An agent from the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) was sentenced to one year and six months in prison for attempting to reveal confidential information related to alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset. The sentence, decided by majority by a sentencing court, was applied with a conditional suspension of the penalty.
Special Agent Enrique Ismael Flores Haifuch was found guilty, in the degree of attempt, of the crime of revealing service secrets. Judge Manuel Aguirre voted for acquittal, arguing that a doubt persisted about the nature of the information.
The case originated from Flores's actions in late 2023, when he allegedly contacted Senator Celeste Amarilla and journalist Osvaldo Cazenave of the newspaper ABC Color. In these communications, the agent claimed to have information about Marset's whereabouts and accused authorities within SENAD itself, including then Director-General Hugo Baptista and Special Forces Commander Aldo Pintos, of being alleged protectors of the trafficker. Flores also reportedly proposed a meeting between the senator and his alleged chief, Mauro Ruiz Díaz, and mentioned "Alex Gomes", son of the late deputy Eulalio Gomes, as part of the protection network.
For the court, Flores's meeting with journalist Cazenave was the central act that constituted the attempted crime. During the meeting, held at the newspaper's headquarters, the agent offered documentation and details about Marset, including allegations of institutional protection granted to him. The interactions with the senator, although investigated, were not considered sufficient by themselves to characterize the offense.
Prosecutor Jorge Arce, who had initially requested a two-year prison sentence, stated that he will await the publication of the full sentence to analyze a possible appeal. The investigation failed to prove that the agent received any economic benefit in exchange for the information.
In a separate case involving SENAD, special agent Gabriel Macén denied in court the accusations that he had solicited a $10,000 bribe from the owner of a pharmacy in Canindeyú to avoid an inspection operation. Macén declared that his actions were routine procedures, as the establishment was in an irregular situation with the National Directorate of Health Surveillance (DINAVISA) and lacked the required SENAD documentation. According to the accusation, he and other agents, including Dolly Núñez from DINAVISA, and fellow defendants Andrea Solis and Violeta Sotelo, allegedly received part of the money supposedly extorted.