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Global Cocaine Trade Reaches Record Highs as Synthetic Drugs Expand

Authorities are deploying new task forces alongside sanctions to curb a market fueled by record coca cultivation in Colombia

A coca plantation is seen next to a house in Tibu, Colombia March 5, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez/File Photo
This image from November 6, 2024 shows Spanish police and customs officers in Algeciras, Spain, next to seized cocaine found in a container from Ecuador.
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Global cocaine seizures recorded a high of 2,275 tons, marking a 68 percent rise in the four years to 2023

Overview

  • Illegal cocaine output jumped by 34% in 2023 to a record 3,708 tons, driven by expanded coca bush cultivation and higher yield estimates in Colombia
  • Global seizures climbed to 2,275 tons after US Treasury sanctions on suspected cartel operators and France established a national anti-mafia prosecutor’s office
  • The number of cocaine users rose to 25 million worldwide in 2023, with Australia and New Zealand recording the highest per-capita use at 3% of adults
  • Organized crime networks have opened new corridors into Asia and Africa via Brazil, Ecuador and Sahel transit hubs, diverting more product toward Europe and North America
  • Record seizures of methamphetamine-type stimulants, fentanyl and emerging nitazenes highlight the rapid spread of synthetic drugs that challenge current detection and legal controls