Colombia suspends forced eradication of coca plants

Colombian security forces will no longer conduct operations to eradicate coca plants. This was announced by the director of the National Police, Henry Sanabria Cely. At the same time, he advocated focusing efforts on combating the drug mafia, which traffics and profits from selling drugs.

Venezuela’s neighbor had already stopped using gas to spray crops indiscriminately in 2015 because of health concerns but continued to rely on the military and police to destroy plantations by hand.

New leftwing President Gustavo Petro already announced at his inauguration that he would take a new approach to the fight against drugs, and on Tuesday (23), the police chief confirmed in an interview that security forces would not use glyphosate in their actions or destroy plantations until the new global strategy is set.

Authorities will opt for “voluntary eradication” and “substitution,” which the government hopes will encourage farmers to grow legal crops themselves. Sanabria said they don’t want to focus on those “less involved in drug trafficking.”

“We are always looking for the big mafias responsible for motivating people in this crime,” he added.

Petro’s about-face on the drug issue has sparked speculation about the possible legalization of cocaine, which Justice Minister Néstor Osuna ruled out during an appearance in the Senate.

“Cocaine will not be legalized. It must be clarified whether there was information that could have been understood in this way.”

The minister agreed with the police that it was time to focus on the large structures that profit from drug trafficking, public health, and the “economic survival” of consumers and farmers.