The Jungle Commandos, Colombia’s elite police unit trained by Britain’s SAS and armed by the US, are on a relentless mission against drug gangs in the Amazon. Flying in Black Hawk helicopters over Putumayo near the Ecuador border, they target hidden cocaine labs. Colombia supplies about 70% of the world’s cocaine, with coca crops covering an area four times the size of New York, says the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). President Gustavo Petro has seized record amounts of drugs, but cocaine production also reached all-time highs, according to the UN’s 2025 World Drug Report. Petro disputes UN data. The drug trade is a major issue in upcoming talks with US President Joe Biden. Former US President Donald Trump criticized Petro, calling him "a sick man who likes selling cocaine to the United States" and hinted at possible US military action. On the ground, commandos destroy cocaine labs several times daily, burning chemical drums and coca leaves. Major Cristhian Cedano Díaz, a 16-year veteran, says labs can be rebuilt within a day, but destroying crops hits criminals’ profits. "We are affecting the profitability of the criminal groups," he said. The gangs now use modern tools like drones and bitcoin. Colombia’s Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez defends the nation’s efforts. "We destroy cocaine factories every forty minutes," he says, with 2,800 tonnes seized over three and a half years—enough for 47 billion doses. He notes increasing cocaine use in Europe fuels the crisis, making eradication hard. In the Coca-growing region of Catatumbo, farmers like "Javier" rely on coca to feed their families amid poverty and armed guerrilla groups. Javier admits, "Sometimes you do think about that [the harm cocaine causes]. But if you want to survive, you don't." He calls for economic aid instead of military threats from the US. Both Major Cedano Díaz and Javier, born two years apart, hope their children will see a Colombia free from this "never-ending battle."