Cocaine has become the fastest-growing illegal drug market on the globe. Drug production, use and seizures have surged worldwide, according to a new United Nations report.
What did the report reveal?
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the illicit production of cocaine in 2023, the most recent year with complete data, was up 34% from the year before, hitting a record 3,708 tons. Researchers said the bump came from Colombia, where more land has been devoted to growing the illegal coca bush. In that country alone, in 2023, the yield was up nearly 50%.
Worldwide, seizures of cocaine hit a record 2,275 tons — a more than two-thirds jump from 2019-2023. Cocaine use surged globally to 25 million users in 2023.
UNODC also said wastewater analysis showed the largest markets for cocaine are North America, Western and Central Europe and South America. Always seeking to expand their market, cocaine smugglers are finding new areas of demand in Asia and Africa, and have increased their reach in Western Europe and the Western Balkans.
Why are drug operations growing?
UNODC attributed the rise in the trade of illicit drugs to too few patrols along drug smuggling routes and the low cost of drug production.
The agency said that while drug seizures have increased, traffickers have become more sophisticated in concealing the transportation of contraband. The illegal drug industry — which rakes in hundreds of billions each year via organized crime — continues to innovate by building sophisticated networks and encrypted communications.
UNODC believes these sophisticated networks can be dismantled, but that to eliminate them would require a comprehensive international effort and heavy investment in high-tech equipment and training for agents.
The report also noted the problem of demand. The use of drugs has become a growing health care crisis. The U.N. believes access to addiction and health services to tackle drug addiction could impact the market, giving smugglers fewer options for selling their product.
