International Journal on Criminology Volume 6, Number 2, Winter 2018/Spring 2019 | Seite 44

Initial Impact of the Legalization of Cannabis on Criminality in Uruguay
Serious Offenses Remain a Significant Problem
Violence in Uruguay Associated with Drug-Trafficking Is Not on the Wane
The deterioration of public safety in Uruguay, as evidenced in particular by
the increase in homicides in the early 2000s, played a significant part in the
decision to change drug policy. 25 The statistics show that since 2012, rather
than decreasing, the number of homicides has in fact risen by a third, exceeding
the highest ever level of 8 per 100,000 inhabitants (or 250 per year). The profile of
these murders has also changed, with the figures for 2015 showing that homicides
with a direct link to criminal activity–the settling of accounts between drug rivals–have
increased since 2013, coming to account for a third of the total. 26 These
feuds appear to be taking place between small-scale coca-paste dealers, but may
also have links to the more organized criminal groups who specialize in the international
cocaine and cannabis trafficking that has grown sharply in recent years.
Statistics from the Uruguayan Ministry of the Interior further show that the
increase in the number of homicides involving individuals with a criminal record
for drug-related offenses rose from 6% of the annual total in 2012 to 9% in 2016.
The same is true for homicide involving firearms, which in 2015 accounted for
67% of all recorded murders. 27
Transnational Criminality at Highest Ever Levels
Despite the violence engendered by drug trafficking that characterizes the
South American continent, Uruguay has remained largely untouched by
organized crime and lives up to its reputation as "the Switzerland of Latin
America." This derives from its strong banking sector, which is in fact more a
platform for laundering the money generated by drug trafficking. 28 However, the
situation is changing. The security concerns currently affecting the country appear
to be linked to the presence of growing numbers of criminal gangs from across
Latin America, who operate a global export trade in cocaine and a regional export
trade in cannabis. 29 According to the 2016 International Narcotics Control Report
(INCSR), 30 there are today Columbian, Mexican, Russian, and Brazilian crimi-
25 The category "homicides" is also one of 50 indicators chosen by researchers at the Advisory Council
and used to evaluate the impact of the law on Uruguayan society.
26 This corresponds to a total of 80 deaths, the majority linked to drug-related feuds.
27 Violence and Criminality, Uruguayan Ministry of the Interior.
28 The biggest drug-trafficking cases Uruguay has seen over the last twenty years have centered on
money laundering. Since 2005, a hundred people have been imprisoned for this offense.
29 Police drug seizure operations against the illegal trade in cannabis regularly encounter Paraguayans
and Brazilians. Organized crime follows the classic drug routes: cannabis produced in Paraguay is
sent east, that from Brazil is sent west, the two converging through the port of Montevideo.
30 https://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2016/vol2/253439.html
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