By Anthony Faiola and Lucien Chauvin
As a farmer eking out a living in Peru’s central jungle, Rubén Leiva grew one cash crop that seemed immune from global cycles of booms and busts. But the coronavirus pandemic has accomplished what neither other international crises nor a U.S.-backed “war” ever could: a collapse in the price of coca leaf, a natural stimulant that is the building block of cocaine.
Read more: The coronavirus has gutted the price of coca. It could reshape the cocaine trade.