The Dark Side of Colombia Few People Know

Traffickers have turned legitimate trade into their best cover. Cocaine is now being found inside shipments of fruit, coffee, and even charcoal. Each year, European customs officers uncover more Colombian exports concealing drugs worth millions.

This tactic has made detection nearly impossible. Shipping containers can hold thousands of products, and only a small fraction are ever checked. What looks like a normal cargo of bananas or sugar could easily hide bricks of cocaine destined for foreign markets.