The Andes
Colombia: peace process in jeopardy?
Colombia's government announced that it will resume aerial bombardment of FARC positions after an ambush of troops by guerillas who seem to have violated a declared ceasefire.
Tag: coca leaf
The Andes
Chemical in Colombia spraying called carcinogen
The World Health Organization reclassified the herbicide glyphosate as a cancer threat—big news in Colombia, where the government sprays millions of acres to eradicate coca.
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US troops to Peru’s coca zone
A force of US Marines has been mobilized to Peru's conflicted coca-growing jungle region, the Valley of the Apurímac and Ene Rivers, to assist in interdiction efforts.
The Andes
Peru declares no-fly zone over coca valley
Peru announced a no-fly zone over the conflicted coca-producing region known as the VRAE—reviving a controversial policy that claimed innocent lives 14 years ago.
The Andes
Peru: populist governor re-elected from prison
Gregorio Santos, the populist president of Peru's Cajamarca region, was comfortably re-elected—despite being imprisoned as corruption charges are pending against him.
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Shining Path leaders indicted in US court
Three leaders of Peru's Shining Path guerrilla movement, two still at large, were indicted in a US district court in New York on charges of "narco-terrorism conspiracy."
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Gains claimed against coca in Colombia, Bolivia
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) claims coca cultivation has been brought to historic lows in Colombia and Bolivia, while Peru has regained the title of top producer.
The Andes
Colombia: FARC renounce narco-profits
Colombia's government and the FARC guerillas announced an agreement, entitled "Solution to the Problem of Illicit Drugs," in which they pledge to work together agianst the narco trade.
The Andes
Colombia: pressure grows to expand drug decrim
An official from the capital district government of Bogotá called upon Colombia’s national government to open debate on broadening the policy of drug decriminalization.
The Andes
Bolivia: cocaleros clash with eradication force
Coca-growers in Bolivia's lowland jungle town of Yapacaní clashed with police in a protest against the construction of a new base of the feared Mobile Rural Patrol Unit (UMOPAR).
The Andes
Peru escalates cannabis crackdown
Cannabis took a greater share of total drug crops eradicated in Peru in 2013, and authorities hope to expand eradication this year—bringing the program beyond the remote coca zones.
The Andes
FARC proposal to protect coca, cannabis growers
At the Havana peace talks with the Colombian government, the FARC rebels released a proposal to decriminalize and "regulate the production of coca, poppies and marijuana."