InSight Crime’s 2023 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up

Record cocaine production and high demand for the drug contributed to criminal violence across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023, as traffickers established new routes to bypass increasing interdiction efforts.

Two countries are indicative of how drug trafficking remains a major driver of violence in the region. Ecuador continues to seize historic amounts of cocaine and in 2023 had its most violent year on record as drug trafficking groups competed for strategic routes. Costa Rica was similarly impacted, with its homicide rate increasing by 41% year-on-year amid an ongoing struggle to control cocaine trafficking through its ports.

But some countries saw major increases in cocaine seizures while being spared violence. In places like Bolivia and Peru, where much of the world’s coca leaf is grown, authorities seized more cocaine last year than in 2022, while homicides stayed low. Nonetheless, the seizures for both those production nations combined were less than Ecuador, raising questions about their capacity and commitment. And in the Caribbean, home to many of the region’s most violent nations, increased interdiction efforts in traditional cocaine hubs like the Dominican Republic have driven drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) to shift to different transit points for their cocaine consignments.

InSight Crime analyzes cocaine seizures in those countries that had prominent roles in the drug trade or whose role significantly changed during 2023.

Read more