The name of Lucas Trindade, former Salto councilman and president of the National Party's youth wing in the department, has surfaced again. Not for a political project or a social proposal, but for an episode that exposed one of the crudest faces of smuggling in Uruguay.
In recent hours, he was sentenced after being detained at the border with a truck loaded with thousands of Brazilian chicken eggs. The operation, which resulted in the seizure of 6,817 eggs , not only reveals the extent of smuggling on the northern border, but also the relationship between politics, private business, and illegal practices.
The operation at the border
The arrest occurred during a check conducted by the National Customs Directorate in conjunction with the police. Upon inspecting the truck Trindade was driving, several crates were found packed in the back, all filled with eggs from Brazil.
The shipment far exceeded the volume for personal consumption and was quickly classified as contraband. The Prosecutor's Office acted immediately, filing charges that resulted in a 12-month prison , which was later replaced by probation .
Who is Lucas Trindade?
Trindade was no stranger to Salto's political scene. He was elected councilor for the National Party in the previous term and, until recently, served as president of the department's Nationalist Youth Party.
In addition to his political role, he led a private enterprise: Avícola del Norte , a company dedicated to the wholesale and retail packaging and distribution of eggs. In 2021, this business received $120,000 in National Development Agency (ANDE) , demonstrating its institutional support.
In July of this year, he resigned from the Departmental Board because he had been appointed as Secretary of Youth in the Salto Municipality under the incoming administration. The position, however, was quickly overshadowed by the scandal.
The judicial conviction
The Prosecutor's Office charged him with " repeated aggravated acts of receiving stolen goods ." Although the prison sentence was replaced with probation, the conviction marks a turning point in his political career and places him at the center of a controversy over ethics in public administration .
The alternative regime to prison entails restrictions and conditions, but it doesn't erase the seriousness of the incident: a former mayor and youth leader caught in an illicit business that affects both the economy and political credibility.
Smuggling at the border: a chronic problem
The Trindade case is just one visible example of a much deeper phenomenon: coastal smuggling . Basic consumer goods, such as eggs, chicken, dairy products, and fuel, cross daily from Brazil and Argentina to Uruguay due to price differences.
What to many may seem like a "small business" represents millions in losses for national production and creates unfair competition for Uruguayan producers.
The fact that a political leader is involved in these practices adds an ethical component that generates public outrage: those who should be upholding the rules appear to be taking advantage of illegal shortcuts.
Political impact
The National Party, especially in Salto, is battered by this episode. Trindade was not only a council member, but also a young figure with political projection. His fall raises awkward questions: What controls exist over leaders who assume public responsibilities? How is state support for private ventures supervised?
The conviction also opens a debate about the political parties' responsibility to distance themselves from members involved in illegal practices. Silence or lukewarm reactions can be interpreted as complicity.
