URUGUAY · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —What is happening A team of ten US officials from the DEA, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Secret Service is in Uruguay this week to help choose projects for a new US$6.5 million anti-drug programme.
- —Why it matters It is the first strictly bilateral US anti-narcotics agreement with Uruguay, and the Port of Montevideo is the key focus because drug gangs use it to ship cocaine.
- —The numbers The programme starts with US$6.5 million in its first year, while Uruguay recorded 312 homicides from January to September 2026, up 13.5% on 275 a year earlier.
- —Who is who Chris Andino is the chargé d’affaires of the US embassy; Carlos Negro is Uruguay’s interior minister; the PCC is Brazil’s largest criminal gang, which the embassy calls the region’s main challenge.
- —What to watch Which projects the US and Uruguay choose to fund, since the embassy says that list is still being drawn up, and the next US visit to Montevideo.
- —Power Index Uruguay ranks 7th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 45.9 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you For US travellers, investors and shippers using Montevideo, the plan targets port security and money laundering, though the embassy says violence in Uruguay is not yet widespread.
Uruguay is hosting ten US law-enforcement officials this week to plan a US$6.5 million anti-narcotics programme. The US embassy says the Port of Montevideo is the priority.
Ten US officials from the DEA, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Secret Service are in Uruguay this week. They are shaping a new US$6.5 million anti-drug programme, the US embassy said on 21 October.
Búsqueda reports it is the first strictly bilateral US anti-narcotics deal, and the embassy says the port is its focus. It matters to US readers because gangs use the port, and the money is American.
What the US Embassy Said About the Uruguay Drug Plan
Chris Andino, the US chargé d’affaires, briefed journalists on Wednesday, 21 October, Montevideo Portal and El País reported. He said the programme starts with US$6.5 million in its first year and “relaunches” cooperation once handled region by region.
“It is not the amount, it is the cooperation behind it,” Andino said, according to Montevideo Portal. Adam Weise of the State Department’s narcotics bureau (INL) told El País that projects can be built for Uruguay alone.
The ten officials met Interior Minister Carlos Negro for over an hour on Tuesday, 20 October, El País reported. They are also meeting the police, the coast guard (Prefectura), prosecutors and the army to decide which projects come first.
Andino described the money as the start of a long-term effort and said the projects to be funded are still being defined. He did not comment on talks about Uruguay joining the “Shield of the Americas” security network, according to Montevideo Portal.
Why the Port of Montevideo Is the Focus
Andino named two risks: gangs using ports and borders to export drugs, and money laundering through the financial system. Uruguay produces no cocaine and is a transit country, he said, Montevideo Portal reported.
“If I were a crime boss, I would prefer to use the port because it is easier logistically,” he said. “If you apply pressure here, the air comes out somewhere else, like a balloon.”
He said the anti-money-laundering agency Senaclaft has goodwill but few staff. A DEA officer for Uruguay works from Buenos Aires and visits one week a month, El País reported.
How the Deal Came About
Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said on 1 October that the US signed an agreement for US$6.5 million, Ámbito Uruguay and Telenoche reported. It would “technically back” Uruguay’s fight against transnational crime, he said.
The weekly Búsqueda reported, and Infobae repeated on 6 October, that talks began early in 2026. President Yamandú Orsi asked for more US help, and the money comes through INL.
Orsi leads the left-of-centre Frente Amplio coalition. The US ambassador, Lou Rinaldi, has named security and a modern Montevideo port among his priorities, Infobae reported.
The PCC and Uruguay’s Murder Rate
Andino called Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) the main regional challenge, with the largest installed base. Yet he said he knows of no significant PCC presence, leadership or base in Uruguay, El País reported.
“The names change, but the verbs do not,” he added, saying a gang does not need a base to harm people. The US State Department designated the PCC a terrorist organisation in 2026, a step that Brazil’s president rejected on 15 October.
Interior Ministry data, reported by El País on Wednesday, 21 October, show 312 homicides from January to September 2026, up from 275. Montevideo accounted for the whole rise, with 193 killings against 155.
Opposition senators attacked the government after the figures, and the Colorado senator Andrés Ojeda said the minister “should fall off the chair”. A Frente Amplio senator defended Negro and blamed drug operations for gang turf wars, El País reported.
What It Means for US Readers
The programme is US taxpayer money aimed at cocaine transit routes, since Andino says Uruguay produces none itself. It also gives US agencies a closer working link with Uruguay’s police, prosecutors and army.
Shippers and investors who use Montevideo should expect more attention to port controls and financial checks. Travellers face the same risks as before: Andino says violence is not widespread and affects few areas of the city.
Background is in earlier reports on a teenager sentenced for five killings and the guide to Uruguay’s economy. The Montevideo city page covers daily life.
What Is Not Known
It is not known which projects the US$6.5 million will fund, because the embassy says the list is still being drawn up. The briefing gave no payout schedule and no figure beyond the first year.
The embassy’s own statement could not be opened, so its remarks rest on two Uruguayan outlets present at the briefing. Whether Uruguay will join the Shield of the Americas network is also unknown.
What Comes Next
Washington and Montevideo are to choose the first projects after the week of meetings. That does not mean US forces will operate in Uruguay, since the programme funds Uruguayan institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the US$6.5 million programme for Uruguay?
It is a first-year US fund to help Uruguay fight drug trafficking and organised crime, paid through the State Department’s INL bureau. Búsqueda reports it is the first strictly bilateral US anti-narcotics agreement with the country.
Who is in Uruguay from the United States?
Ten officials from the DEA, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Secret Service are in Uruguay this week. They met Interior Minister Carlos Negro on Tuesday, 20 October.
Why does the US focus on the Port of Montevideo?
The embassy says criminal groups prefer ports because shipping is logistically easier. Uruguay does not produce cocaine, so it is mainly a transit country.
Is the PCC gang present in Uruguay?
The US chargé d’affaires says he knows of no significant PCC presence, leadership or base in Uruguay. He warned that a gang does not need a base to cause harm.
How many murders did Uruguay record in 2026?
The Interior Ministry counted 312 homicides from January to September 2026, up 13.5% from 275 a year earlier. Montevideo had 193 of them.
Sources: Montevideo Portal, US embassy briefing, 21 October; El País Uruguay, 21 October; El País Uruguay, Interior Ministry homicide data, 21 October; Ámbito Uruguay, 1 October; Telenoche, 1 October; Infobae, 6 October (all accessed 22 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief