Talk:News:1985-08-04/Eradication/us-house-delegation-watches-helicopters-spray-a-marijuana-field-in-magdalena

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Discussion for: News:1985-08-04/Eradication/us-house-delegation-watches-helicopters-spray-a-marijuana-field-in-magdalena • View • Links • Related changes

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Discussion

Dating

The committee print (Latin American Study Missions Concerning International Narcotics Problems (August 3–19, 1985), SCNAC-99-2-1, 1986) dates one field inspection in Colombia: "On Sunday, August 4, the delegation went on a field inspection of marijuana eradication efforts in Magdalena Department in the North Coast region". Its summary of the mission says that working parties "landed to inspect a site in Colombia where marijuana had been successfully eradicated by aerial herbicide spray and witnessed the aerial spraying by helicopters of a marijuana field nearby", without a date or a department. This news item is dated and placed by the Magdalena inspection.

Quantities

The "about 2,500 hectares" sprayed with glyphosate by early August 1985 is the committee's figure for the whole Colombian programme, so no area is stored for this event.

Attribution

The print does not name the unit that flew the helicopters. The agency field follows the United States General Accounting Office, which wrote in 1988 that the aerial programme was run by SAPOL, the airwing of the National Police.

Map pin

The print names the department, not a site. The pin is Santa Marta, the department's capital, and marks the department.

These notes were recorded when the news item was prepared. Éloise 19:31, 21 October 2026 (+07)