Australian Federal Police say cartels have modified coca genetics to boost annual yields and refined extraction methods, making production more efficient.

A major criminal report claims cartels have genetically altered coca plants to yield more coca and enable higher cocaine production, contributing to record seizures in Australia.

A large Western Sydney seizure uncovered 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden in bunkers under shipping containers, with a street value exceeding A$1.2 billion.

The UNODC reports global cocaine production quadrupled from 2014 to 2024, driven by increased productivity and expanding cultivated areas.

UNODC data shows cocaine production rising even as coca bush cultivation nears 400,000 hectares in the region, roughly double 2020 and triple 2014, with Colombia accounting for about 70% of production.

Australian wastewater analysis shows rising cocaine use, with nearly 8,000 kg detected nationally in 2024-25 and New South Wales contributing around 3,200 kg; last year’s street value estimated at about US$2.8 billion.

Recent seizures illustrate scale: 10 kg seized in Sydney in early July; 110 kg at Port Botany in late June; 14 kg at Melbourne Airport in May; and 212 cocaine pellets ingested in January.

Experts note criminal groups have previously exploited agricultural tech, including GM crops, to boost drug production, and rising coca cultivation is linked to policy shifts and eradication setbacks in the Andean region.