Montevideo police have uncovered a crime atypical to the peaceful city: eight kilograms of ecstasy tablets valued at US $ 1.2 million. The drugs were sent from Spain to South America, the reverse of what typically occurs. Photo (c) Emol 2015
Montevideo police have uncovered a crime atypical to the peaceful city: eight kilograms of ecstasy tablets valued at US $ 1.2 million.
The drugs were sent from Spain to South America, the reverse of what typically occurs.
Two foreign nationals on a Montevideo-Colonia bus were arrested for the crime.
Background
The men were arrested and taken to court in Colonia. There, streets where cut off and the presence of policemen with masks and arms made local and national news. Photo (c) Subrayado 2015
According to prominent national paper El Pais, the narcotics entered the city through Carrasco International Airport by an unnamed Spain-residing French engineer. The man was reportedly affected by the economic crisis back in Europe.
“The world’s even more interconnected than before,” says Maria G, long-time Montevideo resident originally from Spain and recent victim of narco-related crime, “This means that we feel each other’s problems. Our governments need to be more strict when criminals like these come up.”
The Frenchman’s response to his economic woes substantiate Galan’s statement. Fearing to lose his home, he allegedly agreed to run the shipment for a few thousand US dollars. His mission: to transfer the narcotics to the Rio de la Plata, ultimately Buenos Aires bound.
Along with an also unnamed Dominican, who lived in Buenos Aires and traveled to Montevideo to “guide” the Frenchman, the French traveling by bus began to make comments like “the cake is in the bag.” Their talks quickly discomforted other bus passengers, who alerted the driver.
The men were arrested and taken to court in Colonia. There, streets where cut off and the presence of policemen with masks and arms made local and national news.
The two foreigners will soon be prosecuted by judge Fernando Islas.
Reputational Reprocutions?
Damigo: “While crime is increasing in Uruguay (and narco-trafficking brought on by black marketing in neighboring economic crisis havens of Argentina and Brazil don’t help), it is still a very safe city and country. Local citizens to international investors should not be discouraged.” Photo (c) Royal Caribbean 2015
However, when asked how events such as this one influence not only the local, but national and international on-look onto what many prominent Western sources consider as Latin America’s “most secure city”, Uruguayan international businessman Denis R. Damigo offers that Mrs. Galan’s sense of worry is valid, but potencially not as severe as purported.
“I’ve lived and traveled many places,” Damigo explains, “While crime is increasing in Uruguay (and narco-trafficking brought on by black marketing in neighboring economic crisis havens of Argentina and Brazil don’t help), it is still a very safe city and country. Local citizens to international investors should not be discouraged.”
The businessman concludes that, “we must remember that and be grateful. Because think about if we were a typical Latin country. Ecstasy in the airport would be no news at all! It is a luxury that such a relatively small, local incident is still big news here!”
