Cultivation of coca crops in indigenous reserves in southwest Colombia is increasing, said head of anti-narcotics police department, general Luis Alberto Pérez Alvarán on Monday.
According to Perez, drug-traffickers are using indigenous lands in the southwestern department Putumayo to avoid interference from security forces because destruction or spraying of crops can only occur after consultation with the indigenous community, reported Radio Caracol.
180 workers are being protected by 120 policemen during the eradication process. Control of the area is kept by security forces based on the ground and is monitored by overhead flights.
This manual coca eradication project was put into action one month after July’s march when 5,000 local farmers protested against FARC landmines and the government’s policy on the aerial spraying of illicit crops.