All About Coca

COCA / 3 DEC 2019

Murders have spiked in a northern Colombia town that borders Venezuela, is home to armed groups, and has an abundance of coca -- an explosive combination.

COCA / 29 OCT 2019

The Colombian government has been lauding the success of its stringent targets for the eradication of coca crops nationwide, but with replanting rates estimated at up to 67 percent, the…

COCA / 28 OCT 2019

A recent report on child labor in the municipality of Tumaco has shed light on why children and young people around Colombia find themselves cornered into participating in coca cultivation…

COCA / 3 OCT 2019

A spike in coca crops around a national park along the Bolivia-Peru border has accompanied a recent population boom and disintegrating security in the region, as well as a shift…

COCA / 16 SEP 2019

Peruvian authorities managed to identify close to 20 methods for hiding illegal chemical components being sent to criminal groups in the VRAEM, the country’s top cocaine-producing region.

BOLIVIA / 13 AUG 2019

Violent tensions are flaring in Bolivia's capital between hostile factions of one of the country's coca growers’ unions, escalating a long-simmering conflict for control of legal coca production in the…

COCA / 6 AUG 2019

A new UN study shows that while Colombia saw a slight drop in coca crop plantations between 2017 and 2018, this has not a knock-on impact on cocaine production, which…

COCA / 24 JUL 2019

The unveiling of a plan to protect community leaders involved in Colombia’s voluntary coca crop substitution program is not likely to alleviate security concerns, given the recent killings of such…

COCA / 12 JUL 2019

The south of Putumayo has re-emerged as Colombia’s second-largest coca producing center, following a period of demobilizations and crop substitutions that had led to a decrease in coca production. …

COCA / 1 JUL 2019

New US figures showing a tiny drop in Colombia’s drug cultivation over the last year are being hailed as evidence that a hardline crackdown is working, ignoring a more complex…

COCA / 3 JUN 2019

Dozens of gas stations in Colombia are under investigation for allegedly selling vast quantities of fuel to criminal groups to be used in coca paste processing, revealing how rural businesses…

COCA / 8 MAY 2019

Authorities have arrested two prominent drug traffickers in Peru’s largest coca-producing region in recent months, but the dentitions alone are unlikely to help remedy the country’s shortcomings in combating coca…

About InSight Crime

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This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

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InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

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Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…