Coca cultivation in Colombia has dropped to less than 148,000 acres, the lowest figure in 15 years, President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday.
At a ceremony celebrating the 120th anniversary of the National Police, the president said that since August 7 last year, officers had seized 63 tons of cocaine and captured 1,247 guerillas and more than 3,000 members of armed criminal gangs.
Earlier this year, Peru overtook Colombia as the world’s largest producer of pure cocaine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Santos said, “All these operations prove that we have a successful police force – one that does not just protect us in our everyday lives but is capable of combating terrorism.”
