London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Cocaine production reaches record levels as new trafficking hubs emerge

Cocaine production reaches record levels as new trafficking hubs emerge

Global cocaine production has reached record levels as demand rebounds following Covid lockdowns, a new report has found.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said coca cultivation rose by 35% between 2020 and 2021 to record levels.

Findings suggest new hubs for trafficking have emerged in West and Central Africa.

The report also said traffickers were using international postal services more often to get drugs to consumers.

"Globally, the use of parcel and courier services increased significantly during the Covid-related lockdown due to restrictions on passenger flights," the Global Report on Cocaine report said.

It noted a rise in West African countries in the use of "well established, globally operating postal services as well as smaller shopping companies" used to smuggle quantities of cocaine to Europe and beyond.

Overall, the the report found Europe and North America are the largest markets for cocaine, followed by South and Central America and the Caribbean.

While the report said the markets in Africa and Asia were "still limited", the UN's Ghada Waly said the potential for the market to expand there was a dangerous reality.

Production increase was the result of an expansion in the cultivation of coca bush, as well as improvements in converting coca into powdered cocaine, the report found.

It added the outbreak of Covid-19 had a "disruptive" effect on drug markets as international travel was severely curtailed.

Demand for cocaine slumped as nightclubs and bars were shut during the pandemic lockdowns.

"However, the most recent data suggests this slump has had little impact on longer-term trends," the report says. "The global supply of cocaine is at record levels."

In the UK, the report says there has been a "significant increase" in seizures of cocaine in the "fast parcel and postal modes".

Interceptions by law enforcement have also been on the rise - at a higher speed than production, the report outlines.

Other key findings include:

*  Colombia still dominates trafficking routes although paths to Europe have evolved

*  Consumption in Australia peaked in the middle of 2020, dropped by 50% the following year and picked up "moderately" in the last few months of 2021

*  Mexican and Balkan criminal groups have moved closer to the centre of production to gain access to supplies

*  The use of crack cocaine is on the upward trend in several western European countries including the UK, Belgium, France and Spain

*  In Ukraine, the market had been expanding, but since Russia's invasion last February the demand has been disrupted drastically

Reacting to the report, UN's chief of research and trend Angela Me said the supply of cocaine has risen in South America as criminal groups have taken control of areas previously run by Colombia's largest rebel group - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

She said this has led to competition among groups - including some foreign groups - which has increased the production.

Comments

Brad 2 year ago
King’s son, Dexter S King, called his father’s assassination “the most incredible cover-up of the century” and released the following statement regarding the verdict:
Brad 2 year ago
“We can say that because of the evidence and information obtained in Memphis, we believe that this case is over. 
Brad 2 year ago
Dr.King’s son, Dexter Scott King, called his father’s assassination “the most incredible cover-up of the century” and released the following statement regarding the verdict:
Brad 2 year ago
New York, times waters down the truth but is exposed in the article.
Brad 2 year ago
This verdict is not only a great victory for my family but also a great victory for America. It is a great victory for truth itself. It is important to know that this was a SWIFT verdict, delivered after about an hour of jury deliberation. 

The jury was convinced by the extensive evidence that was presented during the trial that, in addition to Mr. Jowers, the conspiracy of the Mafia, local, state, and federal government agencies, were deeply involved in the assassination of my husband. 

 
Brad 2 year ago
 After four weeks of testimony and over 70 witnesses in a civil trial in Memphis, Tennessee, twelve jurors reached a swift unanimous verdict on December 8, 1999, that Dr. King was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy, the NY Times reported at the time. 

The King family, who filed the civil suit, was awarded $100. They donated a minuscule amount to charity. 
 Memphis Police Department Officer, Lt. Earl Clark was Dr. King’s assassin, according to a press conference transcript. 

 
Brad 2 year ago
 Because of "Media" neglect scarcely anyone else in this land of ours even knows what went on. 

 “Everything in the U.S. is the trial of the century. O.J. Simpson’s trial was the trial of the century. Clinton’s trial was the trial of the century. But this is the trial of the century, and who’s here?” 

(Nobody)

 
Brad 2 year ago
 

The Agencies involved in the assassination of MLK:  US Government, CIA, Media, State, and Local Governments. 

The "ONLY" Memphis TV reporter Wendell Stacy and I attended this from beginning to end this historic three-and-one-half week trial. 

 
Brad 2 year ago
MLK Assassination: US Gov't Found Guilty In Conspiracy To Assassinate
Brad 2 year ago
Fast & Furious gun running to Mexico under Eric Holder & Obama to get rid of the 2nd Amendment.

To disarm American's their goal depopulation and destroying the family

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×