Colombia Puts Navy in Charge of Airports to Stop Cocaine Exports

Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro has taken an aggressive new approach to block cocaine exports by putting the Navy in charge of airport security and operations.

This decision follows a sharp rise in coca cultivation and cocaine production, according to official figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Colombian government sources.

In 2023, coca crops reached 253,000 hectares, with potential cocaine output climbing to 2,664 metric tons—a surge of over 50% in just one year. Authorities report that drug traffickers use increasingly advanced methods to evade law enforcement.

The Colombian military has intercepted remote-controlled submarines equipped with modern navigation and satellite communications, designed to move large quantities of cocaine far from the country’s coastline.

By assigning military control at airports, the government aims to disrupt criminal groups who rely on commercial air routes to export cocaine, closing gaps that civilian security has not managed to seal.

Military officials emphasize that this direct intervention is a response to traffickers’ rapid adaptation and technological upgrades.

The Navy’s presence at the airports is meant to make it significantly harder for organized crime to smuggle narcotics, by introducing stricter and more sophisticated surveillance and control measures.

This major shift signals that Colombia is ready to use its military muscle not just on the ground but at strategic trade and travel infrastructure.

For international partners and global agencies working on narcotics enforcement, these changes mean stricter controls, and a tougher stance in Colombia’s approach to organized crime.

Colombia’s government, supported by official and independently confirmed data, makes clear that national security and stopping illegal exports now come before business as usual at the country’s airports.

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