Inside a cocaine making tour

Guided tours and expeditions make up an integral part of the holiday experience for the majority of people when travelling abroad. Usually with a local as the guide, they provide a unique insight into the culture and history of the place you are in, that cannot always be garnered from the usual holiday pass times of bars, restaurants and hotels.

I spoke to a serial traveller who has travelled to over 50 countries, in that time he has been a part of numerous tours. Some of these were so immemorable that he has completely forgotten about them, but a tour that he did in whilst in Colombia still sticks out due to its uniqueness to the region. A guided tour in how to make cocaine.

Whilst travelling a route known as the gringo trail which incorporates the most famous attractions in Latin America. He was advised by other travellers on the route to visit the town of San Agustin, located in the foothills of the Andes. Despite being surrounded by beautiful mountain walks and stunning scenery; the uniqueness of this place lay elsewhere.

Upon arrival in the town, he quickly realised that every kind of drug was readily available, mdma, acid and of course cocaine could be purchased from shops, hotels, bars and even restaurants. The price of cocaine was around ten pounds a gram, some of the lowest prices in the world.

Off the advice of another traveller, he checked in to a hostel where the tours were organised and was told to wait for a certain man to begin his shift behind the counter. The man started his shift at 6 o’clock, so the traveller went to the desk to speak to him, unsure about he should approach the situation.

He started off by asking him about nice things to do in the area, to which the man suggested a five km mountain trek and a swim in a local lake. The traveller made it clear that he had already done enough of these in South America and wanted to try something different.

The hosteler checked down both ends of the corridor to make sure no one was around before he posed his next suggestion. “Wanna make Cocaine?” The traveller’s response was instant “hell yeah!”

The traveller was advised to be at the hostel by 6 o’clock where a taxi would be waiting to drive him and the other guests up to the location. After acquiring some rum and beer with the other participants, a taxi came and picked them up before driving 40 minutes out of the city to a shack in the jungle. They were completely alone up here apart from the occasional bark from one of the many stray dogs that are found in Colombia.

The tour commenced in a way a usual one would, general talk between the travellers about where they were from and where they planned to travel next. After some time, the tour guide announced that they would begin, before pulling out a plate of the final product so they could see what they would be making. He offered each participant a line of cocaine of the plate, which they all obliged. Then the tour began.

The first part involved a huge cleaver and the fine chopping of the coca leaves, described by the traveller as chopping them the same way that you would parsley. The leaves were then placed in a bucket and mixed with concrete dust; this would be the first of several ingredients that users will not be pleased to find out they put up their nose.

Half petrol and half diesel are then added to cover the mixture, which is then left for half an hour. This would usually be left for a longer period, but parts of the process were fast tracked for the purpose of the tour. During the break the guide handed out more cocaine to the participants.

The mixture is then strained, and the coca leaves are thrown away, only 1 hour in to a 6-hour process and the original product is no longer needed. Bleach and countless other chemicals are then added to the concoction before a propane gas hose is used to boil it.

The final ingredient was a chemical which turned the reduced mixture very pasty, it was then placed into tins under heat lamps for it to be dried out.

The cocaine was then divided up and handed to the participants as a prize for taking part in the tour. After seeing how it was made, the traveller decided to throw it away immediately. He vowed to never put cocaine anywhere near his body again. That lasted two weeks.

After hearing this story, I wonder if anyone will consider their use of the drug in the future. I suspect not.

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