Organized crime concerns rise in Chile and Uruguay

In Chile, opposition parties have called on the government to maintain or increase security budgets following the killing of Carabineros corporal Christopher Andrés Aguilera Fernández during an operation in Lo Espejo. Opposition leaders expressed solidarity with the officer's family and warned against the country becoming a “failed state” due to the influence of organized crime in local communities.

In Uruguay, Fernando Pereira, president of the Frente Amplio, addressed the conviction of Pablo Leiva, an advisor to Montevideo councilman Gonzalo Gómez. The case, part of Operation Trazador, involved the seizure of 260 kilograms of drugs. Pereira emphasized the need for legal reforms to prevent organized crime and drug trafficking from financing political parties and to mitigate money laundering within the political system.