State of the World from NPR Fighting Drug Traffickers Deep in the Peruvian Amazon
Oct 28, 2025
Simeon Tegel, a field reporter for NPR, delves into the alarming rise of coca cultivation in the Peruvian Amazon and its devastating effects on indigenous tribes like the Kakataibo. He reveals how drug traffickers are encroaching on their lands, leading to violence and deforestation. The podcast highlights the brave self-defense forces patrolling the jungle and the alarming statistics of coca expansion. Tegel also touches on the community's efforts to sabotage narco airstrips, as well as the challenges posed by COVID-19 and ongoing U.S. cocaine demand.
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Tribe Leaders Killed Defending Their Land
- Six leaders of the Kakataibo tribe were murdered by traffickers, and leaders now carry death threats.
- The Kakataibo Indigenous Guard patrols with spears, machetes, drones and an old shotgun to defend their land.
Technology Meets Traditional Patrols
- Drones let indigenous guards quickly locate coca even inside reserves protecting uncontacted tribes.
- Traffickers have established coca plantations and clandestine airstrips deep in protected areas.
Locals Destroy Narco Airstrips
- The Asheninka community sabotaged a half-mile clandestine airstrip by hiring diggers to put huge holes in it.
- The tribe prevented weekly light aircraft flights that once transported kilos of cocaine out of their forest.