“Colombia has neglected the issue of security, which is a very important part and for this reason there has been a record increase in the territories planted with coca.”
This was stated by Ragul Gupta, the United States anti-drug czar, in a discussion at the Center for International Strategic Studies (CSIS), in which he emphasized that these high levels in Colombia are a threat not only to his country but to other nations in the world.
After emphasizing this “alarm” for the US, the Biden administration official highlighted the relationship it has with Colombia to support the establishment of drug crops and drug trafficking.
“With Colombia we have a cooperative relationship that is historic. At the same time, we are reviewing the entire spectrum of cooperation that includes eradication, interdiction and alternative development, since they are all tools that are required. It is important, for example, to empower people in the country with programs like land titling and alternative development to move away from farming,” Gupta said.
He added that when security was neglected in different Colombian territories, illicit crops increased, so “there is no possibility of generating the alternative development that those regions need.”
The Petro Government made a change of focus in the fight against drugs, thus, last April, it indicated that it is working on a strategy for the voluntary eradication of illicit crops that will allow it, in the coming years, to reduce by half the cultivated hectares, which a United Nations uniform United Against Drugs and Crime (October 2022) was located at 204,000 hectares.
Based on this line, the National Police participated at that time in the goal of eradicating drug crops for this year is 22,000 hectares.
News in development…