Unknown

Welcome everyone to another Geopolitical Gossip! Today, we're going to talk about a topic that you voted for and asked for, and it was successful in the poll. This week's request was to talk about drug trafficking, especially in Latin America.

A great pleasure for those who are arriving today, my name is Hansen, I am a Geography and Current Affairs teacher here at Descomplica and, with great pride, host of Gossip Geopolitics. The person who is always here helping me is Ailton, our bridge, and you who are here so we can talk about this topic, let's call it intense, okay? I want to welcome everyone.

Remembering that we have support material in the description for you to download. All good? So, you can download it if you are studying for the Enem.

Here we have a complementary text on Latin America, including a list of exercises. If you want to know how this fits into the test, it's here, just download it. And if you're on Spotify, remember: we're there with all of our episodes.

In addition to the full episodes, we also have Fofoquinhas, which are 5 to 6 minute audios about news that is exclusive to Spotify. So, anyone who is on YouTube and doesn't know it yet, is invited to grab Spotify and enjoy Gossip Geopolitics, giving it five stars. Hansen, I don't want to give five stars.

So, you don't need to do anything, life goes on. Can I start, Ailton? Let's talk about this intense and toxic subject.

What was their first reaction when they saw the themes? Not everyone knew, not everyone is in the community to be able to vote on Gossip Geopolitics topics. How are they, Ailton?

Ah, they're asking about the crochet swimwear. Crochet swimwear is a big fitness bet of mine, I think it will come back with a bang. It is an extremely sensual, extremely deep item.

One day she will come back with strength, Ailton. Let's talk about her, let's rock it. Guys, to start, let's talk about drug trafficking.

And then you already understand that drug trafficking comes from the junction of narcotics trafficking, right? We can basically talk about the drug trade. If you stop to think about it, the use of drugs, the use of hallucinogens, the use of resources so that people can escape their realities, etc.

, is something that has been going on for many, many years. When I say that, I say millennia. People experienced things that generated trances, some religions used elements that generated trances.

So, the use of hallucinogens in general is something very old, but it is important to understand that it was something very cultural and local. It was very common for communities or even religions and groups to use opioids or any other hallucinogens in a very local, cultural and almost traditional way. In fact, our main topic today, since we are going to talk about Latin America, there is no way around it: it is the cocaine trade.

The coca leaf is traditional for the populations of the Andes, something ancient. It was used mainly in areas of higher altitudes and you know that. Chewing the coca leaf is a tradition that those who don't understand will get there and be shocked when they see entire families chewing coca and say "my God, what is happening?

". The first thing you need to understand is that coca leaf and cocaine are absolutely different things. In a moment I will explain this in numbers, and you will understand.

What we are talking about here is not about drug use, but about drug trafficking. It's the business of stopping, when these resources start to become gigantic production chains and sources of income. Let's talk a lot about this aspect of commerce, sales, what will trigger the relationship with violence, and today's main cases.

People don't know, but let's relate Latin America to Europe. I'm going to tell you every thing you don't believe. Today we're going from banana to hippo, and I'm not kidding.

It all has to do with the subject. Let's start with a reasoning that is super important to understand. When we look at world trade, I'm talking about any trade, there is an easy to understand trend.

Imagine two hands standing next to each other. On one side, I place rich countries or those that are getting richer; on the other, poor countries. It is easy to understand that rich countries have more money, which is why they are rich, and poor countries have less money, which is why they are poor.

When we think about commerce, there is a concentration of sales of better crafted, processed, industrialized products, technology, in the hands of rich countries. You learned this in history since we started talking about colonial pacts, in which the metropolis sold manufactured products and the colonies sold raw materials. Manufactured products were more expensive.

The evolution of world trade means that richer countries have greater productive capacity, greater capacity to deploy technology. Therefore, they make more money. Just look at any Industrial Revolution, any period in modern history, from the 15th century onwards.

The richest are those capable of transforming their products with more technology. So, we have an obvious relationship: richer countries sell better-made, processed or technological products and make a lot of money, while poor countries buy these products and lose money in this equation. In short, it is a trade in which the most technologically rich tend to increase their wealth and the poor who cannot compete tend to lose wealth over time.

It is this discrepancy that we see in some areas that are much richer than others. Ah, we are seeing that Asia is growing a lot. It's the same thing: Asia has developed technology and transportation capacity and now sells more to other places and makes more money.

So it goes. Since we're talking about gossip, Ailton, did you see what the United States did this week? Free trade had a hard time sleeping this week.

Why? Because China is the fastest growing country in electric car production in the world. No one can keep up, an unbelievable phenomenon.

The Joe Biden government made a slight increase in taxes for Chinese electric cars entering the United States. The tax is now only 100%. Look how delicious the tax is, because Americans weren't able to compete with this level of technology.

This was increasing the amount of money in China's hands. Okay, I think you understand. And then you might think: "But what does this have to do with drug trafficking?

" Understand one thing: the drug trade is a trade that reverses this order. It is rare to find a product in world trade today that makes money go from the richest to the poorest. It is difficult.

Think of another product that enriches the poor and takes money from the richest in world trade. Is very difficult. So, when we think about the main drug trades, such as opioids, mainly heroin, and cocaine, which two areas produce the most these drugs and accumulate money because of it?

Opioids have the largest production in Afghanistan and Pakistan as the largest distributor. Cocaine has Latin America, mainly Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, as major producing areas. These are the areas that most fuel this international trade and are draining money through this trade.

And then we also understand the pressure that rich governments put on drug trafficking because there is an inversion in this trade. Do you understand? You are very intelligent, it is a pleasure to talk to you.

Because we are talking about drug trafficking groups making a lot of money. In a moment I will give you an idea of ​​how much money we are talking about. Making a lot of money in poor countries, emerging at best, that suffer from infrastructure and social inequality.

What am I trying to say? Drg trafficking is a huge problem because, in addition to the obvious equation of drug use, we are talking about the strengthening of highly armed groups in countries that often do not have the infrastructure to confront them. A very powerful drug trafficking group has emerged in the United States.

The United States has the military capacity to face it. Now, an extremely powerful group is beginning to emerge in a poorer country, such as Ecuador. We have already done an episode explaining the situation in Ecuador.

Like in Haiti. Haiti does not have the technical capacity or weapons to confront its drug trafficking groups. Do you understand the logic?

We are talking about extremely powerful, rich drug trafficking groups in countries that do not have the conditions, and when I say conditions, it is often the number of soldiers, weapons, ammunition to enter a battle. Drg trafficking groups have more ammunition than the armies in these countries. How do I close this account?

Shall we face them? Is very difficult. This drug trafficking strengthens groups that become increasingly powerful in places where the infrastructure does not allows you to face them.

You don't know how deep we went. Five minutes of chat and we have already cut to the issue of drug trafficking, perhaps at its core, which is the geopolitics of drug trafficking. It's gossip, but it's gossip of the highest quality.

How are you? Did you receive it? Did you understand?

No rush, but do you understand? Does it make sense to you? So give it a like.

Beauty, wonder. Ask questions, guys. And what about Brazil in this relationship?

I'll be very honest, Brazil is not even involved in our discussion today. Today I'm going to have a more macro discussion, about drug trafficking. In a little while I'll bring you data and numbers to make you crazy.

Then, I bring a little of the history of the construction of drug trafficking in Latin America, passing through Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador to understand what the world is like today. Brazil is not the core, but Brazil's situation in relation to drug trafficking and cocaine is so alarming, so serious, so problematic, that no one talks about the subject. Do you know the famous elephant in the room?

There's a giant elephant in the room and no one comments on it. The bizarre situation in Brazil when we think about drug trafficking and cocaine is that Brazil is not one of the largest cocaine producers in the world. It is not.

If we had to think about the biggest producers, we would talk about Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia in that order, and Peru surpassing Colombia many times. Brazil is a huge distributor.

Many routes pass through Brazil and passed through Brazil. Brazilian goods in some ports are specially inspected due to the high probability of drugs being transported along the way, as well as from Colombia and Peru. So much so that drug trafficking today seeks to traffic from other ports in other countries to divert attention, increasing drug trafficking leaving Argentina and Uruguay, countries that did not have this volume.

Now comes the worst fact: Brazil was once considered the second largest drug distributor in the world and the largest cocaine distributor. He is gone. It was second only to Pakistan, which was the largest distributor of heroin.

Do not confuse producer and distributor. Brazil has a surreal distribution network. And the worst part: that's where the money is.

In distribution. It's not in production. In distribution.

I'll show you A plus B. So, there are very powerful groups in Brazil that participate in this trafficking, they participate in many urban groups that are related to drug trafficking in Latin America. When we think about the First Command of the Capital of São Paulo, there are several proven relationships between this group and drug traffickers in Latin America.

When we think about illegal mining in the Brazilian Amazon, there is a huge relationship between illegal miners (not to be confused with legal ones, I'm talking about criminal activities) and drug traffickers, and the Primeiro Comando da Capital often launders money in the same operation. In illegal mining in the Amazon, mainly in Yanomami lands, we saw the high level of weapons used by illegal miners, transforming this into a serious military issue. Not to mention that cocaine consumption in Brazil is more or less four times the world average.

Brazil is not the largest consumer, but it has extremely high, and therefore serious, consumption. And who is talking about this? I don't see it anywhere.

I'm glad you asked because I don't keep anything. How are you? Were they like "I didn't even know my question would turn into this"?

And one more: how does drug trafficking impact the poor population in Latin America? Look what a good question. Drg trafficking impacts the poor population in Latin America, mainly by strengthening these groups that, by becoming rich through drug trafficking, begin to exercise control over huge territories.

And I don't say control, people, I mean that they dictate rules, they are the military force of the place, they rule over the populations and treat them as they wish. We are talking about populations under the control of armed militias, of very dangerous drug trafficking groups. The population has to live under this command.

That's enough, but to be honest, it's superficial of everything we could say about this relationship. Drg trafficking and poverty meet at various times in history. The main growth points for drug trafficking are the places with the smallest structure and least attention from the State in any country you look at.

O Drg trafficking does not grow in the places most occupied by the State's military forces, in the places most monitored by the State's forces. It grows mainly in cities and spaces where the State has less capacity or less intention to care. These most excluded areas have historically been the places where drug trafficking has established itself with the most power, including bringing money to the region and dominating entire areas.

We can continue? Now I'm going to shock you, then we'll come back and tell you a little bit of the story of how this happened. Today I'm going to reverse it, I'm not going to do it chronologically, I'm going to start from the current situation.

The UN sent an alert commenting on the record we are experiencing. We are now experiencing record cocaine consumption in the world. Over time, it's not falling, it's increasing.

We have the United States as the main cocaine market, but the fastest growing place is Europe, and the market seen as having great potential is the Asian market. The United States is the largest market, Europe is the fastest growing, and the Asian market has the greatest potential. In other words, it won't stop growing.

You ask: "But how much growing? Does it give me a taste of what's going to happen? " It's funny you ask about smell because the main data we have comes from sewage.

Those who consume cocaine release a very particular substance in their urine. By analyzing sewage, we can measure the amount of cocaine consumed. When we look from 2015 to 2024 in Europe, consumption has tripled.

Tripled. It's an absurd expansion. You ask, "How is this happening?

How do you know this? " You have no idea what I'm going to tell you. Let's go.

First, let's give numbers and a technical part of the story. Coca, the coca leaf, is the leaf of a plant common in Latin America, in mountainous areas, traditionally used. Cocaine is a drug that can be taken in different states.

It's common to think of cocaine as a powder, but it is turned into a powder. There are still other versions. 1 kg of cocaine requires 130 to 200 kg of coca leaf.

How many plant leaves do you need to make 1 kg of leaves? How many sheets? Multiply by at least 130.

Take this entire amount of foil and condense it into a 1 kg brick. Then you start to understand. You understand why we have several cases of overdose depending on the purity of the drug.

Cocaine is highly mixed. We need production laboratories. Now you will understand why it is growing so much and why the money is in transport.

How much does 1 kg of cocaine cost in Colombia? Close to $2,000. 10 thousand reais.

How much does it sell for in the United States, in the cheapest places? $16,000 a kilo. In the most difficult to reach places, $25,000 per kilo.

In Europe, from $30,000 per kilo. In the most difficult to reach places, it can reach $40,000 per kilo. There was a record drug seizure in Germany in 2021.

Do you know how much drugs they took? 116 tons. Valued at 3.

5 billion euros. A load. When I said that we are putting money into the hands of criminal groups in poorer countries, now you understand.

Take a place where the local government is unable to fight against these groups, place them in the middle of a multibillion-dollar trade. It creates circles of power that many of these countries alone cannot solve. It makes a lot of money, right?

You understand that rich countries are uncomfortable. That's a lot of money going into drug trafficking. How are you so far?

Today it's just rocks. Send a kiss to Vet, dear. Today we are hacking.

Let's go, they can handle it. There's more to come. You don't believe what I'm going to tell you.

You won't believe how far we're going to get today. They already understand trade and volume. Let's go.

I spoke of a record operation that took 116 tons. Beauty. Did you know that drug traffickers already have a percentage of cargo that will be seized?

Their entire trade counts on losing 10 to 20% of the cargo being seized. And everything is fine. You say: "But how does it happen?

And why don't they seize more than 20%? " Because they keep looking for new ways to do trafficking. Here we are at Gossip Geopolitics, people.

We hold nothing back. How are you doing this? I'll tell you.

It's clear that a load coming of Colombia is more inspected. It makes sense why people are afraid of cocaine passing through products. Cocaine passes through products, of course.

It doesn't go in a box marked cocaine. It goes hidden among loads. Then, they began to inspect products from Colombia, Peru and Brazil.

They started to monitor more. They started looking for other countries. I spoke about Argentina, Uruguay, Puerto Rico.

Do you know a country that started selling a lot of cocaine? Ecuador. I have already spoken about the situation in Ecuador.

It's maddening. Ecuador is the largest banana trader in the world. Do you know what these bananas were called?

Who is inspecting bananas? Less than 10% of banana cargo in the world is inspected. Because bananas go bad.

They have a technical argument which is: "Banana cannot be stuck in port". Then, the inspectors take a quick look and release it. Because they are bananas.

Who is looking at bananas and thinking "I'm financing very powerful drug traffickers who are taking over Latin America"? Latin America has 8% of the world's population, but 30% of the murders. Almost four times the population proportion.

8% of the world's population and 30% of murders are in Latin America. When you ask me how this affects the local population, it strengthens these paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, militias, who kill almost four times the global proportion of the population. This is just the beginning.

I talked about the banana. Let's continue. As I listen to the questions, who hasn't given a like?

Remember that there is material to download. Please. For those who want to study and find out more, there is material below.

Every Gossip has material to download below. Give it a like, guys. We hope to stay on the top education podcast in Brazil.

It's a dream of ours. We reached position 22 in Brazil and I want to thank everyone who listens to Fofoca on Spotify. They give five stars.

You live in our hearts. Send questions, Ailton! How does drug trafficking impact the world economy?

Look at the question. To be honest, it will be better. Because it is money that comes out of the hands of drug trafficking groups.

It's obvious there's a problem. This money ends up reaching the poorest areas of the planet. Let's face it, not all money is used to buy weapons.

Wagner Mour has already shown Pablo Escobar's story to the world. In Narcos, we see that he built and paid for a lot of things. He financed the country's football, teams, national team, politicians, public works.

He tried to construct a Robin Hood narrative. He actually built things in Colombia and gave away his money. But this is not a discussion about rich and poor.

It's about an illegal trade that strengthens criminal groups. It would be positive to take this money out of the hands of these criminal groups. Generates a financial statement.

Work to end these precarious conditions through legalized trade. But it would be positive to end drug trafficking. We can continue with the strategies.

Do they think it's over, Ailton? Send more. How does drug trafficking contribute to xenophobia towards Peruvians, Bolivians, etc.

? Interesting question. I hadn't thought about that perspective.

What they are saying is very real. Xenophobia is widely studied as an aversion to foreigners. We have an episode about xenophobia.

He was one of the first Gossips, Ailton. You may not remember, it was one of the first 10. Today we are on episode 44.

Xenophobia is a serious issue. It has a construction that leads to irrational aversion, fear and hatred. We realize that things that affect local cultures generate more hate.

Many Colombians, Bolivians, Mexicans and Peruvians are associated with this image of drug trafficking. This prejudiced image that those who did well are linked to illegal activities. This image comes across when we look at works about Pablo Escobar.

It seems that everyone who is well off is complicit in drug trafficking, even if they are not. A prejudiced and wrong image is created against this population. This generates xenophobia.

And xenophobia is wrong. A very rich person there is not the one who comes here asking for help and refuge. Just to give you some information: the Colombian civil war between the government and FARC resulted in 200,000 deaths in 50 years and 5 million refugees.

The image of xenophobia is created and the reality is 5 million Colombians fleeing civil war and drug trafficking. And a feeling of xenophobia is created towards those who flee. Look at the degree of cruelty.

Thanks for the question. I wasn't expecting it, I hope I answered well. I'm going to ask myself a question.

Hansen, if you know the ways, why don't the agents specialized in inspecting bananas do anything? Because drug trafficking is reinventing itself. Previously, drug trafficking was mainly carried out through Spanish ports.

Where did they leave Spain for? Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Netherlands, embryo of the European Union, Benelux, France, Germany and Italy, which will form the European Coal and Steel Community.

The largest port in the world for 42 years was Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. So they send it to these giant ports to disguise it. Inspection has to choose between military weapons or bananas.

Chemical input for the production of agricultural acids or bananas. They send it to these giant ports to disguise it. And then you ask: "How do they do it?

" They started sending liquid cocaine in bottles. In the Queen of the South series, she represents the Sinaloa Cartel, the largest Mexican cartel, and sells drugs as drink. Drnk truck looks like it's a distillery.

But inside the drink is liquid cocaine. You don't drink it, it passes it through the laboratory to return to dust. Illegal cocaine production laboratories are increasing in Europe.

Mainly Italy, Holland, Serbia and Albania. I'm playing the tape here, if the authorities don't follow up, that's their problem. How does drug trafficking contribute to xenophobia?

Explained. Let's talk more about Ecuador. The candidate who was against drug trafficking was murdered during the day in a public square with the television covering it.

In Mexico, they arrested El Raton, El Chapo's son. Culiacán, the main Mexican cartel. El Chapo is in prison in the USA because whenever they arrested him in Mexico, drug traffickers entered the prison and took him out.

He has been imprisoned in the US since 2019. His son, Ovidio Guzmán López, leads the Sinaloa Cartel. He was arrested in an operation between Mexican and US police.

The US asked: "Joe Biden is going, but this guy can't be free. " They arrested him three days before Joe Biden visited the country. After he was arrested, the city of Culiacán had 19 military blockades, drug traffickers closing the city.

Civil war. Army, civil war because they arrested the drug trafficker. The US asked to send him there, a domestic federal judge prevented it.

So, Mexican cartels present in Ecuador, Peruvian and Colombian cartels present in Ecuador. You ask: "Why the fuss? " A professor of mine said: "Organized crime is very problematic, but disorganized crime is much more difficult to manage.

" When you have a large criminal organization, you map that organization, those leaders, understand how a large operation worked. The FARC came to control 70% of Colombia's cocaine production. When they were destroyed, it generated this dispersion of groups fighting over global drug trafficking.

That's why geopolitics is so complex. Colombia is an interesting country, with a problematic history in many areas, and ended up having cocaine as its main product. Colombia is the largest producer today.

At times, Peru produces more cocaine than Colombia. Humid hillside areas where coca grows well. Bolivia also has some of these areas.

I'll try to summarize. Colombia has experienced more or less five major civil wars in its history. There is a clear dispute in Colombia between liberals and conservatives.

Today, conservatives would be more the Colombian right, liberals more the left. This dispute is repeated in the history of Colombia. The worst civil war was between liberals and conservatives in the 19th century, killing 4% of the population.

That's more or less 7 million Brazilians today. These wars are intense. Those in power always oppose those who are not in a military way.

They form groups that rebel against the government. What can Colombia have? Right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing paramilitaries to fight against whoever is in power.

Now there is a left-wing government, the war is focused on right-wing paramilitaries. Right-wing government, the war is focused on left-wing paramilitaries. In the 1960s, conservatives joined with moderate liberals, almost center-left, and carried out a military coup.

They took over the government. This coalition had American support, so a government of right, center-left and American support was formed . They took power and went after the extreme left.

This extreme left is running away, mainly with Tirofijo, Manuel Marulanda, who founded the FARC in 1964. The FARC was a communist force trying to overthrow the government, not a drug trafficker. They needed to maintain an army.

Drg trafficking comes in, the FARC gets a lot of money to finance its operations. Many operations involved political kidnappings, guerrilla warfare, and weapons. There were 50 years of conflict between FARC and the government.

200,000 dead and 5 million refugees. It's very heavy. In the 70s, two groups emerged: the Medellín Cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Cartel.

The strengthening of drug trafficking groups in Colombia comes from 64 (formation of the FARC), 72 (formation of the Medellín Cartel), 77 (formation of the Cali Cartel). Pablo Escobar died in 1993. The Cali Cartel, owned by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, was considered by the US to be the most powerful criminal organization in history.

They were very powerful, rich, intense groups, a parallel state. When they were destroyed, it led to the dispersion of groups fighting over global drug trafficking. That's why geopolitics is so complex.

I'll finish with a curiosity. Pablo Escobar was one of the richest men in history. His son gave an interview saying: "Stop treating my father like a hero.

He came from poverty, he was almost killed as a child, his mother made a promise to build a church for the baby Jesus if they weren't killed. He built this giant church. But he was one of the biggest criminals in the world, he had a lot of people killed.

" He controlled the state and the police. One of the interesting facts: he loved animals. He built Hacienda Nápoles, 250 km from the capital, a refuge.

He set up a zoo and brought hippos from Africa. Released in the Colombian Amazon. With no predator for hippos in the Colombian Amazon, they reproduced more than in their natural habitat.

Today, Colombia has the largest hippo population outside of Africa. They saw between 80 and 150 hippos. Can't transport.

They thought about releasing hippopotamus hunting to kill these animals because they created an environmental imbalance. Projection: if no one does anything, in 15 years there will be 14,400 hippos. They made a suggestion: neuter the animals.

It costs 50,000 per animal. They have already castrated four. This is just a curiosity, but it's real.

They just said they gave us our time. I want to thank you so much for being here. Don't forget to like and download the material.

Remember: anyone who wants to study at Descomplica and comes from Fofoca Geolítico has a discount. Use the gossip coupon and tell others. Use the gossip coupon for a 10% discount.

This coupon gives you a 10% discount on any Enem plan on Descomplica. Tonight's class will be about the death of the president of Iran. To have this content, I'd love to see you there too.

Kiss on the heart. Ailton, thank you very much for everything. See you next week.

Bye guys! I went.