DRUG TRAFFICKING IN THE AMAZON TRAPEZE: AN ANALYSIS OF COOPERATION AGREEMENTS

Abstract

The universalization of the prohibitionist logic in combating illicit drugs led to the global adoption of a repressive and authoritarian model, especially after the start of the “War on Drugs” in 1970 under United States leadership. In this context, Latin America became one of the epicenters of the production and trafficking of psychoactive drugs, consolidating the presence of narcotrafficking groups in the region. Notably, the Amazon Trapeze—the area of the tri-border between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru—has played an increasing role in the dynamics of trafficking. Seeking to curb these new flows, states chose to deploy the Armed Forces in the region. Based on this information, the present article seeks to investigate the cooperation agreements for combating drug trafficking signed in the region, aiming to understand military action in the triple border and its implications. To do so, the research adopted the Securitization Theory developed by the Copenhagen School, together with an analysis of primary and secondary sources. From the analysis conducted, it was observed that the fight against drugs in the Amazon Trapeze was securitized, resulting in the militarization of the process. The results, however, were not what was expected to contain the activities of drug trafficking.