A recent United Nations report reveals that the global trade in illicit drugs is booming, with cocaine production and seizures of methamphetamine at an all-time high. The report, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), shows that cocaine production surged to roughly 4,100 metric tons of pure product in 2024, a fourfold increase within a decade.
Key Findings
Methamphetamine seizures suggest production is growing 13% a year, according to the UNODC. The report also notes an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, with some being more potent or dangerous than before. Opium production in Afghanistan plummeted in 2023 after the Taliban took back power and banned it, leading to a decline in the supply and use of heroin.
The report highlights a sharp increase in reports of new synthetic opioids, such as fentanyls or even more potent nitazenes, which could be filling at least some of the gap left by the drop in heroin supply. Supply and demand for cocaine continued to increase strongly, with the way cocaine is consumed changing and purity increasing while prices have dropped.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
