Organised crime in Colombia refers to the activities of various groups of drug cartels, guerilla groups, organised crime syndicates or underworld activities including drug trafficking, contract killing, racketeering and other crimes in Colombia. Colombia has seen the rise and fall of drug empires, crime syndicates and organised guerrilla groups, all of which having contributed to the varying forms of organised crimes having occurred in Colombia.
There are a plethora of gang-related crimes committed within Colombia including but not limited to;
Colombia's illicit drug trade is the largest in the world, approximately half of the global supply of cocaine is produced in Colombia. In 2016, 18 million people used the drug worldwide, consuming hundreds of thousands of tonnes of the cocaine produced annually in the Andean region. [1] Each year there is an excess of 150 tonnes of cocaine seized by Colombia's defence ministry, a small portion of the 1,400 produced annually. The Medellín cartel was said to have combined with the M-19 (a guerrilla movement) in an effort to increase drug-trafficking levels, to a point where they were trafficking 80% of the U.S. cocaine market. [2]
Modern times have seen the establishment of corruption deep within political and financial structures in Colombia, with cartels such as the Medellín and Cali directly intervening in government organisations with the assassination of important figures such as; Rodrigo Lara (minister of justice), Jaime Pardo Leal (a former presidential candidate), and Antonio Roldan Betancur (former governor of Antioquia). [3] Alternatively, large donations and bribes given to political officials and police officers has led to the turning of a 'blind eye' to specific organised criminal activities. For example, the Cali cartel were responsible for the donation of US$6 Million towards Ernesto Samper Pizano's presidential election, in an attempt to boost his chances of a campaign victory. [4]
Kidnapping is one of the most prominent forms of crimes committed, where gangs and guerrilla groups kidnap or rob rich businessmen or tourists for their perceived wealth. There has been a 90% reduction in kidnappings from 2002 to 2016 according to 2019 OSAC statistics, largely due to government intervention. [5] Modern approaches to kidnappings and robberies have ensued following crackdown on street and gang crime, with the usage of 'Express Kidnappings,' or paseo millionario lasting not over 48 hours where a single person is forced to withdraw all possible funds out of ATM's and forfeit any valuables either on their person or from their own private dwelling. It is not uncommon for kidnappings to end violently with grievous harm inflicted upon the victim, with the city of Cali (previous home of the Cali drug-cartel) boasting a homicide rate of 51 per 100,000 people (2017). [6]
The Medellín Cartel is perhaps the most infamous of all cartels throughout history, its leader Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, better known as Pablo Escobar 'The King of Cocaine,' is arguably the most notorious narco-terrorist / drug lord of all time. His estimated networth sitting at around US$30 Billion at the time of his death (1993). The Medellin cartel was formed following the kidnapping of Martha Nieves Ochoa Vasquez in 1981, by a collective of wealthy companies, cattle ranchers and former members of the Medellín cartel. It was named 'Muerte a Secuestradores (MAS),' meaning death to kidnappers' in English. Its original intentions were to fight the M-19 and provide protection for high-profile economic figures. The Medellín cartel allegedly went on to combine forces with the M-19 movement and use it as its own private paramilitary force. The Medellín cartel in their peak was supplying an estimated 80-90% of the US cocaine market, turning over US$100 million in profits per day. [7] The Medellín cartel differed to smaller cartels, as it was extremely organised and vastly influential within its varied socio-economic spheres, corrupting Colombia over a course of almost 20 years. Their leader Pablo, was highly influential within the group, responsible for bribing police and paying off politicians to work in their favour. The Medellín cartel was responsible for the murders of some 4000 people, including 1000 police officers / journalists, 200 judges and government officials, and even the likes of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán.
The Cali Cartel was once estimated as being the biggest cartel in Colombia controlling 90% of the global cocaine market, with connections in all 7 continents. They were especially notorious for their utilisation and infiltration of government and political structures, with complete surveillance covering the city of Santiago de Cali. Their spy networks permeated the Colombian state and overseas structures, with their coverage being compared to the 'Soviet KGB' by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) movement is the oldest and most prominent terrorist - guerrilla movement in Colombia, originating from the Liberal guerrilla bands of 'La Violencia.' 'La Violencia being the period of civil war between the Liberal and Conservative parties of Colombia from 1948 until 1958. [8] [9] FARC's leaders turned from Liberalism to communist ideals, with 1964 seeing the FARC–EP established as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. FARC was initially funded by its more unconventional terrorist activities, such as kidnappings, random and/ or socio-political violence, then later turned to the illicit drug trade for means of funding the scope of its operations. Experts have estimated FARC revenues from the illicit drug trade being around $500- US$600 Million per year. Approximately 65 of the 110 operational FARC units are involved in the illicit drug trade. [9] It is said that the FARC group was responsible for supplying 50% of the worlds Cocaine production. [9] The UN have held the leftist-guerrilla forces of Colombia (FARC and ELN) responsible for 12% of all killings occurring during the Colombian conflict. [10]
The Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) was formed in 1965 and remains active today. It is a left-wing political guerrilla group, formed by a collective of students, intellectuals and Catholic radicals. The ELN was originally more politically oriented than its FARC counterpart, with its absence within the illegal drug trade founded upon its ideological boundaries. In the height of its power in the 1990s the ELN had committed hundreds of kidnappings, an array of car bombings, and had 'hit' many infrastructure projects such as oil pipelines. One of its more notable attacks was the 2019 car bombing of the 'General Francisco de Paula Santander Police Academy,' killing a total of 21 people, injuring 68, and derailing peace talks in Cuba. The group claimed the bombing was a result of the government of President Ivan Duque failing to respect a unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebel forces over Christmas, by bombing ELN camps. [11] [12]
The United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), is a paramilitary organisation operating from 1997 to 2006. It was formed by anti-guerrilla groups and defectors of the Medellín drug cartel. The leaders of the AUC were the Castaño brothers (Fidel, Carlos and Vicente) also known as the 'Los Pepes,' all of which had previously been leading death squads since the early 1980s, and were past members, now enemies of the Medellín cartel. The AUC had a following 30,000 members strong in the height of its reign, and was backed by affluent businessmen and landowners. The AUC was well known for its extensive involvement in the drug trafficking trade with 70% of its funding originating from it, and its numerous human rights violations. In 2001 the group was labelled a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union, leading to the eventual demobilisation of its forces. [13]
The 19th of April Movement (M-19) was formed in 1974, following the loss of a populist ex-president (Gustavo Rojas) favoured by the rebels within a fraudulent election. The number of rebels present within the M-19 ranks reached 8000 in its peak and declined slowly after its integration into politics. [14] Perhaps most significant feat of the M-19 was on the 6th of November 1985, when the M-19 seized the Palace of Justice in Bogota. There they took an abundance of hostages, including 25 supreme court Judges. The event turned into a bloodbath, with all of the M-19 Guerrillas deaths along with 12 of the 25 supreme court judges. However, later on the 'M-19' movement went on to become one of the largest and most respected guerrilla movements in Colombia, becoming a legitimate political party following a deal with the Colombian Government in the late 1980s. [15]
The tropical, equatorial climate of Colombia allows for the efficient production and cultivation of crop such as bananas, rice, corn, sugarcane, cannabis and coca plant, coca plant alone covering an expanse of 25,000 hectares. [16] [17] The typical sub-minimum wages farmers have historically received has led to the formation of coca plantations, due to its lucrative nature and pressures from criminal syndicates. To combat the production of coca plant, the United Nations signed a US$300 Million subsidy (around $300 per month) to not grow coca. [18] The intense foliage coverage has laid host to various nefarious criminal activities, with many criminal syndicates locating their bases of operations deep in forest areas, devoid of outsider surveillance.
The close proximity of Colombia to the Amazon rain forest and the Caribbean sea [17] has paved the way for smuggling routes to neighbouring countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador, and further the North Americas'. The intense foliage of the amazon has assisted with Cartel and guerrilla transportation of contraband, and the vast ocean access to northern American ports has allowed for a multitude of bootleg goods to go by unnoticed.
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in history, having amassed an estimated net worth of US$30 billion by the time of his death—equivalent to $70 billion as of 2022—while his drug cartel monopolized the cocaine trade into the United States in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Narcoterrorism, in its original context, is understood to refer to the attempts of narcotics traffickers to influence the policies of a government or a society through violence and intimidation, and to hinder the enforcement of anti-drug laws by the systematic threat or use of such violence.
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellín associates in 1987, when Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera joined what became a four-man executive board that ran the cartel.
The Medellín Cartel was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered the first major “drug cartel” and was referred to as such due to the organization's upper echelons being built on a partnership between multiple Colombian traffickers operating alongside Escobar. Included were Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez, Juan David Ochoa Vásquez, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha and Carlos Lehder. The cartel operated from 1972 to 1993 in Bolivia, Colombia, Panama, Central America, Peru, the Bahamas, the United States, as well as in Canada. Although the organization started out as a smuggling network in the early 1970s, it wasn't until 1976 that the organization turned to trafficking cocaine. This was a result of Escobar getting introduced to the lucrative idea of cocaine smuggling by fellow Colombian trafficker Griselda Blanco. At the height of its operations, the Medellín Cartel smuggled multiple tons of cocaine each week into countries around the world and brought in up to US$60 million daily in drug profits.
Narco-state is a political and economic term applied to countries where all legitimate institutions become penetrated by the power and wealth of the illegal drug trade. The term was first used to describe Bolivia following the 1980 coup of Luis García Meza which was seen to be primarily financed with the help of narcotics traffickers. Other well-known examples are Honduras, Guinea-Bissau, Afghanistan, Mexico, Myanmar and Syria, where drug cartels produce, ship and sell drugs such as captagon, cocaine and marijuana.
Carlos Castaño Gil was a Colombian paramilitary leader. who was a founder of the Peasant Self-Defenders of Córdoba and Urabá (ACCU), a far-right paramilitary organisation in Colombia and a former member of the Medellin Cartel. Castaño and his brothers Fidel and Vicente founded the ACCU after their father was kidnapped and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in association with other enemies or victims of the guerrillas. The ACCU later became one of the founding members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).
This article covers national and international security issues in Colombia.
Fidel Antonio Castaño Gila.k.a.Rambo was a Colombian drug lord and paramilitary who was among the founders of Los Pepes and the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba (ACCU), a paramilitary group which ultimately became a member of the larger United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) from which he became its leader until his death in 1994. He was also the brother of Vicente Castaño, the presumed chief of the narco-paramilitary group Águilas Negras, and Carlos Castaño Gil, founder and leader of the AUC paramilitary forces until his death. He is the grandfather of Gabriella Castaño. There is a theory that Fidel Castano is still alive as there is no proof of him being dead and was the one that also killed Victor “Chepe” Crespo.
The FARC-Government peace process (1999–2002), from January 7, 1999, to February 20, 2002, was a failed peace process between the Government of President Andrés Pastrana Arango and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group in an effort to bring to an end the ongoing Colombian armed conflict.
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, also known by the nicknames 'Don Sombrero' and El Mexicano, was a Colombian drug lord who was one of the leaders of the notorious Medellín Cartel along with the Ochoa Brothers and Pablo Escobar. At the height of his criminal career, Rodríguez was acknowledged as one of the world's most successful drug dealers. In 1988, Forbes magazine included him in their annual list of the world's billionaires.
Francisco Hélmer Herrera Buitrago also known as "Pacho" and "H7", was a Colombian drug trafficker, fourth in command in the Cali Cartel, and believed to be the son of Benjamín Herrera Zuleta.
The illegal drug trade in Colombia has, since the 1970s, centered successively on four major drug trafficking cartels: Medellín, Cali, Norte del Valle, and North Coast, as well as several bandas criminales, or BACRIMs. The trade eventually created a new social class and influenced several aspects of Colombian culture and politics.
The illegal drug trade in Latin America concerns primarily the production and sale of cocaine and cannabis, including the export of these banned substances to the United States and Europe. The Coca cultivation is concentrated in the Andes of South America, particularly in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia; this is the world's only source region for coca.
Los Rastrojos is a Colombian drug cartel and paramilitary group engaged in the Colombian armed conflict. The group was formed by Norte del Valle cartel capo Wilber Varela, alias "Jabon" and one of his right-hand men, "Diego Rastrojo", around 2004 when Varela fell out with fellow-capo Diego Leon Montoya, alias "Don Diego". The group became independent after the murder of its main founder in Venezuela in 2008 and at its height was one of the most important drug trafficking organizations in Colombia.
Colombia has a very high crime rate due to being a center for the cultivation and trafficking of cocaine. The Colombian conflict began in the mid-1960s and is a low-intensity asymmetric war between Colombian governments, paramilitary groups, crime syndicates, and left-wing guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN), fighting each other to increase their influence in Colombian territory. Two of the most important international actors that have contributed to the Colombian conflict are multinational companies and the United States.
The Clan del Golfo, also known as Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and formerly called Los Urabeños and Clan Úsuga, is a prominent Colombian neo-paramilitary group and currently the country's largest drug cartel. It is based in the Urabá region of Antioquia, and is involved in the Colombian armed conflict. Los Urabeños is one of the organizations that appeared after the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. In late 2011 Los Urabeños declared war on Los Rastrojos over the control of the drug trade in Medellín. Their main source of income is cocaine trafficking as they appear to be the largest distributors of cocaine in all of Colombia. As of late 2021, it is considered the most powerful criminal organization in Colombia, having some 3,000 members in the inner circle of the organization in 2016 with its current numbers unknown. Its rivals include the National Liberation Army. The Gulf Clan has recruited accomplices at the highest level of the military hierarchy, such as generals and colonels.
La Oficina de Envigado is a drug cartel and criminal organization originally founded as an enforcement and collections arm of Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel. Despite being noted for its historical affiliation with drug trafficking and other organized crime activities, Oficina de Envigado's criminal activities were no longer centered on direct involvement in such activity by 2019 and are now mainly focused on providing services to lower level drug traffickers and mafia groups. It operates throughout Colombia, but mainly in the cities of Medellín and Envigado. It also controlled extortion, gambling, and money laundering businesses within the Valle de Aburrá that surrounds Medellín. It positioned itself as the chief mediator and debt collector in drug trafficking disputes and maintained major connections with Colombian paramilitaries and guerillas.
Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence. "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas, became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country.
Maritime cocaine smuggling refers to the practice which involves the smuggling of cocaine between borders via maritime means. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are an estimated 18 million users of cocaine globally. Approximately 70-80% of cocaine is at some point smuggled across the ocean, originating from South America. Cocaine remains the "highest value criminal commodity for transnational organised crime", motivating the criminal organisations responsible for maritime smuggling practices. Maritime cocaine smuggling is therefore an ongoing international issue, as criminal organisations are finding new and innovative ways of smuggling cocaine and go undetected by authorities.
The cocaine boom was a stark increase in the illegal production and trade of the drug cocaine that first began in the mid to late 1970s before then peaking during the 1980s. The boom was the result of organized smugglers who imported cocaine from Latin America to the United States, and a rising demand in cocaine due to cultural trends in the United States. Smuggling rings of Cuban exiles organized trade networks from Latin America to Miami that streamlined the import of cocaine to the United States. Americans also began favoring less of the drugs popular in the 60s counterculture such as marijuana and LSD, and instead began to prefer cocaine due to a mystique of prestige that was developing around it. This increase in cocaine trade fueled the rise of the crack epidemic and government sponsored anti-drug campaigns.
