Colombian Peace & The Drug Trade
#Colombia&Peace

        The country of Colombia is synonymous with the production and export of one of the world’s most addictive substances; cocaine. Colombia has an extensive history of cocaine production and

trafficking, originating in the 1970’s. As worldwide demand for cocaine increased and recreational use grew, Colombia, along with Bolivia and Peru emerged as leading producers of the coca the plant from which cocaine is produced. (Photo credit yahoo news.)  Cocaine trafficking began in earnest in the 1970’s as Colombian drug traffickers diversified their business from marijuana to cocaine. Beginning in the 1970’s Colombian criminal organizations known as cartels began to exert increasing control over politics, law enforcement, the justice system and other aspects of Colombian society. It was in the 1970’s that guerilla groups such as M-19 and FARC began to enter the drug trade.

    Initially the leaders of FARC were ideologically opposed to participating in the cocaine trade. However after beginning to tax small growing cocaine operations in their territories, FARC began to see their involvement in the cocaine trade as a means to finance their military operations against the Colombian government.

     Gradually over the following years, FARC became more involved in the drug trade. The United States (the number one consumer of Colombian cocaine) government declared a “war on drugs,” in 1971. Part of the war on drugs involved the targeting of Colombian cartels such as Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel and the Cali cartel. After the fall of these cartels in the 1990’s coca production was consolidated in the regions of the Colombian Amazon, territory controlled by FARC. Today FARC is a major player in the international narcotics trade. An organization that once shunned the drug business is now deeply involved in the most lucrative illegal enterprise in the world. One of FARC’s biggest cocaine customers are Mexican drug cartels from whom they make an estimated $1 billion dollars annually. FARC’s involvement in the illegal narcotics trade is a serious threat to an already tenuous peace process in Colombia, as well as a danger to peace and stability internationally.

   Cocaine is one of the key points of ongoing peace negotiations between FARC and the Colombian government. FARC leaders would like to follow Bolivian President Evo Morales in legalizing and normalizing cultivation of the coca plant. The coca plant has been a part of Andean societies for centuries and has legitimate uses. FARC leaders continue to draw a distinction between coca and cocaine. On the other hand, Colombian government negotiators have stated that the ultimate aim of any agreement is “a Colombia without coca.” The lead negotiator in the talks for the Colombian government, Humberto de la Calle has called for an increase in coca substitution programs for farmers who cultivate the crop, as well as increased agrarian land reform, something FARC has called for as well. However the cultivation of coca is not the only issue of contention. The Colombian government is calling for FARC to renounce the drug trade and join forces agasint cocaine trafficking. Whether FARC leadership, who some say have quietly condoned trafficking and production of cocaine, would even be able to compel the organization to comply with a policy of cessation of production and trafficking of cocaine is questionable.

The impact of the drug cartels in Colombia is vast and far-reaching both domestically and internationally. An empire of its own, the cocaine business in Colombia consists of many international players including U.S. and Russian engineers hired to help the cartels innovate new ways of smuggling drugs across the world. Domestically, the cocaine industry is allied with both the Marxist guerilla groups and the right wing paramilitary groups that protect the fields and jungle labs, and all benefit from the profits. The presence of the cocaine industry in Colombia makes social and political progress more difficult for the country. For FARC, cocaine is how they keep their movement against the Colombian government strong and well funded. Moreover, the production of illicit drugs is often a last resort for peasant farmers in the guerrilla controlled areas who have no other financial options. The way in which the drug trade perpetuates political violence, illegal activity, and brings desperate citizens into the conflict is extremely detrimental to the peace efforts.

Furthermore, as the largest cocaine producer in the world, Colombia has established a complex role for itself in the international community.

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4. FARC’s Cocaine Sales to Mexico Cartels Prove Too Rich to Subdue. (2010, January 20). Retrieved November 2, 2014, from http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQfKk3ykBBes

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