Unbelievable! The Ammonium Sulfate mix with Coca Leaves to obtain cocaine.
Armed Forces of Honduras (FF. AA.) Secure 33 manzanas of coca cultivation and a “narco-laboratory”
The Army detected four coca plantations in an area of land of 33 manzanas, in the village of Sacanlí. Coca plants reach two meters in height, with approximately 297,000 planted and 80,000 seedlings ready for transplant.
The Army report also details the discovery of a “narco laboratory.” A wooden structure with four spaces used as a warehouse, with a kitchen, containing cement, fertilizers, ammonium sulfate, lime, and fumigation instruments. It had the supplies and equipment to produce cocaine.
Cocaine trafficking diversifying through new hubs and groups, with global supply at record levels
According to a new report released on March 16, 2023 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, global cocaine production has increased dramatically over the last two years, following an initial slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (UNODC).
In accordance with the Global Report on Cocaine 2023, coca cultivation increased by 35% from 2021 to 2022, a record high and the sharpest year-to-year increase since 2016. The increase is due to an increase in coca bush cultivation as well as improvements in the process of converting coca bush to cocaine hydrochloride.
The rapid increase in supply has been matched by a similar increase in demand, with many regions experiencing a steady increase in cocaine users over the last decade. While the cocaine market remains concentrated in the Americas and parts of Europe, the report warns that Africa and Asia have a high potential for growth.
Nonetheless, law enforcement interceptions of cocaine shipments around the world have increased dramatically, with seizures reaching a record high of nearly 2,000 tons in 2021.
In response to the findings, UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly stated, “The surge in global cocaine supply should put all of us on high alert.” “The possibility of the cocaine market expanding in Africa and Asia is a perilous reality.” I urge governments and others to carefully examine the report’s findings in order to determine how to respond to this transnational threat with transnational responses based on awareness raising, prevention, and international and regional cooperation.”
The emergence of new cocaine trafficking hubs
Noting that countries in Southeastern Europe and Africa, particularly those in West and Central Africa, are increasingly being used as key cocaine transit zones. Meanwhile, North Sea ports such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg have surpassed traditional entry points for cocaine into Western Europe in Spain and Portugal. Traffickers in Central America are also diversifying their routes, sending more cocaine to Europe in addition to North America.
The modalities of cocaine traffickers is fragmenting into a plethora of trafficking networks.
The demobilization of fighters from Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), which had previously controlled many of the country’s coca-growing regions, opened the door for others to step in, such as new, local actors, ex-FARC guerillas, or even foreign groups from Mexico and Europe. Furthermore, the report reveals the proliferation of so-called “service providers,” or specialized groups that lend their services at all stages of the supply chain for a fee.
