The senator of the National Party and former Minister of the Interior, Nicolas Martinellipresented this Wednesday a package of parliamentary initiatives focused on public security which include a bill to facilitate the investigation of crimes committed with firearms and a series of requests for reports addressed to the Ministry of the Interior.
The main legislative proposal seeks modify the regime for personal injuries caused by firearms so that they can be investigated ex officio by the Prosecutor’s Office, even when the victim does not file a complaint.
According to Martinelli in the explanatory statement, in recent years there has been an increase in people injured in events linked to conflicts between criminal organizations, settling scores, hitmen and disputes associated with drug trafficking.
Currently, many of these injuries are considered “ordinary” by criminal legislation and require an express complaint from the victim so that the Prosecutor’s Office can advance the investigation. The project proposes to eliminate this limitation when the injuries have been caused through the use of firearms.
If approved, provisions of the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure would be modified to expressly establish that ordinary intentional injuries committed with firearms are prosecutable ex officio.
Requests for reports on shootings and expansion of organized crime
Along with the legislative initiative, Martinelli presented several requests for reports addressed to the Ministry of the Interior.
One of them aims to know the official diagnosis on the expansion of episodes of armed violence in Montevideo. The senator requests information on the number of criminal groups identified in the capital, their territorial distribution, the neighborhoods affected, the procedures carried out and the ministry’s strategy to contain the phenomenon.
The document mentions that acts of violence that were previously concentrated in specific areas began to spread to other neighborhoods in Montevideo, including Cerro Norte, Cerro Fortress, La Paloma, Marconi, Piedras Blancas, Manga, Casabó, Villa Española and Malvín Norte.
The legislator also asks to know How many leaders or leaders of criminal organizations were formalized or convicted during the last year and how many of them are currently housed in maximum security Unit No. 25.
Ammunition used in homicides and shootings
Another request for reports points to the origin of the ammunition used in violent events recorded in Uruguay.
Martinelli requests data on casings and projectiles collected in homicides, attempted homicides and shootings during 2025 and 2026, in addition to information about how many of these ammunition came from the legal market and how many could not be associated with formal marketing circuits.
Likewise, it requires information about inspections carried out on gun shops and importers, sanctions applied and technical studies that have served as the basis for the recent regulatory modifications promoted by the government regarding weapons and ammunition..
Consultations on PCC, Red Command and international cooperation
The battery of initiatives also includes a request for reports related to the measures adopted by Uruguay against transnational criminal organizations such as the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command (CV).
Among other points, the senator asks if the Ministry of the Interior analyzed the impact that the recent decision by the United States to classify these organizations as terrorist groups could have for Uruguay. What measures are being evaluated to strengthen the prosecution of criminal structures with the capacity to operate at the regional level?.
In parallel, he presented another request for reports on the participation of Uruguay in international cooperation initiatives against drug trafficking and organized crimeincluding the alliance known as “Shield of the Americas”. There it requests details about diplomatic contacts, international meetings, coordination mechanisms and possible evaluations carried out by the government regarding the convenience of integrating these cooperation spaces.
The “Ricardito” case and complaints in Cerro Chato
Among the documents submitted to the Senate there is also a request for reports linked to the transfer of the inmate Ricardo Cáceres Correa, alias “Ricardito”from Maximum Security Unit No. 25 to Freedom Unit No. 3 and its subsequent return to the maximum security establishment.
Martinelli requests to know the basis for that decision and whether there were risk assessments or intelligence reports to support it.
Finally, the senator requested information about complaints made by residents of Chato Hillwho publicly expressed concern about security problems and indicated that some events were not being formally reported.
The request seeks to know What actions did the Ministry of the Interior take in response to these demonstrations and what was the volume of complaints actually registered in the area during the last two years?.
The initiatives were presented this Wednesday before the Senate and add to the security agenda promoted by the former Minister of the Interior from his parliamentary bench.
