Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Global cocaine production has surged to record high amid a rebound in the drug’s demand following Covid-19 lockdowns, a new report has found.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said coca cultivation rose by 35% between 2021 and 2022 to record levels.
Findings suggest fresh hubs for trafficking have emerged in West and Central Africa.
The report said traffickers were using international postal services more often to deliver drugs to consumers.
North America and Europe are the largest markets for cocaine, followed by South and Central America and the Caribbean. While the report said the markets in Asia and Africa were “still limited,” Ghada Waly, UNODC, said the potential for the market to expand over there was a dangerous reality.
Drivers of cocaine production boost
The report said that the production boost resulted from an expansion in coca bush cultivation and improvements in the method of converting coca into powdered cocaine.
It said: “Seizure data suggests the role of Africa, especially West and Central Africa, as a transit zone for cocaine on its way to European markets has picked up substantially since 2019.
“Both the total quantity seized in Africa and the number of large seizures, appear to have reached record levels during 2021.”
The report said the outbreak of Covid-19 had a “disruptive” effect on drug markets as global travel was severely curtailed. It added that during Covid, demand for cocaine slumped as bars and nightclubs were shut during the pandemic lockdowns.
