A Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the Colombian National Police was downed by a drone suspected to be owned by dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC.
According to reports, the Black Hawk helicopter was transporting personnel to an area in Antioquia, in northern Colombia, to eradicate coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine.
The incident, which occurred on August 21, 2025, killed at least 12 officers. Six other casualties resulted from a related incident in which a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near a military aviation school in Cali, Colombia’s third most populous city.
Logramos incautación de tonelada y media de cocaína del clan del golfo en Urabá y su reacción sucede en la zona, en la erradicación de hoja de coca en Amalfi, Antioquia, logran derrumbar un helicóptero de la policía, con hasta el momento un técnico muerto.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) August 21, 2025
La reacción de la FAC…
The details were confirmed on social media platform X by Colombian president Gustavio Petro, who mourned the officers who lost their lives in the incident, calling them “heroes who gave their lives for Colombia”.
Footage of the incident was caught on video and has since made the rounds on social media.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the global cocaine trade has reached a record high in recent years, primarily due to a significant expansion of illicit coca crops in Colombia.
The report indicated that global cocaine production hit a record 3,708 tons in 2023, with Colombia alone accounting for over 67% of the world’s coca leaf crops. The country also experienced a 53% increase in its cocaine production that year.
Because of the boom in coca leaf crop production, illegal armed groups who support the trade have relied on drones not just for surveillance, but also to attack aircraft from police and rival groups.