REPORTE MUNDIAL DE DROGAS - LIBRO NRO 3: SUMINISTRO DE DROGAS

WORLD DRUG REPORT 2020
DRUG SUPPLY
cent) but were less marked than those for coca leaf. 23
This may indicate a decline in the demand for cocarelated
products in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic as restrictions on the movement of persons
were applied, leading, in particular, to a decline
in the demand for coca leaf by the laboratories that
process it into cocaine hydrochloride, thus resulting
in falling coca leaf prices.
Slight decrease in coca bush cultivation
in the Plurinational State of Bolivia
The area under coca bush cultivation in the Plurinational
State of Bolivia decreased by 5.7 per cent
from 2017 to 2018, to 23,100 ha; this was equal to
the estimated level in 2013, although still only half
the size at the peak in 1990 (50,300 ha). Most coca
bush in the country continues to be cultivated in
the traditional coca-producing area, Yungas de La
Paz (65 per cent in 2018), and to a lesser extent in
Trópico de Cochabamba (33.5 per cent). Coca bush
cultivation also takes place at a very low level in
Norte de La Paz (1.5 per cent). While very small
Hectares
Fig. 12 Area under coca cultivation and area of
eradication in the Plurinational State of
Bolivia, 2009–2019
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Area under coca bush cultivation
(after eradication)
Eradication and other forms of reduction
of the area under coca cultivation
Source: UNODC and Plurinational State of Bolivia, Estado Plurinacional
de Bolivia: Monitoreo de Cultivos de Coca 2018 (August
2019).
compared with the country’s other coca-producing
areas, the area under cultivation in Norte de La Paz
increased by 57 per cent from 2017 to 2018.
The reduction in coca bush cultivation in the Plurinational
State of Bolivia in 2018 continues the
gradual decrease in the area under cultivation that
occurred in the period 2010–2015, during which
cultivation decreased by 35 per cent. While there
was a subsequent increase in the area under cultivation
in 2016 and 2017, the area used for coca bush
cultivation remains considerably smaller than it was
a decade ago. 24
Quantities of cocaine seized
show early signs of stabilization
at a high level
In 2018, the total global quantity of cocaine seized
increased by 2.7 per cent, to 1,311 tons (prior to
purity adjustments), over the preceding year. The
annual rate of increase fell, however, from a 41 per
cent increase in 2015 to a 23 per cent increase in
2016 and 13 per cent in 2017, and to a less than 3
per cent increase in 2018, thus showing early signs
of a trend towards stabilization in seizure levels. Nevertheless,
total global seizures reported for 2018 were
at a record high. The increase in the quantity of
cocaine seized over the past decade (a 71 per cent
increase between 2008 and 2018) primarily reflects
the increase in cocaine manufacture over the same
time period (a 51 per cent increase) and the consequent
increase in cocaine trafficking, although
efficiency gains achieved by law enforcement action,
partly due to the improved national, regional and
international cooperation, have contributed to the
increase in the overall interception rate.
In terms of quantity, the bulk of cocaine continues
to be seized in the Americas, which accounted for
85 per cent of total seized globally in 2018. The largest
portion of that was seized in South America (55
per cent of the global total in 2018), where the largest
quantities were seized by Colombia (35 per cent
of the global total), followed by Ecuador (6.1 per
cent), Brazil (6.0 per cent), Venezuela (Bolivarian
Republic of) (2.7 per cent) and Peru (1.6 per cent).
23 National Commission for Development and Life without
Drugs (DEVIDA) of Peru, “Monitoreo de precios de hoja
de coca y derivados cocaínicos en zonas estratégicas de intervención”,
Reporte No. 1 (April 2020).
24 UNODC and Plurinational State of Bolivia, Estado Plurinacional
de Bolivia: Monitoreo de Cultivos de Coca 2018
(August 2019).
26