ABSTRACT
The evolution of drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America, as well as government strategies to fight these problems have driven unprecedented levels of violence, affected patterns of development and income distribution, and prompted structural economic changes in a number of countries. This chapter analyzes the so-called drug wars in Latin America from a development perspective. It assesses the overall economic effects of US-driven anti-narcotics policy and the militarization of security in key countries of the region. The chapter also identifies the groups that seem to have benefited the most from novel criminal schemes, governments’ responses to new forms of organized crime, and the resulting brutality. Violence related to drug wars – also linked to the appearance of new forms of organized crime – has reached unprecedented levels in Latin America.
