The vast majority of Uruguay's $30 million per year marijuana market is supplied by illicit cultivators in Paraguay. Traffickers, in turn, reportedly make around 35 dollars for every kilo of marijuana they move out of that country. From Paraguay, the drug makes its way into Brazil and Argentina. Officials say the majority of marijuana seizures take place on the three bridges connecting the country to Argentina, or else in Montevideo's port. However, the country's land border with Brazil is wide open, and residents in the northern city of Rivera say there is a thriving local contraband trade. Because of a lack of customs enforcement, it is unclear how much comes in via the Uruguay-Brazil border.Regardless of how marijuana enters Uruguay, the Paraguayan product will be the main competition to the marijuana sold in pharmacies in the country. If the government can keep its price below $22 per 25 grams, it can undercut even the cheapest marijuana sold along the borders and the interior
0: Marijuana Cultivation Ver detalle |
1: General Artigas Bridge Ver detalle |
2: Salto Grande Dam Ver detalle |
3: Libertador General San Martin Bridge Ver detalle |
4: Montevideo Port Ver detalle |
5: $10 per kilo, freshly cut Ver detalle |
6: $35 per kilo of marijuana moved Ver detalle |
7: $100-125 for 25g of marijuana Ver detalle |
8: $50 for 25 grams of marijuana Ver detalle |
9: $22 for 25g of marijuana Ver detalle |
10: Rivera Ver detalle |
11: Uruguay's Marijuana Market Ver detalle |
12: Creative Commons License Ver detalle |
Montevideo is Uruguay’s main port, and a major international shipping hub, which makes it an attractive point of entry for Paraguayan marijuana via Buenos Aires. It is this same port that transnational drug networks are increasingly using as a bridge to the European cocaine market.
This map was developed by InSight Crime, a joint initiative of the Fundación InSight Crime and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. All content is governed by the Creative Commons Non-Commercial License, which permits non-commercial use of the material provided you give credit to InSight Crime.