How cocaine is driving deforestation in the Amazon

Criminal groups that once focused primarily on the cocaine trade are now diversifying into illegal gold mining, logging, and the wildlife trade - activities that are devastating the environment.

The Amazon’s tri-border region (where Brazil, Colombia, and Peru meet) has become a hotbed for trafficking. The neighboring cities of Leticia and Tabatinga lie at its center, caught in a violent turf war between Brazil’s two largest criminal organizations: the Red Command and the PCC. Both are vying for control of the Amazon’s highly profitable illicit markets.

Speaker: Gabriel Funari, Amazon Basin Coordinator at GI-TOC

Host: Thin Lei Win, Investigative Journalist and Podcast Host

👉 Learn more: ocindex.net

📖 Read the report: globalinitiative.net/analysis/illicit-frontiers-criminal-governance-in-the-amazons-tri-border-region