Modern Cocaine Trade: Globalized, Decentralized, and Culturally Influential
TL;DR
- The global cocaine trade has surpassed its 1980s peak, with production five times larger than during the Pablo Escobar era, driven by surging demand and supply across Europe and the United States.
- The cocaine trade has become highly globalized and strategic, utilizing nimble organizations, diversified transit points, and legal container ships, making it significantly harder to combat than in previous decades.
- The resurgence of cocaine is fueled by increased productivity of coca cultivation and the formation of "cocaine enclaves" near borders and coasts, enabling faster international distribution.
- The 2016 peace agreement's aftermath in Colombia created a vacuum exploited by various criminal networks, including European and Mexican cartels, who leverage new transit countries for drug movement.
- Corruption is a critical enabler of the expanded cocaine trade, with officials at ports, police forces, and courts being compromised, deeply infiltrating state structures.
- Criminal leaders like Dritan Rexhepi exemplify the modern trade's strategic, alliance-based model, building empires from prison by cultivating connections rather than relying on strict hierarchies.
- The "boom boom" aesthetic, characterized by overt displays of wealth and a "Wolf of Wall Street" vibe, reflects a resurgence of 1980s-era materialism and a shameless pursuit of capital.
Deep Dive
The global cocaine trade is experiencing an unprecedented surge in both demand and production, driven by globalization and sophisticated, nimble trafficking organizations. This resurgence is not merely a return to 1980s-era drug markets but a thoroughly modernized, transnational enterprise operating with a business-like efficiency that makes it exceptionally difficult to combat. The implications extend beyond law enforcement challenges, influencing international relations and even shaping contemporary fashion aesthetics.
The cocaine trade's globalization is fueled by expanding demand in markets previously considered minor, notably Europe, which now rivals the United States in cocaine seizures. Simultaneously, supply-side factors, including more productive coca cultivation and strategic placement of cultivation enclaves near borders and coasts in Colombia, accelerate its movement. The fragmentation of large, hierarchical cartels into smaller, more adaptable groups, alongside the exploitation of legal container ship logistics and pervasive corruption, has created a decentralized yet highly effective network. This system, exemplified by figures like Albanian criminal Dritan Rexhepi operating from within an Ecuadorian jail, prioritizes strategic alliances and knowledge of key facilitators over traditional cartel loyalty structures, lowering the barrier to entry and increasing operational resilience. The Trump administration's response, characterized by aggressive interdiction of suspected drug boats, conflates cocaine with fentanyl and overlooks the fundamental shifts in the cocaine trade's structure, suggesting a disconnect between policy and the evolving reality of the market.
This new era of the cocaine trade has also manifested in a cultural phenomenon dubbed "boom boom," a fashion aesthetic characterized by a shameless pursuit of wealth and status, reminiscent of the 1980s but updated for contemporary sensibilities. This look, featuring sharp suits, broad shoulders, and luxurious materials, evokes a sense of power, speed, and conspicuous consumption. While some interpret this aesthetic as a reflection of unchecked capitalist impulses and a potential link to political affiliations associated with wealth and power, others see opportunities for subversion and commentary on gender and identity. However, the underlying appeal of this aesthetic, for some, is tied to a sense of something "rotten" or "twisted," a darker undertone that acknowledges the historical context of the cocaine trade, including the devastating crack cocaine epidemic and the intensified war on drugs.
The resurgence of the cocaine trade and its associated aesthetic highlights a complex interplay of global economics, organized crime, and cultural expression. The decentralized, business-like nature of modern trafficking networks presents a significant challenge to traditional law enforcement approaches, while the "boom boom" aesthetic reflects both a fascination with wealth and a nuanced critique of the systems that generate it. The implications are far-reaching, suggesting that understanding these trends requires looking beyond simplistic narratives and acknowledging the systemic, globalized, and deeply embedded nature of both the illicit drug trade and its cultural manifestations.
Action Items
- Audit cocaine trade routes: Identify 3-5 key transit countries and assess their vulnerabilities to trafficking (ref: globalization of trade).
- Measure corruption impact: For 3-5 major ports, estimate the correlation between reported corruption levels and cocaine seizure rates.
- Analyze enforcement strategy effectiveness: Compare the success rates of top-down dismantling versus decentralized alliance-building in combating drug trafficking organizations.
- Track cocaine production land use: Monitor year-over-year changes in coca cultivation in Colombia and its proximity to borders and coasts.
Key Quotes
"we are seeing from the origin uh the land in colombia that is used to cultivate cocaine is about more than five times the size during the pablo escobar years no today it is so much bigger and we see both demand and supply surging in many parts of the world um and particularly uh we see seizures in europe growing uh to levels that now rival the united states as a main destination point"
Samantha Schmidt, the Washington Post's Mexico City bureau chief, explains that the global cocaine trade is at record highs, surpassing even the scale seen during the Pablo Escobar era. This growth is evident in both increased cultivation land in Colombia and surging demand and seizures in Europe, which now rivals the United States as a primary destination.
"now because of the peace negotiations in 2016 and sort of the collapse of those peace negotiations and the aftermath of that the colombian president and the farc rebel leader will sign a deal to end 50 years of fighting that has killed more than 200 000 people the peace agreement between the government and the revolutionary armed forces of colombia known as farc was rejected by colombian voters by less than one percentage point and it's also sort of opened up the country to criminal networks from around the world from europe you know the mexican cartels groups like these albanian mafias that have been able to take advantage of this"
The text highlights how the aftermath of the 2016 peace negotiations in Colombia, which ultimately failed to be ratified, created an opening for international criminal networks. Samantha Schmidt points out that groups from Europe and Mexico, such as Albanian mafias, have exploited this instability to expand their operations and move drugs through various transit countries.
"and actually much of this is happening on legal container ships so we're not necessarily talking about you know sometimes you do see these you know crazy stories about these submarines ending up in australia and these very you know these go fast boats in the caribbean but a lot of times it's container ships legal container ships banana ships that are leaving through legal ports and so a lot of what has also allowed this explosion in the cocaine trade is corruption um it's you know buying off people in the ports in the police in in the courts"
Samantha Schmidt explains that a significant portion of the cocaine trade now utilizes legal shipping infrastructure, such as container and banana ships, moving through legitimate ports. She emphasizes that corruption, involving the bribery of officials in ports, police, and courts, has been a critical enabler of this explosion in the cocaine trade.
"you know when we think about cocaine we think about cartels right we think about these organizations that demand loyalty you know when we think about sort of the narcos netflix series right that is not how it works these days it is not about hierarchy it's about being strategic it's about developing alliances it's about who you know and sometimes you don't even need that many people to move cocaine you just need to know the right people in the right ports and the people who can get the drugs across one border into another and who can ship it off to europe"
The text contrasts the modern cocaine trade with the traditional image of hierarchical cartels. Samantha Schmidt explains that current operations are more about strategic alliances and connections, emphasizing that success depends on knowing the right people in the right places to facilitate movement across borders and international shipping.
"the trump administration is saying that this is a a threat that these are narco terrorists flooding the united states with drugs and they talk about it in a way that implies that fentanyl is moving on these boats when we know that it is predominantly cocaine so we're kind of conflating two things here"
The text points out a discrepancy in the Trump administration's rhetoric regarding drug trafficking. Samantha Schmidt notes that while the administration frames drug boats as a threat from narco-terrorists, their focus often conflates fentanyl with cocaine, despite evidence suggesting cocaine is the predominant drug being transported on these vessels.
"it feels very 80s it's looking like you've spent money for the sake of looking like you spent money it's very sort of shameless pursuit of the bag and i think you know the bag can can mean whatever you wanted it to mean but yeah it's it's about looking rich feeling rich feeling like you're moving fast and breaking things and i think um the aesthetic matches perhaps the energy of of the 80s and and the drug of choice of of that time"
Amelia Petrarca describes the "boom boom" aesthetic as a revival of an 80s-inspired look that emphasizes conspicuous consumption and a "shameless pursuit of the bag." She explains that this style is about projecting an image of wealth and rapid success, aligning with the energy and cultural associations of the 1980s and its prevalent drug of choice.
Resources
External Resources
Books
- "The Cocaine Comeback" by John Glenn Hill - Mentioned as the subject of the podcast episode.
Articles & Papers
- "Boom Boom" (The Cut) - Discussed as an article about a new cocaine aesthetic.
People
- John Glenn Hill - Host of "Today Explained" and author of "The Cocaine Comeback."
- Pablo Escobar - Referenced as a historical figure in the cocaine trade.
- Dritan Rexhepi - Described as an Albanian criminal who built a cocaine business from an Ecuadorian jail.
- Gustavo Petro - Colombian president who criticized the United States regarding land ownership.
- Donald Trump - Former U.S. president whose administration's approach to drug policy and aesthetics is discussed.
- Amelia Petrarca - Freelance writer who wrote about the "boom boom" aesthetic for The Cut.
- J.T. - Rapper whose song "Ran Out" is mentioned as an example of the cocaine aesthetic.
- Doja G - Artist mentioned for wearing suits in a subversive take on gender.
- Chappell Roan - Artist mentioned for wearing suits in a subversive, queer take on gender.
Organizations & Institutions
- FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) - Mentioned as a former major armed group in Colombia.
- ELN (National Liberation Army) - Mentioned as a leftist anti-government group in Colombia.
- The Washington Post - Publication where Samantha Schmidt is the Mexico City bureau chief.
- Found - Business banking platform discussed as a sponsor.
- Lead Bank - Bank providing services for Found.
- Liberty Mutual - Insurance company featured in a commercial.
Podcasts & Audio
- Today Explained - The podcast series featuring the discussion.
- Version History - A tech show about old technology, mentioned as a related podcast.
- Explain It To Me - John Glenn Hill's podcast, mentioned for upcoming episodes.
Other Resources
- Fentanyl - Classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the Trump administration.
- Cocaine - Identified as the fastest-growing illegal drug globally.
- "Boom Boom" - A term coined by a trend forecaster to describe a revamped cocaine aesthetic.
- Narcos - Netflix series referenced in relation to outdated perceptions of drug cartels.
- Cottagecore - A previously popular trend mentioned in contrast to current trend cycles.
- Wolf of Wall Street - A look associated with excessive capitalism and wealth.