Drug Abuse in the Global Village
Drug Abuse in the Americas

Drug Seizures in Latin America

ARGENTINA
In 1990 a total of 658.064 kg of cannabis herb, 878 units of cannais plants, 1.579 kg of cannabis resin and 4.398 kg of cannabis seeds was seized. In 1991, the amount of cannabis plants seized increased to 1,063 units and the amount of cannabis resin seized increased to 2,080 kg (Other 1990; U.N. 1991).

            In 1990, 30,778.483 kg of coca-leaf and 1,009.478 kg of cocaine (base and salts) was seized. This amount increased to 47,790.990 kg of coca-leaf and 1,275.680 kg of cocaine (base and salts) in 1991 (Other 1990; U.N. 1991).

            In 1991, 439,306 units of depressants were seized (U.N. 1991).

BOLIVIA
All substantial seizures involved cocaine. For 1989, cocaine seizures of 9,800 kilos were reported. The corresponding figure for 1985 was 3,261 kilos (CP 1991). In 1990, a total of 12 tonnes of cocaine was seized. This quantity decreased to 8.4 tonnes in 1991 (Other 1990; 1991).

            An increase was reported in the amount of cannabis herb seized. In 1990, 15.603 kg were seized increasing to 85,650.500 kg in 1991 (Other 1990; 1991).

BRAZIL
Drugs seized in 1991 include cannabis herb (7,471.100 kg), cannabis plants (1,636,981.200 kg), cocaine (4,071.792 kg), morphine, hallucinogens and LSD (Other 1991).

            In 1992, the civil police in Sao Paulo seized 4 536 kg of cocaine, four times the quantity seized in 1989. Cannabis seizures increased over the same period by almost 300 per cent to 458 kg (Folha de Sao Paulo 1993).

CHILE
Cannabis herb seizures increased almost five times from 5,134.212 kg in 1990 to 24,010.769 kg in 1991. Canabis plants seizures totaled 43,111.000 kg in 1991 (Other 1990, 1991).

            Seizures of coca leaf decreased from 104.140 kg in 1990 to 54.870 kg in 1991, while cocaine (base and salts) seizures doubled from 235.943 kg in 1990 to 402.283 kg in 1991 Other 1990, 1991).

            More than one tonne of cocaine was seized during 1989-1990, on its way to the USA and Europe. It is estimated that many more thousands of kilograms went through (CND 1991).

COLOMBIA
The quantity of cannabis herb seized has decreased from 653,322.000 kg in 1990 to 329,000.000 kg in 1991 and down to 205,678.000 kg in 1992 (Other 1990, 1991, 1992).

             The quantity of coca leaf reported seized  also decreased from 533,694.000 kg in 1990 to 140,000.000 kg in 1991 to 116,865 in 1992 ( Other 1990, 1991, 1992).

            The quantity of cocaine (base and salts) seized increased to 72,630.000 kg in 1991 from 50,748.000 kg in 1990. However the quantity seized in 1992 decreased by about half to 37,764.000 kg (Other 1990, 1991, 1992).

            A total of 48.084 kg of heroin and 107.146 kg of opium (raw and prepared) was seized in 1992.  In 1991, 148.000 kg of opium (poppy seeds) was seized (Other 1991, 1992).

ECUADOR
            The amount of cannabis herb seized decreased from 498.241 kg in 1990 to 170.902 kg in 1991 and further down to 132.031 kg in 1992 (Other 1990, 1991, 1992).

            Ecuador is the only country in the Americas where seizures of coca bush were reported in 1990, amounting to 19,380 units. In 1991, 72,799 units of coca leaf were seized. An increase was reported in cocaine (base and salts) seizures from 1,164.379 kg in 1991 to 3,892.014 kg in 1992 (Other 1990, 1991, 1992).

            In 1992, 3.251 kg of heroin was seized (Other 1992).

URUGUAY
In 1991, 7.434 kg of cannabis herb and 6.886 kg of cocaine (base and salts) were seized (Other 1991).

VENEZUELA
Measures taken by the police and other forces have lead to results in 1991; over 11 tonnes of drugs were seized (77 per cent cocaine, 12 per cent "basuco" (coca paste), 11 per cent cannabis) (CND 1992).