The Black Hawk helicopter was ready for take off – its rotor blades slicing through the air in the deadening heat of the Colombian Amazon. We ducked low and crammed in alongside the Jungle Commandos – a police special operations unit armed by the Americans and originally trained by Britain's SAS, when it was founded in 1989. The commandos were heavily armed. The mission was familiar. The weather was clear. But there was tension on board, kicking in with the adrenaline. When you go after any part of the drug trade in Colombia, you have to be ready for trouble. The commandos often face resistance from criminal groups, and current and former guerrillas who have replaced the cartels of the 1970s and 80s. We took off, flying over the district of Putumayo - close to the border with Ecuador - part of Colombia's cocaine heartland. The country provides about 70% of the world's supply. Just ahead two other Black Hawks were leading the way. Down below us there was dense forest and patches of bright green – the tell-tale sign of coca plant cultivation. The crop now covers an area nearly twice the size of Greater London, and four times the size of New York, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), published in 2024. President Donald Trump says Colombia's left-wing President Gustavo Petro is not doing enough to prevent cocaine from his country winding up on America's streets. Recently, he stated that Petro could be a target for military intervention. President Petro counters this narrative, asserting that his government has seized record amounts of drugs during his presidency. However, both the situation on the ground and the international perceptions of Colombia's drug trade remain highly contentious. The commandos’ determination to cripple the cocaine production process is underscored by their efforts to destroy cocaine labs, which are often quickly rebuilt by the gangs to keep the supply chain alive. In light of these complexities, it is clear that the dynamics of the Colombian drug war continue to evolve, presenting a relentless challenge for authorities and communities alike.