Colombia's cocaine submarines

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Deep inside the Colombian Amazon hi-tech submarines are being built. When it comes to making the cocaine trade more profitable, there’s nothing narco-traffickers aren’t willing to try. Some of the solutions they’re reportedly employing sound like something out of the American TV series Breaking Bad: GPS-trackers, remotely operated submarines and recruiting highly specialised scientists. Reporter José Carlos Cueto of BBC Mundo has been investigating the new trends and technologies used by cartels in Colombia and abroad.

Labubu dolls, the elf-like plush toys from the Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, seem to have taken the world by storm. Singer Rihanna had one clipped to her bag, influencer Kim Kardashian shared her collection of 10 dolls on Instagram, and former England football captain Sir David Beckham also shared a photo of a Labubu, given to him by his daughter. So, what’s behind this craze? Fan Wang reports from Singapore.

From the US to the Middle East, sand and dust storms have recently swept across many parts of the world, colouring the skies and leaving people with breathing problems. These storms traditionally originate in vast deserts. However, scientists believe that climate change means more people could be affected - with desertification and melting glaciers, exposing more dust. Maria Zaccaro, a BBC journalist reporting for the Global Journalism Science and Climate team, finds out more.

Mumbai in India is one of the most densely populated cities in the world - and it’s also the perfect habitat for leopards. BBC Marathi recently posted a video on their YouTube channel, showing these majestic wild cats strolling down residential streets and even entering people’s homes. In the past, there were several reports of human-animal conflict, including some deadly attacks. But since 2022 there have been no accidents at all. So how did people and leopards manage to find a way to live together in harmony? Reporter Mayuresh Konnur has the story.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

This is an EcoAudio certified production.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:07.8	This is the fifth floor.
0:12.0	The fifth floor, you knowsons.
0:15.6	This is the fifth floor at Farnak Amidi Sobath. This is the fifth floor at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world.
0:29.0	I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.
0:35.6	Special-designed submarines, GPS tracking and highly trained chemists and agronomists.
0:43.0	Can you guess what trade I'm talking about?
0:46.2	No, nothing to do with the army or the agricultural sector.
0:51.2	These are some of the new technologies that Colombian narco traffickers are reportedly
0:56.2	employing to make the cocaine business more profitable. Jose Carlos Queto from BBC Mundo has been
1:02.7	looking into this story. Welcome to the fifth floor, Jose. It's great to have you back.
1:07.0	Hello, thanks for having me back. So, Jose, what are the latest trends in the Narcos
1:13.6	world these days? Well, I guess we should start with a bit of context. Colombia is the largest
1:19.9	producer of cocaine in the world and the largest exporter as well. And the UN Office on Drugs
1:26.0	and Crime said there is a historic level of production
1:29.2	in Colombia at the moment. The most recent report in 2024 said cocaine production in
1:34.9	Colombia sold 53% in 2003 to 2,600 tons. And they say part of that is because of the coca leaf is more productive and resilient,
1:48.3	at least in some key enclaves in the country. That is Catatumbo, which is along the
1:54.5	Venezuelan border in the northeast of Colombia, Putumayo in the south, and Kao Kanarino, and particularly Tomako in the southwest,
2:03.3	toward the Pacific coast. I spoke to Leonardo Correa, who is the regional coordinator for
2:09.1	the office on drugs and crime for the United Nations, and he said that half of the cocaine
2:15.8	that is producing Colombia actually only comes from this enclase, which in terms of territory represent 15% only of the coca leaf territory in Colombia. So here you can find more productive and resilient varieties, more efficient use of agrochemicals, improved irrigation system, and even precision in farming and
	...

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