The silent expansion: unmasking the clandestine growth of the illicit drug trade in the Amazon

The illicit drug trade stealthily expands its grip on the Amazon, exploiting state neglect, porous borders, and violence.

This critical issue of battling the criminal empire will be a central focus at the upcoming Amazon Summit in Brazil.

The world’s largest tropical rainforest has become a strategic region for drug transit from producer countries like Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, towards consumer nations, including Brazil.

Approximately 40% of cocaine trafficked in Brazil passes through the Amazon, with criminal gangs’ presence on the rise over the past decade.

This serious concern will be a key topic at the Amazonian countries’ meeting in Belém, Brazil.

The summit will address the future of the biome and organized crime, among other pressing issues.

Drug traffickers have been utilizing the thick jungle since the 80s, modernizing their operations over time.

Their criminal portfolio now extends to practices such as mining, land occupation, and the trade of precious woods.

Consequently, numerous criminal groups continue to emerge in the region.

These groups stealthily establish their operations, marking their territory and imposing their law before authorities can respond effectively.

In Pará, the summit’s host location, around 40 localities are dominated by these criminal networks.

These groups adapt their operations according to each municipality’s economic strength, infiltrating profitable areas like gold, cassiterite, and manganese mining.

Local communities face a dilemma: ignore or report illicit activities, placing them in the crosshairs of dangerous criminal networks.

Environmental defenders in Amazonian countries live under constant threats from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, and wood trafficking.

Cooperation and shared solutions among all eight Amazonian nations are required to combat this, albeit this would require time, money, and political will.

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