Colombia's oil theft soars, leaving trail of environmental harm

An oil pipeline repaired after the perforations made for the theft of crude oil by illegal groups for the production of an artisanal fuel called "Pategrillo" used for the production of cocaine, is seen in Tumaco, Colombia September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

TUMACO, Colombia (Reuters) - In a clearing of Colombia's Pacific jungle, the dense canopy encircles an area of desolation left by a clandestine refinery, where oil waste blackens everything underfoot, seeping into the soil and coating the vegetation.

The scent of moist earth and flowers is overpowered by the stench of chemicals from stagnant pools - the waste product from a rudimentary refining process that turns oil stolen from a nearby pipeline into a bootleg fuel known as pategrillo, or 'cricket's foot', because of its greenish hue.