Drugs are becoming institutionalized: Interview with Ticuna leader in Peru’s Amazon

Francisco Hernández Cayetano, the president of the Federation of Ticuna and Yagua Communities of the Lower Amazon (FECOTYBA), has issued a warning about the escalating issue of drug trafficking in the Amazon's tri-border area. The remote region, where Peru, Colombia, and Brazil converge, has become a prime spot for criminal activities, causing significant disruption in the lives of the Ticuna and Yagua communities.

These Indigenous peoples live along riverbanks and lowland forests, which are prime targets for drug traffickers, gold miners, and timber smugglers due to the weak state presence in the tri-border areas.

According to a 2024 report by the Crisis Group, an independent organization, criminal activities in these regions can lead to insecurity, violence, and environmental damage to Indigenous peoples and their territories. According to Hernández, "Our concern is very strong because most of the communities — almost 60 to 70% of the forests — are deforested due to drug trafficking."

This deforestation has resulted in severe consequences for the communities, including children and women working in the coca fields and the general social instability.

The presence of drug traffickers and illegal miners has exacerbated the situation, leading to deforestation, contamination of waterways by mining chemicals, and contamination of the environment. As a result, the youth of the Ticuna communities are being drawn to coca fields for work, where they start smoking, taking drugs, and drinking. This substance abuse problem among the young Indigenous population has become a serious concern for Hernández.