The UN confirmed that global cocaine production reached 4,000 tons in 2024, quadrupling in just one decade. The increase is due to the expansion of crops in South America and more efficient refining methods. With 25 million global consumers, the drug is now cheaper and more accessible, which increases the risks of addiction and violence on the streets. Drug trafficking continues to gain ground.
Criminal logistics: how technology optimizes global trafficking 🚁
Drug trafficking networks have integrated GPS tracking tools, surveillance drones, and cryptocurrencies to move merchandise without leaving a trace. The labs use legally sourced chemical precursors and extraction processes that double the yield per hectare of coca leaf. Additionally, maritime routes rely on containers with falsified scanners and digital bribes. This technical sophistication allows them to evade controls and saturate the market with high-purity product.
The bright side: the black market creates jobs (without benefits) 💼
With 4,000 tons annually, drug trafficking consolidates itself as a dynamic sector: it offers jobs with no fixed schedule, no unions, and a retirement plan that usually includes a bullet. Of course, inflation does not affect cocaine, which drops in price while bread rises. An exemplary free market economy, where the only risk is ending up in a mass grave or, with luck, in a VIP cell. How lovely progress is.