When one hears about the cocaine cartels we think of the Cocaine cartels in South America and that these organizations have only existed since the 1980's when cocaine  use skyrocket and  coca became one of the most lucrative cash crops on the planet.

What is not common knowledge is that there have been many cocaine cartels long before thugs in South America organized in late 1970's early 1980's.  In actual fact the first cocaine cartel was actually formed in 1910.  This cartel was not comprised of South American criminals and thieves like today's cocaine cartels.  This cartel was formed by a group of elite European drug manufacturing companies in Amsterdam of all places.  The members included most of Europe's important pharmaceutical companies including Hoffman-LaRoche, Sandoz, Mereck, Park, Davis and Company and other drug companies that are household names today.  This cartel had such power that they were able to control the production and distribution of coca world-wide and minipulate the price of cocaine.  They marketed cocaine to the world an monopolized this industry until 1925 when the newly formed League of Nations through treaties with the major world powers created import and export controls which tamed this cartels power and basically knocked them out of the cocaine trade.