Global cocaine boom keeps setting new records, UN report says
The annual U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report showed that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength.
"Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement.
On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3,708 tons, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50% higher than in 2022.
The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said.
"North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said.
The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said.
The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) like methamphetamine and amphetamine.
"Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Two Coimbatore youths held for assault and robbery
Coimbatore: Two youths were arrested on Wednesday for assaulting and robbing a Telangana-based youth in the city on July 10. The arrested have been identified as A Sakthivel, 21, a painter, and S Shankar, 21, an student in a private college. Police said Praveen Conti, 21, from Telangana, had come to the city on a personal visit. He was staying at a hotel at Race Course. On July 10, when he was waiting outside the hotel, two youths on a motorcycle, assaulted him and robbed him of his mobile phone. Praveen suffered injuries in the assault and was hospitalised. He lodged a complaint with Race Course police who registered a case. Police subsequently arrested the two youths involved in the assault and robbery and remanded them in judicial custody. Meanwhile, police said Sakthivel was previously accused in four other cases, including a murder case which he had committed at the age of 17. Similarly, Shankar is also an accused in four other cases in various police stations.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Vastrapur traders duped of Rs 26cr in phone deal
Ahmedabad: Two Ahmedabad-based mobile phone traders were cheated of Rs 26.34 crore between March and April after they placed a bulk order for iPhones with a Delhi-based supplier. A resident of Vastrapur filed a complaint with the detection of crime branch (DCB) on Thursday, stating that he and his business associate ordered 7,900 units of iPhone-15 and iPhone-16 from a Delhi-based firm. The total payment made was Rs 36.95 crore through official banking channels. According to the FIR, they received only 1,876 iPhones, worth Rs 12.16 crore, and a partial refund of Rs 1.6 crore. The remaining amount — Rs 26.34 crore — was not returned, nor were the pending phones delivered. The complaint states that the accused gave false assurances, shared shipment documents, and held video calls to show the legitimacy of the deal. Despite repeated follow-ups, the deliveries were not completed, and the traders began to suspect foul play. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad According to the complainant, part of the payment was diverted to another company's account without authorisation. When the traders visited Delhi in April to inquire about the delay, the accused demanded an additional Rs 3 crore, claiming the earlier payment was short. Later, the complainants discovered that many documents were forged and that they were cheated. The accused reportedly stopped responding to calls and messages after this point. Police registered the case under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318 (cheating), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A DCB officer said further probe is underway.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Inspector linked to Chhangur Baba, charged withshielding conversion racket accused; suspended
Lucknow: Ghaziabad Crime Branch Inspector, Abdul Rahman Siddiqui, was suspended on Wednesday evening for allegedly shielding Badr Akhtar Siddiqui, a key accused in the 2019 abduction and religious conversion of a Hindu air hostess trainee in Meerut. The case is now linked to the Chhangur Baba-led conversion syndicate under ATS probe. Inspector Siddiqui, promoted in 2021, held unusually long postings — over three years at Civil Lines in Meerut and two years in Ghaziabad's Crime Branch. Despite being awarded for "exemplary service" on Republic Day last year, internal probes have now revealed serious misconduct. ATS findings, backed by digital evidence, show Badr Akhtar was part of the Chhangur Baba network. In 2019, the 21-year-old Delhi-based air hostess trainee went missing after being allegedly lured by Badr—then a gym trainer—with promises of a job in Dubai. Her family claims she was forcibly converted, abused, and married off after coming under the influence of Chhangur Baba. On Oct 24, 2019, she was allegedly abducted from her Ghaziabad home in a car. Despite complaints, inspector Siddiqui neither filed an FIR nor acted, allegedly threatening the family instead. Additional CP Ghaziabad, Alok Priyadarshi, confirmed Siddiqui's suspension. Senior officials in UP police said that investigators also found evidence of a prior connection between the inspector and Badr Akhtar, leading to deliberate suppression of the case.
