and picks, construction work clothes, a drone, surveillance cameras, and cash: 30,000 Uruguayan pesos, 800 US dollars, and 37,000 reals, among other objects used to plan the robbery. According to the Director of Investigations of the National Police, General Commissioner Julio Sena, at a press conference, the detainees are eight men and three women, seven of whom are Paraguayan and Brazilian citizens, while the rest are Uruguayans.
