Three foreigners convicted in Uruguay for attempting to obtain a passport with forgeries

The case began when DNIC staff flagged irregularities in the paperwork presented by the applicants, triggering a police alert and the involvement of the Flores departmental prosecutor’s office

A court in Uruguay’s Flores department convicted three foreign nationals —a Russian, a Kazakh and a Mexican woman— after authorities said they attempted to begin identification procedures using false documentation at the National Civil Identification Directorate (DNIC) office in the city of Trinidad.

The case began last Friday when DNIC staff flagged irregularities in the paperwork presented by the applicants, triggering a police alert and the involvement of the Flores departmental prosecutor’s office, according to official and local media accounts.

The Interior Ministry said the first actions led to the arrest of two men —one Russian national and one of Kazakh origin— near the office. Further investigative steps later resulted in the detention of another Russian citizen and a Mexican national who were staying at a hotel in the city. One of the Russian men was subsequently released.

Following court hearings, judges convicted three of the detainees of attempted “ideological falsification by a private individual,” the Interior Ministry said. The ministry identified the 36-year-old Mexican woman and a 34-year-old Russian citizen as co-perpetrators, while the third defendant —described in press reporting as the Kazakh national— was convicted as the author of the same offense, with identical sentencing terms.

All three received a three-month prison sentence to be served under Uruguay’s probation-style “libertad a prueba” regime. The conditions include establishing a fixed residence for supervision, remaining under the guidance and monitoring of the relevant office, and “total house arrest” for the duration of the sentence, enforced through electronic monitoring.

The Interior Ministry said the investigation was led by the Flores prosecutor’s office and supported by the General Directorate of Police Information and Intelligence.