The role of the Paraná-Paraguay waterway in transnational cocaine trafficking: routes from the Southern Cone of SouthAmerica to Europe

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study on the role of the Paraná-Paraguay waterway in the transnational trafficking of cocaine from South America to Europe. The aim is to explain why this fluvial corridor has become a strategic route for criminal organisations. The central hypothesis suggests that the interaction of geographical, logistical, and institutional factors —alongside the limited capacity of state control— enables criminal organisations to develop low-risk, high-profit operations. Based on in-depth interviews with key actors across five countries and documentary analysis, the study identifies three explanatory dimensions: a geography that hinders oversight and facilitates the movement of cocaine; the use of multimodal transport schemes; and a weakened surveillance system. The research reveals that the Paraná-Paraguay waterway functions as a duplex space, where legal and illegal flows overlap, and criminal organisations exploit institutional gaps to operate discreetly. The study concludes that this waterway has become a counterintuitive yet rationally chosen route due to its low risks, extensive connectivity, and limited state oversight. The article underscores the urgent need to strengthen interstate cooperation and to broaden the scope of security policies to include peripheral corridors such as the Paraná-Paraguay waterway, whose significance in the global cocaine trade continues to grow.