Illegal coca plantations
in Colombia reached record levels last year following a 17 percent
increase from 2016 to around 423,000 acres (171,000 hectares), the
United Nations said on Wednesday.
The UN Office on Crime and Drugs (UNODC) said that translated to a potential 31 percent increase in cocaine production from last year to almost 1,400 tons.
Coca leaf is the primary ingredient in the production of cocaine and current plantations generate 33 percent more leaves than they did in 2012.
"I want to express my deep concern about the amount of money that is moving around illicit drugs," said Bo Mathiasen, the UNODC representative to Colombia, at a press conference in Bogota.
Colombia remains way ahead of the rest of the world in terms of illegal coca plantations, while it is also the top producer of cocaine, much of it destined for the United States, the biggest consumer of the white powder.
Read more: Potential Colombian cocaine production jumps 31 percent | AFP.com
The UN Office on Crime and Drugs (UNODC) said that translated to a potential 31 percent increase in cocaine production from last year to almost 1,400 tons.
Coca leaf is the primary ingredient in the production of cocaine and current plantations generate 33 percent more leaves than they did in 2012.
"I want to express my deep concern about the amount of money that is moving around illicit drugs," said Bo Mathiasen, the UNODC representative to Colombia, at a press conference in Bogota.
Colombia remains way ahead of the rest of the world in terms of illegal coca plantations, while it is also the top producer of cocaine, much of it destined for the United States, the biggest consumer of the white powder.
Read more: Potential Colombian cocaine production jumps 31 percent | AFP.com
