The South American cocaine business is alive and well

Cocaine production in Latin America has doubled since 2014, according to a report published last month by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Production figures were not even halted by the pandemic, with output growing by 2,000 tons in 2020, the first year of lockdowns, analysts said.

Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, saw a 43 percent increase in coca leaf growth in 2022 alone, the study found, reaching greater efficiency in the extraction of coca leaf, especially in key production areas.

This jump in production boosted the cocaine business beyond Colombia, reaching into much of Europe, one of the drug’s main exporting markets. Authorities have reported a surge in European drug seizures, largely caused by the pent up supplies that are now flooding the continent. 

Brazil, however, went against this trend during the pandemic, with its cocaine market shrinking as traffickers seemingly faced logistical difficulties to cover the country’s long distances amid travel restrictions. 

The growth in production during the Covid pandemic might have been precipitated by the sudden decline in state presence in areas where coca is grown, as well as by drug trafficking organizations anticipating that markets would shrink owing to lockdowns, the study argues.

Experts consulted by The Brazilian Report believe there are multiple reasons behind the overall expansion of the business. 

Robert Muggah, co-founder of the Igarapé Institute, a think tank focused on security and development, argues that growth in these underground markets is a consequence of the steady expansion of coca production in the Amazon...