You probably have not heard of Guerrero, a state on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The famous tourist resort of Acapulco is the main attraction. We've been to Acapulco a couple of times and it's an attractive location. Of course, everything is different now that the hurricane devastated so much of the area. I'm not sure that the resort will return to its Fun in Acapulco days when Elvis walked around with Ursula Andress and Elsa Cardenas.

Here lately, the locals have found a new way of making a living. Here is the story from Kelin Dillon:

According to data shared by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) with Mexican daily newspaper El Universal, coca leaf production in Mexico has grown approximately 1,271 percent in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán in the last two years alone.

While the state’s mountainous region was previously known for its coffee production, continually depreciating crop yields have turned local farmers toward another, more lucrative agricultural pursuit: coca leaves.

Since the Mexican Armed Forces first reported its discovery of coca leaf plantations in Guerrero back in 2021, the military has purportedly discovered 172 coca leaf fields -- 87 percent of which were concentrated in the state’s Costa Grande region, land which is predominantly community owned -- over the last two years.

Locals say that the Armed Forces’ efforts to destroy coca leaf production are in vain; according to one regional leader, farmers simply move the crop up the mountain once the military has conducted its raids, which supposedly barely make a dent into the true coca leaf output.

“The crop is going to stay,” Arturo García Jiménez told El Universal. “The destruction that the Army is doing is symbolic compared to the cultivated territory.”

In the story, we learn that Guerrero's farmers understand supply and demand and have brought in Colombians to teach them the finer points of the business. There is always a consultant willing to teach a thing or two.

What a terrible reality but that's the truth. Maybe we should drink more coffee and consume less cocaine. Of course, don't think that this is only a "gringo" problem. It's not a good thing for Mexico's agricultural fields to be in the hands of criminal elements and their Colombian consultants.

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Image: Jernej Furman