Colombia will begin deploying drones to destroy coca crops, as the country grapples with record cocaine production that has fueled violence across South America and built tension with the Trump administration.
Coca production has ballooned under Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has taken a light approach to drug interdictions, with the number of hectares planted almost doubling between 2016 and 2024.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Petro had to “watch his ass” over the cocaine his country exports to the US, Axios reported.
Meanwhile, cartels’ fight for control over trafficking routes has set off an unprecedented wave of violence across South America, with the murder rate in Colombia’s neighbor Ecuador increasing fivefold since 2020.
