The air interdiction policy implemented in Brazil in 2004 brought a series of consequences for drug trafficking in the Amazon, leading to a shift of air routes to the region’s rivers and contributing to increased violence. This is the main conclusion of the study “Landing on Water: Air Interdiction, Drug Trafficking, and Violence in the Brazilian Amazon”, published by the Amazônia 2030 project.
The restriction on the use of airplanes for cocaine transport made air logistics riskier and more expensive, pushing traffickers to use Amazonian waterways. This shift exposed riverside communities to organized crime, resulting in a sharp increase in violence. Between 2005 and 2020, about 1,430 homicides in municipalities along Amazonian rivers were directly linked to this change in trafficking.
According to the study conducted by researchers Leila Pereira, Rafael Pucci, and Rodrigo R. Soares, the restriction on air traffic forced traffickers to turn to river routes, directly affecting riverside communities.
“Air interdiction directly impacted the logistics of drug trafficking in the region, displacing criminal activity to areas previously less exposed, such as the banks of the Amazon rivers. This brought additional challenges for security forces and for local communities, which began living more closely with this criminal dynamic,” explains Rodrigo R. Soares.
The study also reveals that the rise in homicides was directly related to the increase in cocaine production in the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru). Beyond the rise in homicides, the study points to an increase in overdose deaths, indicating greater availability of cocaine in the affected municipalities. The research also shows that organized crime demonstrated a high capacity for adaptation, using local networks and technologies to maintain its operations despite intensified air enforcement.
The researchers warn of the need for a more integrated approach to combating trafficking, avoiding isolated measures that may generate collateral impacts. “Public security policies must take into account the displacements of organized crime and their effects on local communities. Combating trafficking in the Amazon requires strategies that consider different modes of transport and the region’s social realities,” the study highlights.
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