Every day, $3 million worth of fuel is smuggled into Colombia from various neighbors who can’t seem to keep their borders under control. Even worse, this is the gas that fuels the mighty cocaine industry. Although only a handful of ingredients —aside from the coca plant—are used in the manufacture of cocaine, fuel is critical, whether it’s diesel, kerosene, jet fuel or just plain gasoline. This demand for cross-border fuel is causing headaches for Latin American countries–particularly Ecuador, which is taking a big hit from the illicit exporting of its dirt-cheap, heavily subsidized gasoline to ‘Cocaine Central’ Colombia, where it is used to make the drug. And the list of ingredients, which include sulfuric acid, caustic soda, and gasoline or a gasoline equivalent, are the number-one expense in the manufacturing of cocaine. This means that drug cartels are motivated to find the cheapest source of gasoline possible. “It’s not […]