Maritime cocaine smuggling is the smuggling of cocaine between countries and territorial sea borders via maritime means, including boats, fishing vessels and ships. Cocaine cargoes are smuggled by various criminal groups and drug trafficking cartels from producing countries to other countries where cocaine is consumed. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are an estimated 18 million users of cocaine globally. Approximately 70–80% of cocaine is at some point smuggled across the ocean, originating from South America. Cocaine remains the "highest value criminal commodity for transnational organised crime", motivating the criminal organisations responsible for maritime smuggling practices. Maritime cocaine smuggling is therefore an ongoing international issue, characterised by continual adaptation in trafficking routes, transportation methods and concealment techniques as criminal organisations respond to changing operational conditions and law-enforcement efforts.
Historical overview Cocaine has been an illicit and abused substance for many years. Coca leaves, the source of cocaine, were previously (and still are) used in the Andes for the sole purpose of religious ceremonies. But, after the invasion of the Spanish and the exportation of coca leaves to the colonies, cocaine was used for both medicinal and recreational purposes. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, cocaine was a popular drug widely used by the white middle-class. However, once use in society grew and the dangers of cocaine became evident, the use and sale of coca products were outlawed with the Harrison Narcotics Act in the United States in 1914, one of the first examples of drug legislation. From then on, the cocaine trade became a strictly illegal network. It was not until the 1970s that Colombian drug cartels set up their smuggling network to get cocaine into the United States.. The expansion of the cocaine trade during the 1970s also marked the beginning of large-scale maritime cocaine trafficking. As production increased in the Andean region, maritime transportation became an increasingly important means of moving cocaine to North America and, later, Europe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), maritime routes continue to account for the majority of global cocaine trafficking and have become increasingly diversified as criminal organisations adapt to changing trafficking opportunities and interdiction efforts.
Drug cartels Cocaine smuggling was previously dominated by drug cartels, particularly from Colombia. Notorious cocaine cartels such as Medellin cartel and Cali cartel have both dominated the illicit cocaine trade as well as their country of Colombia. Very early on, these cartels identified the weakness of authorities in the maritime domain and used this to their advantage. In addition to this, the lack of understanding of government administrations of the cartel structure and widespread influence has led to the speculation that this was a leading cause of the crack cocaine epidemic in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The disintegration of these top cocaine cartels in Colombia in the late 1990s have paved the way for insurgent groups to take over. For example, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), are both currently key actors in the cocaine trade from Colombia. While cocaine cartels are still active today, they are not as prevalent or as active as they were in the late 1900s.
Cocaine smuggling on the maritime security agenda Cocaine smuggling has become a bigger part of maritime security as the idea of maritime security has expanded to encompass a broader range of transnational criminal activities. Although there are no clear dividing lines or exact time periods, different trends have overlapped and followed each other since the late 1990s. While the first two phases centered on maritime terrorism and piracy, respectively, the third phase expanded the maritime security agenda to encompass a broader range of so-called “blue crimes”, a term referring to harmful organized crimes or offenses happening in, on, or across the sea. It includes various crimes, such as smuggling cocaine and other drugs overseas. Since this third phase began in the early 2010s, blue crimes like cocaine smuggling have become increasingly important in maritime security, raising concerns in maritime governance.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
