The UN has warned of a record increase in the production of cocaine, whichbetween 2020 and 2021, it scored 35 percent after a slowdown in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and attributes this to the expansion of coca bush cultivation and the improvement in the process of converting the leaf into cocaine hydrochloride.

Dutch ports are emerging as a new entry point for cocaine into Western Europe, which has “eclipsed” Spain and Portugal, according to a report released this Thursday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Colombia, where the vacuum left by the FARC has been filled by former guerrillas and foreign groups, continues to dominate. way to North America This does not apply to Europe, where shipments originate mainly from Central America.

In addition, the UN warned of a growth in the cocaine market in Africa and Asia, although it acknowledged that levels Europe and North America are the main consumers of this drug.

“The potential expansion of the cocaine market in Africa and Asia is a dangerous reality. I urge governments and others to carefully consider the report’s findings to determine how this transnational threat can be countered with an evidence-based transnational response. awareness, prevention and international and regional cooperationsaid Gada Wali, executive director of the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

Wali also warned that the main markets for cocaine, where its proportionate consumption is high, cover one fifth of the world’s population and that if it were equalized in other regions, the number of consumers would increase “monstrously”.

Human traffickers diversified their funds distribution through postal mail and parcel and courier services, the use of which has increased during the introduction of quarantines related to COVID-19. Drugs have been found hidden in books, religious images and even car parts.

Interceptions of cocaine shipments by authorities around the world have also skyrocketed, reaching 2,000 tons in 2021.

The report notes that countries such as Spain or Argentina have experienced reduced drug trafficking on passenger flights at the same time that they checked in large shipments of unaccompanied baggage.