Figures of cocaine seized in 2022 in the country were not seen since 2010

Colombian authorities seized 671 tons of cocaine in 2022, a record number for the country since 2010, year in which the registration began, the Ministry of Defense reported this Saturday.

(Read: They find 4,500 kilos of cocaine on a boat that carried Colombian cows).

“We must combat the illicit income that comes from drug trafficking that generates ills in our country“said Defense Minister Iván Velásquez, quoted in a statement from his office.

The official added that “the Public Force uses intelligence and increases the seizure and interdiction to achieve great results in terms of destruction of substances such as cocaine, marijuana, liquid and solid supplies, among others.”

The Department where more cocaine was seized in 2022 was Nariño (southwest) with 80 tons, followed by Bolívar (north) with 48.7 and Valle del Cauca (southwest) with 43.7, added the information. The total figure for 2022 is the highest since records exist because it exceeded the seizures made in 2021, which was 669.3 tons, by more than one and a half tons.

(In addition: The egg, chicken and coffee, the most affected by road blocks).

Likewise, last year 87.3 tons of coca base were seized, a growth of 17% compared to 2021 when 74.5 were seized for subsequent destruction. 484 tons of marijuana and one and a half tons of bazuco were also seized.

addition “toThe number of gallons of seized liquid supplies for the production of illicit drugs increased, since in 2022 12,084,676 gallons were found, while in 2021 there were 11,100,766 gallons, with a difference of 8.9%”added the Ministry of Defense.

The coca crops in Colombia grew by 43% in 2021the year in which 204,000 planted hectares were registered, while in 2020 that figure was 143,000 hectares, according to the annual report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Unodc) published in 2022.

These figures are the highest recorded in the 22 years that Unodc’s Integrated System for Monitoring Illicit Crops (Simci) has been presenting its annual report.

EFE