In the 1970s, illegal drug trafficking became a new way to make money in this region. During the late 1960s and 1970s narcotic drugs were bought and sold in broad daylight.
For Leticia, this was a time for great growth. Several rich cartel leaders built large houses, such as the Casa Grande and contributed to the economy. Drugs were transported by truck to boats on the Putumayo River. This was to avoid shipping by air. The concept was to build a 70 km (~35 miles) highway to the small city of Tarapacá. The first 12 km were all that were ever finished before cartel members were arrested.
The drug business was eventually slowed down when new tough-hitting police were brought to Leticia. They stopped many drug cartel leaders in the city, seizing such famous places as the Casa Grande for the government.
Little of note has occurred in the city in the last twenty years. In 2003, President Álvaro Uribe came to the region and listened to the issues of the townspeople for 12 hours. He promised to bring in help for Leticia's sagging economy, including building a branch of a famous Colombian resort chain, the Decameron Resort Company, to attract tourism and aid social problems
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