MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Embassy in Montevideo: DEA will not return, but help is available

Heber insisted last week on getting as much help as possible after the escape of drug traffickers under house arrest.

Despite the interest of Interior Minister Luis Alberto Heber, the Embassy of the United States in Montevideo said Wednesday that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has no immediate plans to reopen its office on Uruguayan territory.

According to Telenoche, citing sources from the diplomatic mission, ”the reopening of the DEA office in Uruguay is not in process.

Heber had requested on Sept. 26, at a luncheon of the Association of Marketing Managers (ADM), that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) return to Uruguay after the escape of drug traffickers under house arrest.

“The DEA has left Uruguay, we are making, and I am glad that the US ambassador is here, we are making efforts to bring them back. It is very important for Uruguay to have the information, the cooperation, and the work that we have with the DEA,” Heber said at the time.

The Embassy's Counselor for Education, Press, and Culture, Kerri Spindler-Ranta, told Telenoche that “although the reopening of the DEA office in Uruguay is not formally in process, it is important to emphasize that we maintain a close and cooperative relationship at all times with the Ministry of the Interior, the National Police Directorate, the Anti-Drug Brigade, and other security and judicial agencies in Uruguay. The cooperation on security issues is continuous and very strong.”

“The DEA works monthly and very closely with the Uruguayan Drug Enforcement Agency. DEA agents based in Buenos Aires frequently travel to Uruguay to work closely with Uruguayan law enforcement officials and authorities on local and regional investigations,” she added.

In addition to coordinating efforts with the DEA, she said, “our embassy's Regional Security Office facilitates the work of Uruguayan law enforcement with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other US federal law enforcement agencies.”

See also: Uruguayan Interior Minister wants DEA back