Reportage Photography from the Global War on Drugs

The “War on Drugs” is a global conflict that has shaped modern history, defined by violence, political manoeuvring, and human suffering. Originally coined by U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1971, the term describes a series of policies and military campaigns aimed at combating the production, trafficking, and consumption of illegal drugs. What began as a domestic initiative quickly escalated into a global struggle, spanning multiple continents and involving the governments of Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and beyond. Despite decades of aggressive intervention, drug cartels and illicit trafficking networks continue to thrive, feeding the relentless demand in the United States and Europe.

This protracted conflict is often documented through powerful reportage photography and hard-hitting documentary photography, capturing the harrowing realities on the ground. The impact of the War on Drugs is not limited to border skirmishes and violent raids—it extends into the lives of ordinary people living in areas under siege by drug cartels and law enforcement. The human toll of this war is evident in devastated communities, mass incarceration, and the rise of brutal criminal organisations that control entire regions. From the notorious cocaine wars of the 1980s, which saw drug lords like Pablo Escobar wielding power over life and death, to the modern-day cartel violence ravaging Mexico’s northern states, the story is one of shifting battle lines and persistent suffering.

My project on the War on Drugs began in Colombia, the epicentre of the cocaine trade, and took me across the western hemisphere—from the lawless favelas of Rio de Janeiro, where traffickers clash daily with militarised police, to the treacherous borderlands of Mexico, where cartels control the smuggling routes with brutal efficiency. I traversed the dense Amazon rainforest and climbed the peaks of the Andes, documenting the full scale of this conflict through compelling reportage photography that reveals the human side of the drug war. The images tell the stories of coca farmers, anti-narcotics police, local families caught in the crossfire, and traffickers navigating a deadly trade.

Many of the individual stories were commissioned by leading publications such as The Telegraph Magazine, Esquire, and The Independent, giving the project a broad reach. Some sections were supported by prestigious grants and scholarships, including from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, The Observer Hodge Award, and the Joop Swart Masterclass, underscoring the project’s critical importance and global resonance. Through these documentary photography projects, I sought to capture not just the violence and chaos, but also the resilience of communities living under the constant threat of violence and instability.

The War on Drugs has proven to be one of the most intractable conflicts of our time, resistant to traditional law enforcement strategies and rife with unintended consequences. Critics argue that the focus on military-style crackdowns has led to mass incarceration, racial disparities, and widespread human rights abuses, without addressing the root causes of drug addiction and poverty. Countries like Portugal have taken a different path, decriminalising drug possession and focusing on harm reduction, seeing notable decreases in drug-related deaths and health crises. Yet, in much of Latin America, the bloodshed continues.

By capturing the war’s complexities through a lens honed in reportage and documentary photography, I aim to show the intricate dynamics between power, poverty, and survival. The images from this project, which span over a decade, serve as a visual testament to the war’s ongoing human cost and highlight the urgent need for a new approach—one that prioritises human lives over political posturing. For more on the stories and photographs documenting the war on drugs, explore the collection and see how visual storytelling brings the hidden realities of this conflict into stark relief.