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Authorities say cocaine is making comeback in Florida

Posted at 1:48 PM, May 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-29 08:37:44-04

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Drug enforcement officials say traffickers are bringing more cocaine into South Florida than at any time in the past decade.

Officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration say Colombia has been producing more cocaine than at the height of the notorious 1980s.

 

The Sun Sentinel of South Florida reported Sunday that 90 percent of the cocaine seized in the United States can be traced back to Colombia.

DEA official Justin Miller says Colombia has tripled its production in the past few years.

Customs and Border Protection officials in Florida say they confiscated 61 percent more cocaine last year over the prior year. That amounts to 9,500 pounds.

Authorities say because there is a lag time between production and distribution, the full impact of the increase has yet to hit.