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DE RUEHMN #0619 3161937
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R 121937Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0031
INFO MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000619 
 
SIPDIS 
INL FOR DEBORAH HOOKER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/12 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR UY
SUBJECT: Largest Drug Seizure in Uruguayan History 
 
REF: MONTEVIDEO 402; MONTEVIDEO 23 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Robin Matthewman, Charge d'Affaires, Department of 
State, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
Summary 
 
------------ 
 
 
 
¶1.        (C) On October 15, Uruguayan officials seized 2.174 kilos 
of cocaine valued at over 108 million USD on a yacht just west of 
Montevideo.  This seizure is the largest narcotic bust of its type 
in the history of Uruguay and the region.  The seizure is the 
result of a successful international investigation which included 
cooperation of Serbian and Argentine police and the Argentine and 
Uruguayan Coastguard under DEA guidance.  The seizure is a boon for 
the Uruguayan Anti-Drug Secretariat, because it highlights 
progressing capacity for interagency coordination.  In Uruguay, 
this is the first concrete evidence of a potentially growing 
criminal element of Eastern European origin that is active in the 
region.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Successful Coordination Pays Off 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.       (C) GOU involvement in this lengthy and ongoing 
international case began approximately 24 hours before the seizure, 
when Argentine authorities reached out to their Uruguayan 
counterparts in search of a suspicious yacht that couldn't be found 
in Argentine waters.  GOU awareness of suspicious activity, 
however, started over a month earlier when the Uruguayan Coast 
Guard started surveillance on a yacht that had been purchased in 
cash by an Eastern European.  Aware that this yacht could be tied 
to money laundering or other illegal activity, Uruguayan 
authorities had kept watch on the yacht and knew its location when 
called on.  With the information provided by the DEA, the Uruguayan 
Counternarcotics Police were able to get a search warrant to board 
the yacht, facilitating the Coast Guard's seizure of over 2 metric 
tons of cocaine. 
 
 
 
¶3.       (C) The cocaine was en route to Europe and was being 
transported via the yacht to a ship on the high seas.  The yacht 
had already made one journey out to the ship (it is unknown if any 
illegal substance was transferred on board), but because of stormy 
weather, returned to land and was detoured to Uruguay. 
 
 
 
¶4.       (C) One Eastern European traveling with a Croatian 
passport was arrested in connection to the crime.  Four other 
individuals of Eastern European descent are known to have been 
involved, but have not been located in Uruguay.  One Uruguayan 
notary was arrested but released.  The origin of the cocaine 
remains unknown, though investigations to determine such are 
underway.  Investigators are still searching for an additional 500 
kilograms that was suspected to be in the original shipment. 
 
 
 
Interagency and International Cooperation 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5.       (C)  This case demonstrates successful cooperation with in 
Uruguay, in the region, and internationally.  The seizure is the 
first big victory for the Uruguayan National Anti-Drug Plan (Ref A) 
launched in June 2009.   This plan designates the Counternarcotics 
Police as the lead investigators in all narcotics-related cases, 
reassigning some of the jurisdiction of other law enforcement 
agencies in an effort to become more efficient at combating 
trafficking.  The Specialized Courts for Organized Crime, enacted 
in January 2009, are another tool recently developed to help 
professionalize Uruguay's law enforcement apparatus (Ref B).  There 
are two judges and two federal prosecutors assigned to the 
Specialized Courts which work narcotics, money laundering, 
corruption, trafficking in persons, and other related cases.  These 
efforts to coordinate law enforcement are improving Uruguayan 
authorities' ability to discourage sophisticated crime networks 
from setting up shop in Uruguay. 
MATTHEWMAN