Margaret Thatcher approved secret plan to combat cocaine crops with moths
Documents reveal that Margaret Thatcher approved plans to “bomb” Peru’s cocaine crop with moths in 1989, reflecting a covert initiative by the UK government to combat the burgeoning cocaine trade, reports BritPanorama.
Top-secret briefings indicate that Conservative ministers agreed to allocate £100,000 to this unconventional strategy. The then Prime Minister personally endorsed the breeding of thousands of moths intended to hinder cocaine exports to Britain.
Declassified documents from the National Archives highlight the proposition of weaponising the moths known to feed on Erythroxylum coca, the plant used in cocaine production. A Foreign Office briefing articulated the potential of the moth as a form of “biological control” over illegal crops, describing it as a “smart bomb” with a limited range.
The Peruvian government reportedly sought assistance from British scientists at a research laboratory in Porton Down, Wiltshire, for the breeding of the moths, which were to be deployed via helicopters over drug plantations in Peru. However, this initiative did not materialise, primarily due to insufficient financial backing from the Peruvian government.
The proposal underscores the lengths to which governments may consider going in the fight against narcotics, thereby demonstrating the complexities involved in international drug policy during that era.
This historical insight into Thatcher’s regime raises critical questions about the reliance on unconventional methods in global drug enforcement efforts and the implications for international cooperation in tackling narcotics trafficking.
