Biden administration suspends satellite monitoring of Colombian coca crops as cocaine surges

By JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration has quietly suspended satellite monitoring of coca crops in Colombia amid a surge of cocaine flowing into the U.S. from South America. It was unclear the reasons for the policy shift but a State Department spokesperson said it was only temporary. The move is bound to please leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro as he seeks to redirect law enforcement efforts away from the rural backwaters where coca is grown to chase large-scale smugglers and money launderers who reap the bulk of the drug trade’s profits.  The U.S. had been conducting aerial surveys of Colombia’s coca crop since at least 1987.