United States Officials are stating that Cocaine is being trafficked to Europe at a higher rate than previously reported.
From AFP:
A top US drugs official expressed concern Friday about growing quantities of cocaine being trafficked through Africa to Europe, as amounts of the stimulant reaching the United States tapers off.”We are concerned because of the movement,” [...]

The Washington Post reported last week on steps taken by Venezuela to crack down on its growing cocaine trade.
Facing criticism that cocaine trafficking is out of control, Venezuela’s government this year has embarked on an aggressive program to track drug-smuggling planes and destroy clandestine airstrips used by Colombian drug clans, Venezuelan drug enforcement and military [...]

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that numerous inmates convicted of crack cocaine are not being released as planned following the changes to the sentencing guidelines approved back in December.
From the LA Times:
New federal sentencing guidelines designed to end the racially tinged disparity between prison sentences for powder and crack cocaine dealers went into effect [...]

The tiny West African country of Guinea Bissau is becoming a key hub for the trafficking of cocaine from Colombia to Europe.
From the Observer:
US drug enforcement agents report that the old cocaine channels through the Caribbean, markedly Jamaica and Panama, have become more intensively policed, forcing the Colombians to develop new routes to traffic cocaine. [...]

The Associated Press is reporting that FARC guerrillas are increasingly crossing the border in Venezuela to purchase food and weapons and continue their trade in cocaine.
From the AP:
Well inside Venezuela, Colombian insurgents rest, train, buy arms and uniforms, recover from wounds and process cocaine, according to the rebel deserters, Venezuelan opposition politicians and Colombian officials.
Some [...]

The New York Times reports on the spread of paco, a smokable cocaine residue that that is surging in use in Argentina and Brazil.
The scourge underscores a significant shift in both Argentina and its larger neighbor, Brazil, which in just a few years have become sizable cocaine consumers. Brazil now ranks as the second largest [...]

Hershey has decided to stop the production of Ice Breakers Pacs due to concerns raised by police that the candy packets bear a resemblance to bags of cocaine.
From the AP:
Ice Breakers Pacs, which first hit store shelves in November, are small dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside. The pouches come in blue or [...]

The Wall Street Journal reports on the cocaine boom taking place in Europe.  As revenues increase due to the selling of cocaine, drug traffickers are handling more and more cash in Euros.
To wash it, the traffickers must take various steps to clean up its tracks.
From the Wall Street Journal:

The first step is to convert [...]

The Los Angeles Times has an article on the ‘Ndrangheta, an Italian crime syndicate that largely controls the booming cocaine trade in Europe.
Europe is fast overtaking the U.S. as the leading destination for the world’s cocaine, and a single Italian mafia is largely responsible.
The ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, a ruthless and mysterious network of 155 families [...]

Authorities in Colombia discovered two drug smuggling submarines built by FARC rebels.
IN a scene that might have come from a James Bond thriller, a secret boatyard has been discovered in a South American swamp where drug barons were building submarines with the aim of landing tons of cocaine on to American beaches.
A pair of submarines [...]