The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in drug trafficking and its linked violence in Colombia

Abstract

This article analyzes the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug trafficking and its capacity to exert violence in the territory. For this purpose, a statistical analysis is made that matches information on coca-leaf production in three coca-growing regions (settlements) and circuits of selective violence (massacres) in said areas during 2017-2019 and 2020. Results evidence that drug trafficking managed to adapt to the pandemic and strengthen its capacity for violence and social control in the three coca-growing regions. This also leads to considering the capacity of criminal organizations to adapt to social, economic, and political emergencies.