Transcript Colombia: - USF College of Education

Colombia:
Dynamics of a Drug War
Statistics at a Glance
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Colombia produces two-thirds of the
world’s cocaine supply
Colombia produces roughly 90 percent of
the cocaine and a significant amount of
heroin that is sold in the United States.
The United States contributed over 4.5
billion dollars in aid to Colombia to help
stop drug production and trafficking.
www.southercenter.org/material _updates.html#Latin_America
NARCOTERRORISM
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Narcoterrorism is understood to mean 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 the law
and the administration of justice by the
systematic threat or use of such violence.
http://www.answers.com/topic/narcoterrorism
The Beginning
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La Violenica
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era of civil conflict in Colombia between supporters of
the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian
Conservative Party, a conflict which took place
roughly from 1948 to 1958
During "La Violencia", several members of the
Colombian Liberal Party and of the Colombian
Communist Party organized self-defense groups and
guerrilla units, which fought both against those of the
Colombian Conservative Party and among each other.
http://www.answers.com/topic/la-violencia
Key Players Evolve
1.
FARC
- Stands for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)
- Manuel Marulanda Velez is the founder and leader of
FARC
-Military segment of the Colombian Communist Party
-responsible for bombings, murder, kidnapping,
extortion, hijacking, as well as guerrilla military action
against Colombian political, military, and economic
targets.
http://www.answers.com/topic/revolutionary-armed-forces-of-colombia
2. AUC
- Stands for Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia
(United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia)
- Paramilitary organization, formed in 1997,
which mission to protect economic interests and
combat insurgents locally.
- AUC is supported by economic elites, drug
traffickers, and local communities lacking
effective government security
-AUC political leader Carlos Castaño has claimed
70% of AUC's operational costs are financed
with drug-related earnings
http://www.answers.com/topic/united-self-defense-forces-group-of-colombia-auc-autodefensas-unidas-de-colombia
3. ELN
- Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (National
Liberation Army)
-Colombia's second-largest rebel group influenced
by Che Guevara and Castro
4. ELP
-Ejercito Popular de Liberacion (Popular Liberation
Army)
-Followers of Mao Zedong (Communist China)
5. M-19 - Movimiento 19 de Abril (19th of April
Movement)
Drug Lords & Cartels
Drug cartels are known for paying off guerilla,
paramilitary groups, and government officials for
protection
1. Medellín Cartel (was headed by Escobar)
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Pablo Escobar (killed in 1993)
Ochoa brothers (Jorge, Juan David, and Fabio Ochoa turned
themselves into the Colombian government in the early 1990’s in
exchange for lighter terms)
2. Cali Cartel
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Ran by Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and Santacruz Londono
More business sophisticated and less flashy than the Medellin
Cartel
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Cali Cartel goes after Pablo Escobar by
forming group known as the PEPES (from
Spanish: Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar,
"people persecuted by Pablo Escobar").
Cali Cartel also gave up information on
Pablo Escobar to the DEA and Colombian
government
Cali Cartel still runs, but not on such a
large scale
The Drug Game Today
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After the demise of the Cali and Medellin
cartels, lieutenants started to form smaller
organizations less vulnerable to
investigation by the United States and
Colombian government.
These smaller groups include: those who
control of the jungle labs, transportation
of coca from the farms to the labs, drug
smugglers
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/inside/colombian.html
Current Drug Threat
2002 Regional Distribution Patterns
http://www.dea.gov/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0303/mg0303.html