Where does cocaine come from?
Colombia produces ~60%, Peru ~25%, Bolivia ~15% of the world's cocaine. From the Andes to Berlin: 9,000 km through 7 countries, every step leaves destruction.
Source: UNODC World Drug Report 2024, DEA
Production: The Andes Region
Coca leaves are harvested, processed into paste (with gasoline, sulfuric acid), then into coca base and finally refined into cocaine hydrochloride. One kilo of cocaine requires 300-500 kg of coca leaves. This process mainly happens in remote areas—often in national parks or indigenous territories.
The Route to Europe
There's no direct path. Cocaine from Colombia, Peru, or Bolivia passes through multiple transit countries to evade law enforcement. One of the main routes:
1. Andes → Transit countries
From Colombia via Venezuela; from Peru/Bolivia via Brazil or the Pacific. Controlled by armed groups and cartels.
2. Caribbean or West Africa
By ship, plane, or even submarines. Often via intermediary stops to obscure origin.
3. Atlantic crossing
Container ships (hidden in legal cargo), sailboats, semi-submersibles. Thousands of kilometers at sea.
4. Europe (Spain, Netherlands, Belgium)
Ports in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg are main entry points. Cargo is unloaded and distributed from there.
5. Germany → Berlin
Via road networks. Distribution through organized groups—Italian mafia, Albanian networks, local dealers.
Who controls the supply chain?
Not a single organization. A chain of criminal networks:
Colombian cartels & guerrilla groups
Production, local control
Mexican cartels
Transport, control of routes to USA
European networks
Distribution in Europe (often Italian mafia, Albanian groups)
Local dealer networks
Street sales in Berlin and other cities
The costs along the supply chain
Every step of this journey leaves destruction:
- →300,000+ hectares of rainforest cleared in Colombia
- →Farmers earn 1-2% of the final price
- →350,000+ deaths in Mexico's drug war since 2006
- →Police, judges, politicians bought
- →Human trafficking networks financed
Sources for this page
- →UNODC: World Drug Report 2024 - Coca Cultivation(Coca cultivation areas, Colombia production numbers)
- →DEA: National Drug Threat Assessment(Transport routes, cartel activities)
- →UNODC: The Global Cocaine Market(Global cocaine flows, Europe routes)
- →Europol: Cocaine Trafficking to Europe(European entry points (Rotterdam, Antwerp))
The complete supply chain
From coca plantations in the Andes to the Berlin club: thousands of kilometers, multiple countries, and every step leaves destruction.
View supply chain