Global opium and cocaine production at record highs: UN report

Vienna (AFP) – Global production of cocaine and opium, stemming largely from Colombia and Afghanistan respectively, has hit record levels, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Tuesday in its annual report.

The production of opium rose by 65 percent from 2016 to 2017 to reach 10,500 tons, while global cocaine manufacture in 2016 reached an estimated 1,410 tons, the agency said.