Colombia has once again produced cocaine at a record pace as President Gustavo Petro’s government changed the country’s strategy for fighting illegal drugs.

Coca crops and cocaine production in Colombia grew in 2023 as state efforts focused on seizures over eradication to fight drug trafficking.

Colombia, the world's biggest cocaine exporter, set a new record last year for production of the drug and cultivation of the coca leaf it is made from, a United Nations report said Friday. Coca leaf cultivation was 10 percent higher last year than in 2022,

A deforested area which, according to authorities, is used for coca leaf plantations is seen during an overflight by the Colombian anti-narcotics police in Putumayo, Colombia November 12, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian land dedicated to the cultivation of coca leaves,