Crisosto said criminal groups have altered their traditional routes to evade intensified international enforcement efforts, leading them to focus on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. File Photo by Jose Caviedes/EPA
SANTIAGO, Chile, June 1 (UPI) -- Chilean prosecutors warned that organized crime groups are opening new maritime routes through the Strait of Magellan at the southern tip of Chile, using the passage as an alternative to the Panama Canal for trafficking weapons, goods and drugs.
Cristian Crisosto, regional prosecutor for the Magallanes region, said criminal organizations are developing new routes to move illicit products and facilitate activities that include human trafficking into South America, as well as transporting contraband from Central America to Europe and Asia.
Crisosto said criminal groups have altered their traditional routes to evade intensified international enforcement efforts by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in the Caribbean and restrictions that affect transit through the Panama Canal, leading them to focus on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
"President Trump has created significant pressure in the Caribbean, so these groups are seeking new routes to avoid international controls," Crisosto told Radio Pauta on Friday.
