Analysis of Illicit Drug Trafficking in Colombia's Maritime Spaces: A Spatial Exploratory Approach

Abstract

The illicit drug trafficking by sea constitutes a threat to international maritime security and impacts Colombia's bioceanic development. The purpose of this article is to analyze the maritime spaces in Colombia affected by these trafficking activities. Using Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, we examined the maritime boundaries established in international treaties, the Colombian Navy's port captaincies, and maritime departments in relation to drug seizures reported by the International Center for Research and Analysis Against Maritime Drug Trafficking, led by Colombia (2016-2021). We also analyzed the correlation between maritime seizures and those made on land. The results are presented in maps, and five levels of threat of illicit drug trafficking are proposed: mitigated (53.55%), low (33.32%), medium (7.88%), high (2.84%), and critical (2.39%), with the highest concentration of the threat in the southwest in the Pacific Ocean, in the port captaincies and departments of Tumaco, Guapi, and Buenaventura.