Colombia: Status of Aerial Spray Program

Question: Comment on the article in the St. Petersburg Times that Colombia has decided to stop spraying coca, in southern Colombia?

Answer:  That report is inaccurate.  The aerial spraying of illicit crops continues in Colombia.  The Colombians are currently spraying in other key drug cultivation areas of the country.  They have plans to return to southern Colombia after development projects there have had a chance to take hold and the weather is more conducive to spraying.

Our Narcotics Affairs section at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota supports the Colombian National Police’s aerial spray program.  A fact sheet, “Aerial Eradication Of Illicit Crops: Frequently Asked Questions,” is available on the State Department web site at: http://www.state.gov.