Cocaine is trafficked via maritime routes, including routes that transit through or near Venezuela.
November 06, 2025
medium
descriptive
Drug-trafficking routes relevant to maritime interdiction and regional security discussions.
Open-air urban drug markets can involve the distribution of fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine and may be maintained through violence and intimidation.
October 24, 2025
high
descriptive
Urban open-air markets are characterized by visible drug sales of multiple controlled substances and associated violent enforcement of territory.
Colombia was described as the world's largest exporter of cocaine as of 2025-09-23.
September 23, 2025
high
temporal
Characterizes Colombia's role in global cocaine production and export.
Counterfeit prescription opioid pills laced with fentanyl, particularly when combined with other substances such as cocaine or benzodiazepines (for example, alprazolam), can cause fatal overdoses.
January 01, 2023
high
health_risk
General medical/toxicological risk from fentanyl-contaminated or counterfeit pills and multi-drug exposures.
Maritime smuggling routes through the Caribbean are predominantly used to transport cocaine to Europe.
medium
contextual
Overview of common international drug trafficking routes discussed in relation to maritime operations.
U.S. authorities classify cocaine as a scheduled controlled substance and consider it a significant drug threat to the United States.
high
statutory
U.S. drug-control classification and threat assessment.
Street-level illicit drug markets commonly involve the sale of substances such as cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin.
medium
substance
Examples of substances frequently encountered in urban street drug markets.
The Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean are major maritime transit regions for cocaine produced by the world's largest producers.
high
geographical
Describes durable maritime trafficking routes used to move cocaine from major producing countries to destination markets.
Large-scale drug trafficking enterprises commonly traffic multiple controlled substances, including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
high
definition
Describes the variety of narcotics that are often involved in large-scale trafficking operations.