Drug Trafficking Is No Friend of the Environment

In recent weeks, narcoculture has made headlines due to the unprecedented surrender of the country's top drug lord and the romanticization of this subculture in our nation. In this article, I aim to contribute to the de-romanticization of narcoculture. Specifically, I want to emphasize that, like any human activity, drug trafficking has an impact on our surroundings.

The first point to note is that, being an illegal activity, it operates entirely outside environmental regulations and responsible business practices. It is a completely illegal operation that acts without scruples, following the Machiavellian principle that “the end justifies the means.” Since it shows no respect for people, there is even less concern for the state of the environment.

For several decades, the various direct and indirect impacts of drug trafficking have been documented, from deforestation to its significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Let us not forget that this is an economic sector valued at more than US$320 billion, according to a report last year by the United Nations. This amounts to almost 1% of the world's GDP, not including related activities such as the purchase of chemical precursors, transportation, extortion, human and wildlife trafficking, money laundering, and arms purchases.

Unfortunately, organized crime related to narcotics has grown stronger and more heavily armed, evolving into large consortia involved in a wide range of illicit activities — and even some legal ones, though carried out illegally. For example, in Italy, the mafia took over waste management but failed to process it properly. The international expansion, territorial control, and use of the same “commercial routes” have transformed cartels into criminal multinationals engaged in arms trafficking, the trade of chemical substances and precursors, and the trafficking of people and wildlife.

Is there a link between the illegal trade in totoaba swim bladders and the trafficking of fentanyl precursors, and thus the near-extinction of the vaquita porpoise? Most likely, yes. They follow the same “commercial routes.” The chemicals come from China, and the swim bladders are exported there, sometimes valued as much as or even more than cocaine.

However, one of the main environmental damages caused by this sector is deforestation. The cultivation of poppies, coca, and marijuana requires vast areas to meet the ever-growing demand.

The first case to attract international attention was in the 1980s, when the Colombian A discovered and dismantled the first drug labs in the Colombian jungle. This pushed the traffickers to neighboring countries, causing further deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The most infamous example was “Tranquilandia,” Pablo Escobar’s factory-like laboratory in the heart of the jungle.

In Mexico, it is estimated that 30% of the country’s annual forest fires are caused by organized crime, linked to illicit activities such as marijuana and poppy cultivation, affecting approximately 718,000ha of land.

According to the same United Nations report, drug trafficking is not only linked to deforestation and illegal logging but also to other related or ancillary activities.

Continuing with anecdotes about Pablo Escobar, it can be noted that even 30 years after his death, his past actions continue to impact the Colombian environment. It is well-known that on his estate, “Nápoles,” the drug lord kept a spectacular private zoo with exotic animals acquired through wildlife trafficking. After his capture and the abandonment of the estate, many of the animals died, while others managed to escape and return to the wild in an entirely different habitat. This is the case with the now-famous Escobar hippos. Starting with just a pair in the 1980s, there are now almost 200 of them. They have spread across the rivers in the region, migrating hundreds of kilometers, and today they pose a real problem as large, invasive exotic species. They are disrupting local biodiversity, with projections estimating a population of over a thousand by 2050.

In Mexico, it is common to find large felines on seized ranches – and not just kept as decorative pieces. The authorities don’t know what to do with them, and they often end up in private zoos or over-crowd those managed by public institutions.

We are also seeing that the tentacles of drug trafficking are diversifying. There are cases of mining operations taken over by organized crime, seeking unscrupulous profits, and incidents of fuel theft, or huachicol, causing widespread hydrocarbon contamination. Speaking of fuel, it is well-known that drug trafficking is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases. To reach their end consumers — usually in North America, Europe, and Australia — narcotics need to travel vast distances along routes that are often not the most direct.

Returning to Mexico, it is a country with large-scale marijuana and poppy cultivation. These crops not only damage forests and occupy the best agricultural land, but they also require large amounts of water. Sometimes, the remedy is not ideal; for example, the fight against narcotic crops often involves the use of herbicides like glyphosate, which harm the surrounding biodiversity.

Other collateral damage to wildlife includes cases of addiction among Florida sharks and off the coast of Brazil, where they seek out drug packages, break them open, and consume intoxicating substances — though these are marginal incidents. Still, the damage is done.

As a highly profitable and far-reaching activity, drug trafficking can be considered extremely polluting, not only because of its scale but also because it is illegal and shows no respect for laws, particularly environmental regulations.