The cocaine comeback - Today, Explained Recap

Podcast: Today, Explained

Published: 2025-12-30

Duration: 26 minutes

Guests: Samantha Schmidt

Summary

Cocaine demand and production are reaching new global highs, with Europe emerging as a significant market. The trade is evolving with smaller, more strategic criminal organizations and innovative smuggling methods.

What Happened

Cocaine is experiencing a resurgence, with global demand and production reaching record levels. Samantha Schmidt, the Washington Post's Mexico City Bureau Chief, explains that both supply and demand are surging, with Europe now rivaling the United States as a primary destination for the drug.

The trade has become more globalized, with smaller, nimble drug trafficking organizations taking over from larger cartels. Ecuador has become a key transit point, with new routes enabling faster and larger-scale distribution. This shift has made it increasingly challenging for law enforcement to combat the trade.

In Colombia, the peace negotiations with FARC in 2016 have inadvertently opened the country to international criminal networks. New players like Albanian mafias and Mexican cartels are exploiting these opportunities to move cocaine through countries like Ecuador.

Corruption plays a significant role in the cocaine trade's growth, with traffickers using legal container ships and corrupting officials at multiple levels to facilitate drug movement. This makes it difficult for authorities to crack down effectively.

Samantha Schmidt profiles Dritten Rejapi, an Albanian criminal who exemplifies the modern cocaine trade's strategic nature. Rejapi uses alliances with Mexican cartels and other criminal groups to transport cocaine, highlighting the industry's shift away from traditional cartel hierarchies.

Law enforcement strategies differ, with the Trump administration focusing on military interventions, such as attacking drug boats at sea. This approach often conflates cocaine with fentanyl, despite the former being the primary drug trafficked.

The resurgence of cocaine is accompanied by a revival of the '80s cocaine aesthetic. Fashion and culture reflect this trend, with a new take on the opulent, fast-paced lifestyle associated with the drug. However, some see this as a problematic celebration of materialism and excess.

Key Insights