Dear World
Another topic in our Real Truth series –
The Real Truth about Cocaine
This presentation is a 911 wake up call, so listen up and pay attention to what cocaine is really about and the impact it is having on ALL of us.
The following is an extract taken from our forthcoming book titled The Real Truth about Cocaine.
What is Cocaine?
Cocaine
A powerfully addictive stimulant drug from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. (1)
Cocaine (benzolymethylecgonine) is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid stimulant found in specific varieties of the coca plant, in particular Erythroxylum coca (E.coca) and Erythroxylum novogranatense (E. novogranatense).
E. coca and E. novogranatense are native to the Andes region of western South America.
E. coca is cultivated in the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Peru.
E. novogranatense is cultivated in Colombia and Central America.
The two most common forms of cocaine are hydrochloride salt and cocaine base.
Powdered hydrochloride can be snorted, rubbed into the gums or dissolved in water and injected.
Cocaine base, often referred to as ‘crack’ has a rock crystal appearance and is readily converted into vapour with heat, making it suitable for inhalation.
(Baker et al. 2004; US DEA 1993). (2)
Crack is simply another form of cocaine that is smoked rather than snorted because the surface area of the lungs is much bigger than that of the membranes in the nose.
The drug is absorbed much more quickly, making the hit faster and more intense.
The speed and intensity of the hit makes it much more addictive.
The high from crack is so powerfull – users can become totally consumed by the drug.
It becomes more important than eating or washing and this leads to a rapid deterioration in an addict’s health and appearance. (3)
History of Cocaine
Coca is one of the oldest, most potent and most dangerous stimulants of natural origin.
3000BC
Ancient Incas in the Andes chewed coca leaves to get their hearts racing and to speed their breathing to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air.
Native Peruvians chewed coca leaves only during religious ceremonies. This taboo was broken when Spanish soldiers invaded Peru in 1532. Forced Indian laborers in Spanish silver mines were kept supplied with coca leaves because it made them easier to control and exploit. (4)
Initially the Spanish invaders banned coca “an evil agent of the devil”, but then the incomers discovered that without what the natives called their “gift of the gods”, the locals could barely work the fields – or mine gold. Suddenly, coca was not only legalised but taxed, with the occupiers taking a tenth of every crop. Coca leaves were distributed three or four times a day to the workers during their breaks. (5)
1859
Cocaine was first isolated (extracted from coca leaves) by German chemist Albert Niemann.
1880s
Cocaine started to be popularised in the medical community.
Freud – Austrian psychoanalyst who used the drug himself was the first to broadly promote cocaine as a tonic to cure Depression and sexual impotence. (4)
1883
Dr. Theodor Aschenbrandt – German Army physician prescribed cocaine to Bavarian soldiers during training to help reduce fatigue. (6)
1884
Freud published an article “Über Coca” (About Coke) which promoted the ‘benefits” of cocaine, calling it a “magical” substance.
However, Sigmund Freud was not an objective observer as he is reported to have used cocaine regularly, prescribed it to his girlfriend, his best friend and recommended it for general use.
While noting that cocaine had led to “physical and moral decadence,” Freud continued promoting cocaine to his close friends, one of whom ended up suffering from paranoid hallucinations with “white snakes creeping over his skin.”
Freud believed that “for humans, the toxic dose of cocaine is very high and there seems to be no lethal dose.”
Contrary to this belief, one of his patients died from a high dosage that Freud had prescribed. (4)
Freud struggled for 12 years to break his cocaine habit. (7)
1886
Popularity of the drug got a further boost when John Pemberton included coca leaves as an ingredient in his new soft drink Coca-Cola. (4)
The drink was also derived from African kola nuts. (6)
Pemberton had originally made his own coca wine but when prohibition outlawed Alcohol in the USA he replaced the wine in his recipe with sugar syrup. (5)
At first it only sold at racially segregated soda fountains, it became popular among the white middle-classes. (7)
The euphoric and energizing effects on the consumer helped to skyrocket the popularity of Coca-Cola by the turn of the century. (4)
1850s – early 1900s
Cocaine and opium-laced elixirs (magical or medicinal potions), tonics and wines were broadly used by people of all social classes. The drug became popular in the silent film industry and the pro-cocaine messages coming out of Hollywood at the time influenced millions. (6)
Cocaine use in society increased and the dangers of the drug gradually become more evident. (4)
1899
Coca-Cola began selling the drink in bottles. The lower classes and minorities now had access to the cocaine-infused tonic. (7)
Early 1900s
Cocaine addiction was rampant since consumption of cocaine was new and unexplored. At that time, cocaine could be easily obtained from a local chemist or a street salesperson. (8)
Being sold over the counter, it was widely used in toothache cures and patent medicines. 99.9% pure cocaine reported in a hay fever and catarrh remedy. (5)
1900
US states started to consider anti-cocaine bills.
1902
Georgia was the first state to pass a law banning all forms of cocaine sales.
1903
The original Coca Cola recipe called for 5 ounces of coca leaves per gallon of syrup. This comes down to an estimated 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass. Due to legislation, Coca Cola stopped putting cocaine into their product in 1903. (9)
1905
Cocaine had become popular to snort and within 5 years, hospitals and medical literature had started reporting cases of nasal damage resulting from the use of this drug.
1906
Federal government USA passed the Food and Drug Act of 1906 requiring that cocaine containing products provide said cocaine information on their labels. (9)
1907
USA – the amount of coca leaf imported now 3 times amount in 1900. (6)
1912
United States government reported 5,000 cocaine related deaths in one year. (4)
1914
Cocaine was fully regulated with the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914. (7)
The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act established strict production and distribution standards. It was one of the country’s first forays into national drug legislation. (9)
The Act, introduced by Representative Francis Burton Harrison of New York effectively outlawed the sale and use of coca and opium products. (7)
1916
The famous department store Harrods in London sold a kit containing cocaine, morphine, syringes and needles. (5)
1922
Cocaine was officially banned in the United States. (4)
The Narcotic Drugs Import and Export Act was passed by federal lawmakers to create the Federal Narcotics Control Board (FNCB). Their job was to oversee the import and export primarily of drugs like coca. It also banned all recreational consumption of cocaine and ensured that it was being used for medical purposes only. (9)
1940s – 1960s
Cocaine usage declined
1970s
Colombian drug traffickers began setting up an elaborate network for smuggling cocaine into the United States.
Traditionally, cocaine was a rich man’s drug, due to the large expense of a cocaine habit. (4)
Cocaine regained popularity as a recreational drug and was glamourised in the US popular Media.
Articles from the time proclaimed cocaine as non-addictive.
The drug was viewed as harmless until the emergence of crack. (6)
Crack Cocaine
Freebase – Ether was used to “free” the base – hence the name, from any additives and impurities that were in traditional cocaine. A heat source, like a lighter or torch was then used to heat the freebase so the vapors could be inhaled.
Freebasing is a process that can increase the potency of a substance. The term is typically used in reference to cocaine, though it is possible to freebase other substances including nicotine and morphine.
Due to its chemical structure, cocaine cannot be heated and smoked.
Freebasing alters its structure in a way that makes it both smokable and more potent.
Cocaine is made from hydrochloride and alkaloid, which is also known as a “base.” (10)
The technique is highly dangerous because the mixture can easily ignite.
It is also a technique that tempts the user to overdose, since the high continues for ten minutes but the peak of the freebase rush is over almost as soon as the user exhales the vapour.
The risk of spontaneous freebase combustion led users to develop the most lethal form of cocaine – known as devil’s dandruff, food, rock or simply crack.
The cocaine is cooked with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate to a pale brown colour. (5)
The end result are crystal rocks that can be smoked in a pipe. (10)
In that form cocaine is at its most addictive – more than heroin. (5)
The name Crack comes from the crackling sound the rock makes when it is being heated. (10)
1971
USA
Federal government began their full-scale war on drugs.
In a speech by President Richard Nixon, he declared that Drug abuse was “Public Enemy #1.” (9)
UK
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Cocaine was classified as a Class A drug (8)
1973
The market moved north from Argentina, Brazil and Chile to Colombia.
1975
Colombia exported 4,000 kgs of cocaine to the US. (11)
Late 1970s
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the price of illegal cocaine dropped by as much as 80% as a glut of white powder flooded the U.S. market.
Dealers looking for new ways to sell their products turned to Crack.
Crack was produced by dissolving powdered cocaine in a mixture of water and ammonia and boiling it down until a solid formed. Broken into smaller chunks or “rocks,” this solid form could then be smoked.
Smoking crack brings a short, intense high, making the substance more addictive than powdered cocaine. Crack was also a lot cheaper than cocaine powder.
1980s
Crack usage began to surge.
Public concerns over illicit Drug use had been building throughout this decade and political tensions erupted as the US nation entered a so-called “crack epidemic”. (7)
During the latter part of this decade, cocaine was no longer thought of as the drug of choice for the wealthy. It now had the reputation of America’s most dangerous and addictive drug, linked with poverty, crime and death. (4)
80% of the global cocaine market was supplied by one Cartel who at its height were running its product up through the Caribbean.
Norman’s Cay, a small island in the Bahamas became a key stopover where drug planes could re-fuel enroute to the United States. This is due to one cartel co-founder buying property on the island in 1978. (11)
1982
First crack house discovered in Miami and it drew little national attention.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) thought it was a localised phenomenon.
1983
Crack appeared in New York and soon spread to other major cities.
1985
Where cocaine was expensive, crack could be bought at affordable prices and it became prevalent in working class and poorer neighborhoods. (6)
Crack sold for about $5 a rock in most USA cities. (7)
1986
The Federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, part of the “War on Drugs” established a disparity between the amount of crack and powdered cocaine needed to trigger certain criminal penalties at a weight ratio of 100:1 and set a mandatory 5 year minimum sentence for any crack cocaine possession.
For example – the same minimum penalty of 5 years was given for 1 gram of crack cocaine as for 100 grams of powdered cocaine. Opponents argued the law was racist since crack users were more likely to be African American.
In response to these criticisms, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced the weight ratio between crack and powder to 18:1 and eliminated the mandatory 5 year sentence for crack possession. (7)
1985 – 1989
Number of regular cocaine users in US went from 4.2 million to 5.8 million people.
Around the same time crime in some major cities spiked.
32% of all homicides tied to crack use.
60% of all drug-related homicides in New York City linked to crack.
1988 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (7)
1989
UK
The press and politicians warned of an epidemic; crack became the number 1 public enemy.
Home Secretary Douglas Hurd described crack as a spectator hanging over Europe. (3)
1990s
80% of the cocaine destinated for the US entered via Mexico (11)
500 – 800 tonnes of cocaine a year were produced and exported by the Colombian drug cartels for shipping to US, Europe and Asia. (4)
£200 thousand million – Drug Cartels gross annual turnover (12)
By mid 1990s the large cartels were dismantled by law enforcement agencies but they were replaced by smaller groups. (4)
How often have we come across something so huge that we cannot actually work it out in our brain because it is way beyond anything we have ever seen in the numbers department?
Do we need to just stop and pause to take a moment to digest all this stuff.
Hello Hello – This is about money and it is about profit and it is about Drugs.
For those that may not be aware a drug cartel is an association of manufacturers and suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.
So we know that there is one purpose – money and profit within an organisation that controls the start to finish. They make it, supply it and transport and deliver it to the customer.
If a thousand million is a billion, imagine what two hundred thousand million is and this is how much those involved in the production and supply of drugs have.
We could say this is mega big bucks but it does come at a price. Anyone trying to compete or take a slice out of the deal is not going to get far, as those that run the cartels go to violence and murder if anyone is in their way.
References
(1) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health. Washington, DC: HHS, November 2016, Appendices p.57
(2) (2019). Cocaine. Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). p.74-77 , 79-84. Retrieved December 11, 2020 from
https://www.acic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-09/Illicit%20Drug%20Data%20Report%202018-19_Internals_V10_Cocaine%20CH.pdf
(3) (2011). How Drugs Work: Cocaine. Documentary Heaven. Retrieved December 13, 2020 from
https://documentaryheaven.com/how-drugs-work-cocaine/
(4) (n.d). The Truth About Cocaine. Drug Free World. Retrieved November 29, 2020 from
https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/a-short-history.html
(5) (2006, March 2). Drug that Spans the Ages: The History of Cocaine. Independent. Retrieved November 30, 2020 from
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/drug-spans-ages-history-cocaine-6107930.html
(6) (n.d). A Social History of America’s Most Popular Drugs. PBS. Retrieved December 6, 2020 from
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/socialhistory.html
(7) (2018, August 21). Cocaine. History. Retrieved November 29, 2020 from
https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-cocaine
(8) Redman, M. (2011). Cocaine: What is the Crack? A Brief History of the Use of Cocaine as an Anesthetic. NCBI. Retrieved December 1, 2020 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4335732/
(9) (2013). Cocaine: History Between the Lines. Hankering for History. Retrieved November 29, 2020 from
https://hankeringforhistory.com/cocaine-history-between-the-lines/
(10) (n.d). Everything You Need to Know About Freebasing. Healthline. Retrieved November 30, 2020 from
https://www.healthline.com/health/freebasing
(11) (n.d). Cocainenomics. www.WSJ.com Retrieved December 14, 2020 from
https://www.wsj.com/ad/cocainenomics
(12) (1992). Crack Cocaine. Documentary Heaven. Retrieved December 12, 2020 from
https://documentaryheaven.com/crack-cocaine/
Comments 32
Euro News – 14 February 2020
https://www.euronews.com/2020/02/14/flower-pow-d-er-smelling-this-year-s-valentine-roses-could-leave-you-on-a-real-high
Some cocaine news earlier this year which is worth reporting
Columbia is the second largest exporter of flowers and also a leader in cocaine production.
Drug traffickers find more and more ways to transport the drug on to the international market, Valentine’s day has become a red letter day for both industries. Flowers are the new conduit.
” We have found that they not only camouflage drugs in the nuclei of the flower, but also in the stems of the flower. In the boxes in which the flowers are wrapped, we have found that they have camouflaged the alkaloid to be exported.” José Fernando Acosta Moya, National Police lieutenant colonel:
In 2018, police discovered more than 400 kilos of cocaine in flower shipments.
Because of this, flower farms have joined alliances to ensure that exports are free from illegal activities, taking extra care of the selection and hiring of their workers, of suppliers and of all the packaging material that is required for export.
They have to operate under strict safety measures where cameras monitor every step of the process to make it difficult for smugglers. Barcodes trace the flowers from origin and trucks are checked for hidden compartments and then sealed before embarking.
They will only be opened upon arrival at the airport, where the police inspection begins immediately.
More than 400,000 boxes of flowers have gone through scanners in the last month and 27,000 were checked by hand by a hundred police officers.
The measure appears to have worked as police drew a blank on all 600 million stems exported on Valentine’s Day 2020.
Dear World – are we all aware of the first sentence?
We have a country as a leading producer of cocaine and also the 2nd largest exporter of flowers.
Is this a no brainer for drug trafficking and are we aware of how long this has been going on?
It takes resources to scan four hundred thousand boxes of flowers and get our police to check by hand 27,000 flowers.
While we draw a blank, our drug traffickers remain on the front foot, creating new ways to supply the global demand.
As more and more of us resort to drugs like cocaine as the self-medication of choice, these drug traffickers get more and more busy.
Most of us would not even be able to imagine how they create ways to transport their shipments from one country to the other side of the world, but they do and they will continue to do so and nothing is going to stop them.
The only way we will stop the rise in drug trafficking, which comes with violence and corruption is to get to the root and that means those that demand – the customer. The consumer of this toxic illegal substance has to stop wanting more of what they know is not the answer to what they are trying to numb, bury or avoid about what is going on for them in life.
Let us put down our judgements, criticism and “this is so shocking” phrase about drug dealing and all that it entails when we, yes we – those that consume it are the ones that keep this global drug business where it is at today.
It is high time we got real education into schools with articles like this being presented by authors that have done their homework, so to speak.
Let us use public funding to monitor the results of how our kids will grow up and their views on drugs like cocaine if real education is presented in this way at school. Let us be empowered by knowing that Independent research is taking place and those researchers are working for ALL of us and there is a new element we can call TRANSPARENCY. This means no hidden agenda and no new hypothesis or their favourite line at the end which is “we need to do more studies”.
If there is real change from real education, let us use this as a template and roll it out to more schools and colleges worldwide.
On that note, Simple Living Global are on the front foot delivering articles that would serve all our kids, if only we realised this.
We seem to forget that these children will be our future adult generations and the current trend tells us we are missing something as more and more children are seeking drugs or becoming drug mules in some form as they can go undetected, under the radar, so to speak.
Could the education of the future be more focussed on the evolution of human beings and not the involution, which means things get worse, our solutions don’t work and we are going nowhere? In other words, how our current model of human life is.
CNN World News – 19 January 2021
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/19/europe/spain-cocaine-seizure-paraguay-scli-intl/index.html
Police have seized more than 2 tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of charcoal at a port in southern Spain, linked to a large scale drugs smuggling network with connections to Paraguay and Brazil.
Authorities investigated the network – members of which had attempted to cover their tracks by setting up legitimate businesses for more than a year, according to a statement from Spain’s national police.
Police had worked out the structure of the network and how they were operating. Cryptocurrencies were used by a known money launderer to hide money and is known to work with many criminal groups from Eastern Europe and South America involved in the trafficking of drugs, weapons and people.
Due to the sophistication of the network, police had to tap more than 100 phones and follow suspects in various Spanish provinces. During the course of the investigation agents searched homes and businesses as well as almost 200 containers sent to Spain from Brazil and Paraguay.
Is this big ton seizure just the tip of the iceberg as they say?
How much is getting to the destination when it comes to cocaine?
Reading this article, it is clear the demand is very high and continues to rise. This means those involved in the production and the trafficking will do what it takes in the name of profit.
Let’s say something abstract here – if money was removed from this game, what would happen?
Would the drug world be operating as it does right now or will they tell their customers to get lost and find their own way of getting high or intoxicated?
Money is the big motivator for the drug industry and it is what it is because all those involved put profit before people as their way of operating.
The people are the drug users and let us be reminded that they do not care about what happens to their own body or the consequences of their demand for cocaine.
What if there was a research study where people were educated with articles like this being presented and the questions discussed and expanded on by way of a forum or classroom setting with teachers like the author of this blog?
How many would think twice, not go there or seriously consider what impact their ill choice is having, not only on them but all of us, as it is never just about us, even though we would like to think it is as that makes it a bit easy to digest.
Back to the cocaine network. This is business for them and they plan and organise and have meetings no doubt to carry out their work with such precision and calculation. As the video links shared in this forensic article says, they kill if needed in the name of cocaine yet very few of those that consume this drug are concerned about how it gets to their hands. If they were and had the awareness, would they continue or has this drug got the addiction factor that takes over and erases the moral compass and innate common sense that we all do know and have?
Worth considering what has just been presented.
Reuters – 19 July 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/costa-rica-seizes-43-tons-colombian-cocaine-2nd-biggest-bust-its-history-2021-07-19/
4.3 tons of cocaine originating in Columbia was seized in Costa Rica – the 2nd largest drug bust ever and the biggest this year.
The shipment of cocaine was transported in a container loaded with ceramic floor tiling aboard a commercial ship.
In 2021 so far they have seized almost 40 tons of marijuana and cocaine.
Costa Rican authorities seized nearly 57 tons of cocaine in 2020, which is 56% rise from the previous year, according to the Security Ministry.
14.5 tons of Marijuana was seized in 2020
Next –
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/drugs-cocaine-seize-costa-rica-b1886777.html
Panama and U.S. authorities seized an additional 5.4 tons of Colombian cocaine that was on its way to Costa Rica.
Authorities found 81 sacks of cocaine and another 147 were found in a wooded area.
The drugs were on the way for further shipping, likely to be North America and Europe.
The cocaine was worth $185 million and accounted for more than 13 million doses of the drug.
Law enforcement in Spain and France seized over 5 tons of cocaine indicating that the syndicate is operating in at least 4 countries.
According to the director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Organisation, the syndicate became a power player in the world of international drug trafficking by cutting out costly intermediaries and using its own agents to deal directly with Columbian drug manufacturers.
Dear World
Are these just numbers and can we comprehend the real scale of this drug?
This article by Simple Living Global is well worth a few reads and then some more. The video documentary gives a raw insight into how the drug is made and what goes on to get the drug to the delivery destination. The harm cocaine causes to the human body is alone an eye opener and wake up call. Yet we seem to have an even bigger demand than ever before.
WHY?
What on earth is going on in our life, that we need a mind altering toxic poison to alter our state of being and we have no care, regard or sense of what the consequences are?
Nothing is working and our solutions are failing us.
These seizures are great news for the authorities but with due respect to those involved, how much more cocaine is slipping off the radar and getting through to the customers that demand this drug?
Are we really on the front foot with cocaine and all other drugs like heroin and cannabis OR are the suppliers well ahead of the game and finding and creating more ways to supply as the demand increases?
For the masses, a pandemic with lockdown restrictions stopped activity. For those in the drug world business, manufacturing and trafficking continued and restrictions seemed to have zero affect. How we know this is the indication given by the volume of seizures in the past year. Nothing will stop them and we all know that.
What can and will stop the suppliers is the demand.
Time we all wake up and get this simple equation.
There can only be a supplier for drugs if there is a customer.
When it comes to cocaine, we are seeing a meteoric rise in customer demand.
This means an ever more need for suppliers to get on the front foot and deliver.
Independent News – 16 August 2021
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priti-patel-middle-class-cocaine-b1903337.html
The Home Secretary in the UK has announced that police forces are to “make an example” out of middle-class cocaine users in a new crackdown on recreational drug use.
The cabinet minister is said to be keen for senior officers to name and shame some wealthy “high profile” users in a bid to shift the perception that some can take Class A drugs without any consequences.
Chief constables have also been asked to target cocaine use at University campuses in Autumn, with officials considering raids during freshers’ week to push home the message.
“One of the issues is that they do not think they will ever get punished and that there is no realistic prospect of the police pursuing them”.
Will this drive to make sure people are being punished and others realise going to work?
Will high profile arrests affect those who are well off and living in nice neighbourhoods and doing good work and using cocaine?
Will the government strategy and tackling this problem work in the long term or will it drive cocaine users more underground, so to speak? Middle class income allows not only easy access to cocaine as they are not interested how it gets to them or how much it costs, as these are not issues they have. Middle class in the UK can also buy anonymity for those that choose this way so let’s not all get too excited that this will work. What we need is a big dose of Absolute honesty and common sense.
Are middle class cocaine users going to take note or does the drug that controls their lifestyle choices going to suddenly make the movements to change or give up?
In other words, can these addictive behaviours just go because of the government openly saying what they will be doing.
Is our government push on the front foot by making examples of “people held in high esteem but fuelling ongoing crime and murders to the drug trade”?
Do we really hold these people in ‘high esteem’ or can we see through the lies and just pretend we do?
Are those of us that do not take drugs aware enough to realise that we do not respect or admire another in society when we know they take cocaine?
Is it possible that we need to start educating those that in the future will be cocaine users by bringing awareness with articles like this one and presentations by those that live a transparent life, free of drugs and the ills that keep us away from our natural state?
A message to middle class cocaine users that can easily afford the drug – are they fully aware of how the drug is made and how their direct dial delivery of cocaine gets to their doorstep? Are they aware of how their demand contributes to the violent crime among criminal gangs and where children are exploited, such as county lines?
And finally, back to this news story – WHY are we not sending our researchers in with Independent studies funded by the public purse to find out WHY anyone out there, regardless of social class takes cocaine?
What happened and what triggered them to take the first smoke, snort, puff or injection of any type of drug?
Could this give us some real and proper answers, so that we can find the root of where this dis-ease that is destroying lives and costing society is, instead of just putting effort into naming and shaming as a warning to others?
All points here worth considering and then re-read this article and watch the video link.
I was walking past a coffee market stall in a city church yard and got talking to the young man who was packing up after a day’s work. He just felt like someone who may have another career and so I asked him and yes, he teaches online now and was grateful to find work as the pandemic hit him hard. He could see how no work was making him lose touch with humans and have no income. He supplements his other job with serving coffee outside in all weathers with croissants and other cakes.
He opens up and shares about his last job, working in sales, for a PR company and that he walked out after 2 days. His new boss offered him cocaine at midday and this was not what this young 20 something guy was interested in and of course had no idea this goes on. I told him I have heard about this so much and this is where a lot of us are naive or turn a blind eye. Cocaine is rife in the business working world and it is no different to lunch time boozing or recreational drugs after work or at the weekends.
For those that subscribe to this, cocaine gives them the buzz, the high, the false altered state that they can do anything, achieve anything and be anything they want, without the need to take care of what their body naturally needs and that is quality sleep and rest. Without this, we are going to throw our whole internal state of being out of sync, off track and out of rhythm.
WHY are organisations allowing this type of behaviour or are we saying they don’t know?
Are those at the top too busy investing in what they want and so it suits them to not ask questions, when they know some of their senior staff are snorting cocaine at lunch time?
Gordon Ramsey, the well known UK chef found out about drug taking in his restaurants and it rang alarm bells as his own brother was a cocaine addict. He called a meeting and offered support. Another industry known for drug taking is the hospitality sector. Long hours and little or no breaks, late nights and shift work, requires a strong and fit body, but very few of us know how that can be possible. We find a way that keeps us going and this white powder is readily available. What we forget is the addictive nature of cocaine and the difficulty in coming off it. We need more high profile people like Ramsey bringing the truth about cocaine to the awareness of the public, as he does so in the documentary quoted in this article.
Back to the market stall young man. He had integrity, he was willing to be unemployed, which he was but he was not prepared to continue in a new job where cocaine was seen as the normal to achieve high performance in sales.
How many of us would be doing the same or are we heavily invested in job security? In other words, we need the security of the income and are willing to turn a blind eye to anything that is not true, even if it unsettles us inside or brings about some form of disturbance, because we can sense it is completely wrong and abusive.
BBC News – 26 November 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-59379474
Cocaine collectors provide a vital link in the European narcotics supply chain.
The job of a cocaine collector is to get the drugs out of the container and away from the docks, from where they will be transported to Berlin, London and Amsterdam. These young men are employed by powerful criminal networks.
Collectors make €2,000 euro for every kilo of cocaine they carry out.
This business has exploded and the volume of cocaine imported into the Netherlands rises exponentially and the methods used by collectors is becoming more sophisticated.
At times the cocaine is not physically taken out of the port, instead the job is to transfer the drug to another container, with the help of an insider. This will then be transported out of the port by truck.
Collectors might stay in a ‘hotel’ container for days. Some are aged 14 or 15.
Rotterdam port is the largest in Europe. Over 23,000 freight containers are processed every day.
“Central to the work of cocaine collectors and the criminal organisations they work for is one critical enabler: Corruption.”
Inspectors are paid and hand over their security pass. Customs officer takes off a container for inspection from the list for the cocaine collector. If an insider refuses to co-operate, the collectors use intimidation.
If they say No their kids are threatened – very quickly.
People are being approached at home to place containers near a fence. Some resign as they are scared and can no longer work in this way.
The city’s criminality has a lot of connection with the drugs problem in the harbour and there is a shooting incident almost every day. Violence is now increasing.
‘Everyday in the city, 40,000 lines of cocaine are sniffed. Each line has a history of violence, extortion and death’ says Hugo Hillenaar, Chief Prosecutor.
Rotterdam’s south bank is one of the most deprived urban areas in the Netherlands and many of the city’s cocaine collectors come from this area. Quarter of the population is under 23 and more than half are from migrant background.
There are plans to enforce prison sentences next year but given the large sums of money on offer, many of the young cocaine collectors will not be deterred. They know they are a vital link in Europe’s cocaine chain and this business is not going to end any time soon.
In other words, they have a job, albeit high risk but for most, the money is the motive and nothing will stop those who have this inner poverty to make money as they see it fast and guaranteed.
Yes, we can all get real and honest, cocaine supplies are not yet a downward trend because the demand is rising.
What most of us focus on is NOT looking at where the real demand is coming from and whilst this gets ignored, forgotten or overlooked, we can without a doubt expect a continuous rise in the cocaine trade.
If we read back on this comment, those that work inside – border officials and customs officers are enablers, as they enter the game or they leave if their moral compass tells them, or they feel threatened.
This is the current state of the world. We read a news story and may even ponder on it for a moment or forget about it as it disturbs us, but if we don’t get talking or commenting then we cannot bring on any real change.
Let us all be reminded that Corruption has to stop and whilst it continues, those that play a part, whatever that is, are equally complicit and fuelling the drugs industry.
Those that purchase on speed dial like a take away and have it delivered to the door step may not yet have considered or woken up to the fact that to get it there may have involved violence and even murder.
Was it worth is?
And at what cost, if human life is involved?
NATIONAL CRIME AGENCY UK – 4 February 2022
https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/lorry-driver-smuggled-cocaine-in-shipment-of-frozen-potatoes
A heavy goods vehicle (truck/lorry) driver has been jailed for smuggling cocaine in a shipment of frozen potatoes from the Netherlands and on its way to the UK.
The street level value was estimated by the National Crime Agency officers at £480,000, which is approximately $650,000 US dollars.
This news story is just out and there are plenty more of these being reported where drug smuggling is at the centre.
Netherlands is known for being a destination where drugs come from countries where they are produced and get distributed to countries like UK, where we all know there is a high demand for cocaine.
A point to note here is ‘frozen potatoes’. This detail may be insignificant or even laughable but who on earth comes up with these new ways to get the drugs delivered. We could say that those involved in the trafficking of drugs are on the front foot and with due respect to all those working so hard and putting great effort into catching the criminals, we are nowhere near on the front foot. This is just a fact and we do know this.
Do we honestly think that those that make the demands are not getting what they want just because we put some organised crime groups out of business?
In other words, are those that want their cocaine going to accept “not today mate, we just got busted” or are they going to make sure their dealer delivers and they are not interested what happens along the way? That means they want the drugs as they need the drugs and they have to not want to know about any crime, violence or human pain that may be endured by others to get that white powder delivered to them on their doorstep.
We all know that crime is never going to stop if there is a demand going on.
This means while some want it then others will deliver as that is how it works.
It is high time to start having conversations as to WHY we need to take cocaine in the first place. What is going on and why are we using a narcotic that is dangerous and very serious and is destroying not only our body but the lives of others around us and those involved in the drugs trade?
There is a bigger picture here to consider from this tiny news story report from the UK National Crime Agency.
Sky News – 6 April 2022
https://news.sky.com/story/cocaine-bust-worth-300m-is-largest-uk-seizure-since-2015-as-drugs-found-in-banana-shipment-in-southampton-12582981
UK Border Force seized 4 tonnes of cocaine hydrochloride, used to make crack cocaine. It was hidden in a container of 20 banana pallets which had arrived from Columbia.
The street value is over £300 million and is the biggest cocaine bust since 2015.
Whilst the seizure sounds impressive, the large seizures are ‘clearly not working to deter criminals’, according to the Senior Policy Analyst at Transform Drugs Policy.
He reminds us that Cocaine deaths are up 40-fold since the 1990s.
Every year, it becomes cheaper, purer and more available.
More and more young people are being groomed and exploited in county lines.
County lines is the name given to urban drugs suppliers who move out to rural areas, often grooming and exploiting children to sell the product.
According to the National Crime Agency – the UK Cocaine market is worth more than £25.7 million daily.
On that note, we could say that a haul of around £300 million is hardly going to affect those that make the demands. In other words, if we have an industry operating at around 25 million a day, we are nowhere near on track to dealing with the issue at hand.
Dear World,
With the huge amount of resources and effort that goes into these seizures, would it be wise to at least consider some serious questions like:
Have we joined the dots about county lines?
We know that they exist because we have punters, yes those that demand from their rural habitats a drug that not only destroys their body but comes with crime to get it to their doorstep.
Have we stopped long enough to ask how on earth does one small country need so much cocaine in one day – 25 million pounds worth? Hello
Have we worked out that our drug suppliers are very creative, they will move on from bananas and find another way because let’s get real and super honest – this trade is not going to suddenly stop. WHY? Because those that seek it, those that make the demand are quite content asking for more and turning a blind eye to how it gets to them. In other words, they are not interested in the violence or other crimes that take place so that they can have what they want, when they want and how often they want.
This article by Simple Living Global and the video link are a great reminder of The Real Truth about Cocaine.
Independent News – 19 May 2022
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/football-cocaine-ban-passport-violence-b2082288.html
News Headlines
Cocaine-fuelled football hooligans to be given 5 year match ban, government announces
Police are increasingly finding class A drugs ‘at heart of disorder’ at games.
Warning of an “ugly violence” at some football games this season, which “has shocked all the leagues. We must Act” says the UK government’s policing minister.
The prime minister said “Middle class coke heads should stop kidding themselves, their habit is feeding a war on our streets, driving misery and crime across our country and beyond”.
This contradicts some experts, including the governments own drugs tsar who say it is largely the trade of crack cocaine and heroin that fuels rising street violence in Britain.
Dear World
Regardless of the contradictions – it is worth noting that the general population associate illegal drugs like cocaine to be taken by those dealing on the streets and offenders of some kind. Never do we imagine or even allow a thought to enter that those with wealth, status or so-called “middle-class” background that comes with the well paid job, decent house in a residential area and the superficial outward appearance that all is ok and nothing else going on is far from the truth.
Time we all wake up and take note. There is a huge supply of drugs including cocaine passing through our borders and this article on Cocaine by Simple Living Global is well worth re-reading and paying attention to including what the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey has to say. His diners are generally the middle-class and cocaine is on the menu, so to speak. NOT from Ramsey of course as he is most certainly against the drug that killed his brother.
Worth considering how on earth we would need such a huge supply if there was little or no demand. Cocaine is increasing and we are no where near stopping it. This is a fact that most of us simply do not want to admit, acknowledge or become aware of.
Euro News – 7 June 2022
https://www.euronews.com/2022/06/07/italy-seizes-over-four-tons-of-cocaine-linked-to-colombian-gulf-clan
Italian authorities have seized over 4 tons of cocaine with a street value of €240 million.
Authorities estimate that criminal groups paid €96 million for the cocaine.
The haul is one of the largest ever drug busts in Europe.
Italian anti-mafia investigators said in a statement that the undercover operation is linked to one of Columbia’s largest criminal gangs that operates a network across 28 countries.
The Times – 31 January 2022
One third of worldwide cocaine deals on the ‘dark net’ take place in Britain, according to figures from the National Crime Agency.
The style is same day delivery and this has fuelled a drugs trade that is worth £80 million a year to the biggest dealers.
One dealer on the dark net claims they are one of the oldest carrying out more than 140,000 sales a month. They use oversized packaging to avoid police detection.
The dark net is a small part of the £132 billion annual trade in drugs in Europe and North America.
There have been a number of significant arrests recently, which are going through the courts – international dealers dealing in Class A drugs. A lot of these individuals lead fairly routine lives and could be your neighbours, says NCA Intelligence Manager, Alexander Hudson.
Dear World
This website is loaded now with research reporting like this news story.
We have a global multi billion drug industry and get told 1 in 3 dark net cocaine deals are in Britain and we know there is a small population compared to some other countries. That means more people than we would like to consider admit taking the white stuff – cocaine.
Now what and what happens next?
Whilst our Crime Agencies worldwide combat the drugs industry are they really on the front foot and is it because the demand is increasing?
We tend to always blame the drug lords and those in the supply chain but they would be outta business tomorrow, if the demand just suddenly stopped.
We seem to be good at ignoring that demand is WHY we need supply and not the other way around. Is this too simple and why we have not worked it out yet?
At what cost is it really to human life if we knew how that “on your door delivery” got there?
Do we know that others probably got trafficked, abused and even killed to get the white stuff on time to you?
Without getting the children and youth of today educated with the facts as presented on this in depth article about cocaine, we stand little or no chance of seeing real change.
Euro News – 22 October 2022
https://www.euronews.com/2022/10/22/europe-hit-by-cocaine-wave-sparking-a-rise-in-violence-europol-says
Europe is being hit by a “wave of cocaine” according to Europol.
The law enforcement agency for the European Union admits the problem is worse than it first realised, with organised crime networks better connected and increasingly violent.
240 tonnes of cocaine was seized in 2021.
UN have identified coca leaf plantations have increased by at least 43% since 2020 in Peru and Columbia.
Columbia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine and much of the product ends up in the U.S. and Europe.
An EU report in May 2022 blamed record levels of drug trafficking for sparking violence across the continent.
The Netherlands have seen several high-profile deaths linked to cocaine gangs in the country, particularly Amsterdam. This included the country’s best known crime reporter Peter R. de Vries who was gunned down in the street.
Dear World
Once again we are reporting on the rise in cocaine demand and we all know it comes with violence and so much more as the traffickers have a job to do and that is deliver.
Whilst the record number of seizures is applaudable, we must keep sight of the reason WHY we have cocaine suppliers doing what is needed to deliver.
They supply if there is a DEMAND. So can we start to focus on that word and dig a bit deeper with our line of questioning.
Where is the demand coming from?
Who are those that want cocaine like a pizza delivery?
Why is Cocaine a drug of choice for so many these days?
Where is this demand going to end or is it telling us these punters are addicted?
Are we prepared to admit cocaine is not the guy on the street begging for a hit, but the everyday average jo with the job and car and also those that are so-called well off/ Those that society would never question as they hold positions of high regard.
Drug traffickers are on the front foot and no amount of trying to keep up and championing our record levels of seizures is dealing with the root of this ill that is killing our world. To stop cocaine we ought to look at where the demand is and find out WHY these kinds of people need an altered state of being to function in life.
The author has repeated this over and over again, simply because all other avenues are now exhausted so it would be a wise move to get to the root of this. No point saying the throwaway line “before its too late” – it already is.
In Spain News – 3 December 2022
https://inspain.news/the-largest-amount-of-cocaine-seized-in-spain-for-over-4-years/
5.5 tons of Cocaine seized in the port of Valencia, Spain. This is the largest seizure in Spain for more than 4 years and the most important seizure in the port since records began.
Had the Cocaine reached its destination in Spain, once cut, it would have had a street value of over €340 million.
The investigation began in 2021 looking into legal imports to Spain of fruit and vegetables coming from the other side of the Atlantic. By September police were able to intervene in the port of Barcelona where 70 kilos of Cocaine was found.
The Maritime Executive – 8 February 2023
https://maritime-executive.com/article/new-zealand-recovers-3-tons-of-cocaine-floating-in-the-pacific-ocean
NEW ZEALAND RECOVERS 3 TONS OF COCAINE “FLOATING” IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN
The New Zealand Defence Force working in conjunction with law enforcement and customs believe this was a “transit point” for international drug smugglers.
$316 million was the value estimated by the New Zealand Police Commissioner, Andrew Coster and due to its size, it was likely meant for the Australian market. He estimated that there was enough cocaine found to supply Australia for one year or 30 years in New Zealand.
This was one of the biggest single seizures of illegal drugs by the authorities in New Zealand.
“Cocaine floats” said Greg Williams – Director of New Zealand Police, organized crime group. He explained that the drugs were wrapped in nets with flotation devices and left in the ocean for couriers to collect. He said this operation is not uncommon.
Over the past few years during the pandemic, other police forces around the world have made similar observations about the increase in the size of shipments and new methods used by organized crime due to the changes in the global shipping markets.
The current seizure was estimated to be 4 times larger than New Zealand’s previous largest cocaine seizure.
Mail Online – 17 March 2023
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11873035/Albanian-drug-gangs-bringing-cocaine-misery-Ecuador-streets-Britain.html
A Daily Mail investigation reveals that Albanian gang members have ruthlessly seized control of the supply of cocaine in South America to flood Britain’s streets with record amounts of the drug.
See video link for a short documentary showing how these gangs control the supply of Cocaine in the popular seaside resort Brighton and Hove on Britains south coast.
According to a survey, 1 in 5 people have taken Cocaine.
UK Cocaine market is worth £2 billion with around 976,000 users.
The annual number of Cocaine related deaths has increased 7-fold in a decade.
Research by the National Crime Agency has shown that Albanian-organised crime groups control the Cocaine market across the main city and suburban areas of the UK (with the exception of Merseyside, where local gangsters remain in charge).
Those same groups are now involved in the distribution of Cocaine from Ecuador, where they have been involved in a battle with local cartels for supremacy in the International Cocaine trade.
Global Cocaine production has reached record levels as demand rebounds following the pandemic lockdowns.
UNODC – UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in a new report that coca cultivation rose by 35% between 2020 and 2021 and the largest markets were in Euroope and North America.
A leading Ecuadorian congressman revealed last month the Albanian Mafia has brought violence, bribery and front companies to the country, to build a million dollar illegal business that consists of buying Cocaine at a lower price in Latin America and market it in Europe.
“Drug trafficking, corruption and other forms of organized crime have contaminated a large part of the blood system of the Ecuadorian State, of the political class and its parties, of its institution of justice, of the financial system and have even penetrated the forces of order themselves responsible for fighting organized crime.”
Fernando Villavicencio – President of the Congressional Oversight Committee
Medical X press – 4 April 2023
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-cocaine-routinely-misdiagnosed-non-threatening-nasal.html
A new study indicates that granulomatosis with polyangiitis – nasal disease that causes inflammation of the blood vessels and commonly present with symptoms of sinuses, lungs and kidneys may be commonly mis-diagnosed.
Researchers say patients identified with sinus and nasal-limited form of the disease may actually be suffering from nasal damage due to cocaine usage.
Cocaine can cause significant health problems which include cocaine-induced midline destructive lesions.
Evidence shows that cocaine use can trigger the production of certain antibodies that can lead to a clinical presentation that closely resembles idiopathic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, formerly known as Wegener’s granulomatosis).
Together with occasional general symptoms such as arthralgia, fatigue and skin rash, the similarity between GPA and damage due to cocaine makes diagnosis difficult for physicians.
Researchers believe the possibility for mis-diagnosis is serious as the common treatments for GPA may be ineffective and even dangerous for ongoing cocaine users.
Sky News – 16 October 2023
https://news.sky.com/story/hong-kong-11kg-of-suspected-cocaine-found-in-electric-wheelchair-at-airport-12985425
11kg cocaine found hidden in electric wheelchair at Hong Kong airport.
The seat cushion and backrest had been opened and restitched.
Cocaine was concealed inside the interlinings of the cushions and the back of passenger’s check-in electric wheelchair.
HK$12 million (£1.2 million) was the value of the haul.
The passenger arrived in Hong Kong from a Caribbean country, via Paris.
Smuggling drugs is a serious offence in Hong Kong.
The maximum penalty is a fine of HK$5 million (£525,793) and life imprisonment.
There have been several widely reported cases of people using wheelchairs to smuggle drugs in recent years.
2022
In September £1.2 million worth of cocaine was found in a motorised wheelchair at Milan airport in Italy.
Dear World
What this spells out to us clearly is the DEMAND for cocaine and other illicit drugs continues and that means suppliers will do whatever they can to deliver. There will always be someone ready to take the risk to supply as it comes down to profit.
What we seem to conveniently forget or dismiss is that those that demand the drugs need to be held responsible equalLy, but whilst they continue to place the orders on demand, then we will continue to see more ‘creative’ ways that suppliers will use to get the drugs through the official gates into a country.
Nothing has stopped the illicit drug trade up until now and nothing will change until we start questioning those that need and demand for the supply.
Let us not be ignorant or naïve about this. those that demand live on our streets and could be the boss at work or the high flying lawyer or another top job that society sees as very responsible and intelligent. Yes indeed, it is not just those that are drunk and homeless living on our streets.
Rutgers University – 25 October 2023
https://www.rutgers.edu/news/amid-cocaine-addiction-brain-struggles-evaluate-which-behaviors-will-be-rewarding
Researchers at Rutgers have used neuroimaging to demonstrate that cocaine addiction alters the brain’s system for evaluating how rewarding various outcomes associated with our decisions will feel. This dampens an error signal that guides learning and adaptive behaviour.
This new study provides strong evidence to suggest new strategies for treating addiction in general and cocaine addiction in particular.
https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(23)00700-6
This study demonstrates that people with chronic cocaine use disorders could struggle to learn from experience. It also shows why they struggle.
The researchers studied the brain’s prediction error mechanism by recruiting people who had been using cocaine for an average of 18 years to play simple decision-making games.
The group of participants that had used cocaine consistently pursued riskier playing strategies. They also had lower neural error signals when an unexpected reward was delivered or omitted as a result of those riskier decisions.
The findings strongly implicate the physiological effects of chronic cocaine use on the observed differences in brain function.
NCA – National Crime Agency – 23 February 2024
https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/nca-and-border-force-make-record-breaking-5-7-tonne-cocaine-seizure
The National Crime Agency and Border Force have made a record breaking Cocaine seizure.
5.7 tonnes of Cocaine – the biggest ever seizure of class A drugs in the UK.
£450 MILLION – value based on UK street level prices.
The haul was found in a container in Southampton. The drugs were hidden within a cargo of bananas which had been transported from South America.
2022
3.7 tonnes of Cocaine – Previous largest UK seizure.
The domestic Cocaine market is dominated by criminal gangs who the NCA believe to be making £4 BILLION a year in the UK alone.
The Cocaine trade has seen an exponential RISE in associated violence in the past few years.
Euro News – 28 March 2024
https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/03/28/more-people-in-belgium-need-nose-reconstruction-due-to-cocaine-use-doctors-say
Doctors are treating people in Belgium who present with serious nose problems due to Cocaine use.
More arriving at clinics with serious lesions in their noses amid RISING Cocaine consumption.
“These patients are relatively young, often in their 40s, with privileged socio-economic and professional backgrounds. They may be managers or teachers or people who work in banking or something like that.”
Dr. Philippe Lefebvre – Head of the ENT Department at CHU Liege
Cocaine can cause blood vessels to narrow in the nose which can damage tissue.
This can lead to perforations in the mucous membrane and the cartilage.
The nasal septum is affected and the internal structures.
“When the perforation of the septum is wider, this leads to a collapse of the nasal pyramid and this will be visible from the outside.”
Dr. Sophie Tombu – ENT Clinic | Liege Hospital Centre
Doctors say not many patients with Cocaine use can undergo operations like this because the patient needs to have stopped Cocaine consumption for at least 6 months for the mucous membrane to heal before the operation.
“Even if we have a lot of patients in consultation with this type of pathology, the number of operations is limited because stopping Cocaine is complicated” said Tombu.
A report published by the Belgium Health Authority states Cocaine use has INCREASED over the past 5 years in Belgium.
The Guardian – 11 June 2024
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/11/how-big-is-europes-cocaine-problem-and-what-is-the-human-cost
Cocaine consumption has rapidly increased across Europe in recent years.
Over the past 10 years, Europe has developed a serious Cocaine problem.
The drug is being transported, sold and consumed across the European continent in record amounts.
The INCREASING DEMAND from users and HUGE PROFITS to be made in this booming marketplace is re-shaping the International drug-trafficking trade on both sides of the Atlantic.
Its widespread availability is leaving a trail of Addiction, Organised Crime and Human Rights abuses.
Almost every country in Central and South America is now involved in the shipping of Cocaine to Europe.
Cargo is often transported via intermediate destinations in the Caribbean and West Africa.
21% of all global users of Cocaine in 2021 were people in Europe.
UK has the 2nd HIGHEST rate of cocaine use in the world.
1 in 40 British adults using the drug – MORE than any other country in Europe.
117 tonnes of Cocaine a year is consumed in England, Scotland and Wales.
2.5 MILLION age 15-35 used Cocaine in the last year in the EU.
2022
323 tonnes of Cocaine were seized by EU member states – the BIGGEST VOLUME of cocaine ever confiscated by the authorities.
37 tonnes seized by UK authorities from 2022-2023.
Europol
€7.6 BILLION AND €10.5 BILLION – total street level value of the European Cocaine market.
38% cheaper for a gram of Cocaine in 2020 compared with 2015.
Cocaine sells at up to twice as much in the U.S.
$1,000 in Columbia for a kilo of Cocaine is worth over $35,000 in Europe and can be sold for €50-€70 a gram.
2024
The infiltration of International Trafficking networks into Ecuador is causing community violence, gun crime and political instability.
Ecuador government declared a state of “Internal armed conflict” after attacks on cities, prisons, TV stations by narco gangs.
Countries along the supply chain – influx of arms, drug traffickers and Cocaine money are swamping cities with violence and crime; corrupting political institutions and law enforcement in countries such as Venezuela; creating a generation of Child Addicts; and leading to a surge in violent crime in Caribbean transit points such as Trinidad and Tobago.
EUROPE
Drug trafficking leading to UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS of Child Exploitation, Gun Violence and Crime.
Europe is now seeing levels of drug-related violence akin to that of Central America.
2023
Amsterdam warning that Cocaine was putting the Netherlands at risk of becoming a “narco state”, swamped with criminal money, violence and exploitation.
2023
Cocaine was the 2nd most frequently reported drug used by people admitted for drug use in hospital emergency departments across Europe.
2021
Cocaine was involved in one fifth of overdose deaths
BBC Wildlife – 12 June 2024
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/cocaine-smuggling-threatens-critical-bird-habitats
Cocaine smuggling is a threat to critical bird habitats in Central America.
The impact of Cocaine trafficking on the environment is only occasionally considered.
Scientists have found that following Cocaine seizures and other anti-narcotics operations, there was a massive spike in the suitability of the 5 most important forest areas within Central America for trafficking activity.Cocaine smuggling can lead to deforestation for a number of reasons.
The paper was published in Nature Sustainability
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01365-z
The paper reveals there can be illegal construction of both roads and landing strips to move shipments and it is accompanied by an expansion of cattle pastures to facilitate money laundering.
Cocaine production and smuggling is also linked to illegal mining, which also has hugely detrimental impacts on the environment.
This research study goes further than this to examining what these impacts mean for birds.
“One in five migratory species that overwinter in Central America from North America have at least half of their global population in areas at heightened risk for narco-trafficking.”
Dr. Amanda Rodewald – Senior Director of the Center for Avian Population Studies at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Europol – 13 June 2024
https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/cocaine-cartel-collapses-after-final-arrests-in-spain
A long run investigation – Cocaine cartel collapses after final arrests in Spain.
The criminal network, with leaders who were intercepted in Dubai and Turkiye, organised multi-tonne cocaine trafficking from South America to all across the EU.
The trafficking was from Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador to the EU.
SKY News – 17 June 2024
https://news.sky.com/story/germany-seizes-35-5-tonnes-of-cocaine-in-largest-bust-of-the-class-a-drug-in-europe-13154478
€2.6 BILLION worth of Cocaine was seized by German Police.
35.5 tonnes – authorities say is the biggest bust of the class A drug Europe has ever seen.
The cocaine was found in between crates of fruit and other legal goods.
Assets also seized, included 5 gold bars worth €23,000 each, a Porsche 911 Turbo worth €250,000 and other luxury items.
CNN World News – 17 July 2024
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/17/americas/paraguay-largest-cocaine-bust-intl-latam/index.html
Paraguay carries out largest Cocaine bust in its history.
4 tons found in sugar shipment headed for Europe.
$240 MILLION market value
“Nowadays, drugs don’t leave Paraguay, the drugs are confiscated here in our territory and now the big challenge is to prevent drugs entering Paraguay, clearly the country is not a Cocaine producer.
The country is used as a drug route and obviously this bust is going to discourage traffickers.”
Paraguay’s President Santiago Pena
Sky News – 12 August 2024
https://news.sky.com/story/sharks-off-brazil-coast-test-positive-for-cocaine-13183543
Sharks off the Brazil coast test positive for Cocaine, according to a new study from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil.
The drug was found in all Brazilian sharpnose sharks tested, with a concentration 100 times higher than previously reported for other aquatic creatures.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969724049477
Tonnes of cocaine found around Florida, South and Central America with researchers suggesting that sea life could be impacted by drugs.
This marks the first study to find the presence of Cocaine in free-range sharks and found the substance was more prevalent in muscle tissue than in the shark’s livers.
BBC News – 23 October 2024
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy5l4nknew0o
Drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales have hit the HIGHEST level in 30 years.
Fuelled by a 30% RISE in fatalities involving Cocaine.
HIGHEST rate of drug deaths is still among men in “Generation X”, particularly those aged 40-49, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Cocaine deaths were nearly 10 times HIGHER in 2023 than a decade earlier.
BBC News – 2 November 2024
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m0mjvlg1eo
Crack Cocaine ‘crisis’ on Dublin’s streets, at the school gate in the playground.
Communities cannot cope with the scale of drug use.
80% INCREASE in women reporting problematic Crack Cocaine use.
Dublin is in the midst of a crack cocaine crisis, according to the city’s drug counsellors.
594% INCREASE in 2023 from 2017 in the number of people seeking treatment for the use of the drugs in the Republic of Ireland, statistics from the Health Research Board show.
https://www.hrb.ie/press-releases/addiction-treatment-ndtrs-press-releases/hrb-reports-sustained-rise-in-demand-for-cocaine-treatment/
Crack is the street name given to a solid form of Cocaine that is usually smoked.
Many homes in Dublin had some form of addiction.
The drug-related intimidation is affecting individuals, families and whole communities are being held to ransom by the drug dealers.
In previous decades, Dublin had been battling Heroin in inner city communities.
Those at the frontline of addiction say a Heroin shortage, due to geopolitical changes in Afghanistan, has sparked an increase of crack cocaine use.
Euro News – 7 November 2024
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/11/07/spanish-police-seize-record-13-tonnes-of-cocaine-in-banana-shipment-from-ecuador
13 tonnes of Cocaine seized in Spain.
Authorities say the drug bust is the 2nd largest ever recorded in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide.
The drugs were intended to be distributed throughout Europe.
Officials found bricks of drugs hidden behind the bananas on a ship at the southern port of Algeciras. The container had arrived from Ecuador’s largest city and it was inspected because the exporter had been flagged as having a “history of illicit trafficking”.
Last year, the biggest Cocaine seizure in Spain was 9.4 tonnes, also in Algeciras.
100 tonnes were seized last year in Spain – more than double the amount seized in 2022.
Agencia Tributaria – 7 December 2024
https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/en_gb/notas-prensa/notas-prensa/2024/diciembre/7/intervenidos-3_300-kilos-cocaina-pesquero-canarias.html
3,300 kilos of Cocaine seized on a fishing boat – 1,000 miles west of the Canary Islands.
This was a joint operation of the Tax Agency with the National Police, the Judicial Police of Portugal and the Federal Policy of Brazil.
110 bales of 30 kilos of Cocaine each were found on board.
The vessel was detected sailing without lights and heading towards Spain.
Once intercepted, the agents verified that the crew were throwing a series of packages from the stern compatible with those normally used to transport drugs.
Given the precarious condition of the vessel, which had 2 open water leaks, it made it impossible to tow to port and due to the danger it posed – it was sunk.
Straight Arrow News – 2 December 2024
https://san.com/cc/massive-australian-cocaine-bust-reveals-smuggling-routes-growing-in-pacific/
Australia and Columbia seized record amounts of drugs and uncovering sophisticated smuggling operations.
Australia – a disabled fishing boat led to the country’s largest-ever Cocaine seizure.
2.3 tons off the coast of Queensland.
Authorities say drug runners smuggled the drugs from South America.
$760 million value.
Columbia – officials intercepted 6 “narco subs” highlighting a growing Pacific trafficking route aimed at high-demand markets.
1,400 metric tons of drugs including 225 tons of Cocaine and 128 tons of Marijuana seized.
Authorities said cartels have evolved into global networks, collaborating across continents to smuggle drugs to Europe, the U.S. and Oceania.
400 people were arrested and the operation revealed increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods.
One semisubmersible vessel could travel up to 10,000 miles without refuelling, indicating new trafficking routes targeting Australia, where Cocaine sells for up to $370,000 per kilogram.
Australia has the HIGHEST per capita Cocaine use globally and is a key destination for traffickers.
Europol – 14 March 2025
https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/large-cocaine-bust-in-ecuador-36-arrested-after-73-tonnes-of-drugs-seized
Large Cocaine seizure in Ecuador, led to dismantling of a criminal cell involved in supplying wholesale Cocaine to the EU via major ports.
73 tonnes of drugs
The criminal structure targeted in Ecuador is part of an Intercontinental criminal network involved in multi-tonne Cocaine trafficking via sea containers from South America to Europe.
The cell arranged the transport from Ecuador to Europe, managed money flows through different companies and frontmen and maintained contact with suppliers.
The criminal cells operating in Germany and Spain equipped with commercial and transport companies and drivers, handled the logistical part of the operation in Europe and the further distribution of the drugs within the EU.