The drug
trade in Colombia has been facilitated by a number of factors including
farmers’ dependency on the production of coca plants, major cartels that
remained under the radar for decades, and the contributions of rebel groups and
paramilitary groups.
In the late
1900s, Colombia experienced a devastating recession, which played a crucial
role in the rise of drug trade within the country. It was hard for many to make
a living, for the number of jobs available decreased as the country experienced
“one of the worst recession it has seen in decades” (The Absurdity of the Drug
Trade in Colombia). Farmers were among the groups of people who felt first hand
the effects of this recession, for without anyone buying their crops, the
prices plummeted and an overproduction occurred. Overproduction of popular
commodities like cotton, bananas, and coffee, was devastating for farmers who
were forced to turn toward a crop that would produce a significant profit (The
Absurdity of the Drug Trade in Colombia). This is where the production of the
coca plant really took off, for farmers immediately saw the value in this crop
and reaped its benefits. While Colombia’s “ideal climate” facilitated the
production of coca, farmers saw an increase in demand for this valued product.
Another result of the recession was unemployment, but with the cultivation,
production, and trafficking of cocaine, many were provided with jobs (An Honest
Citizen). Therefore, because of the fragile economy within Colombia, a rise in
the drug trade occurred as people saw this as a profitable industry to get
involved with.
Major cartels,
like the Medellin and Cali cartels, proved to be significant forces that drove
the drug trade to new heights. According to Bruce M. Bagley’s article “Colombia
and the War on Drugs”, it is estimated that the Medellin cartel brought in
somewhere between $2 billion and $4 billion a year from this drug trade. The
Medellin cartel used new methods to improve the accessibility of cocaine in
different areas, including using small planes to smuggle these drugs to other
countries and areas (The Absurdity of the Drug Trade in Colombia). The Cali
cartel also proved to be a major factor that contributed to the rise of drug
trade, for, even with the government and anti-narcotic agencies’ efforts,
remained under the radar for decades. They hired engineers to develop
technologies that would prevent them from getting caught by the government (The
Absurdity of the Drug Trade in Colombia). This worked for a long time and
allowed the drug trade in Colombia to steadily grow and increase without being
influenced too greatly by government opposition.
The
contributions made by rebel groups and paramilitary groups in the drug trade
were truly responsible for its spread. Rebel groups, like the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and paramilitary groups, like the ELN, played a
huge role in facilitating drug trade. Both these groups had a significant
amount of military power and force, which made them perfect for the job of
protecting and guarding fields and labs where cocaine was being produced. In exchange
for their service, these groups made a profit, for they received “taxes” on
smuggling the cocaine throughout the country (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia and Illicit Drug Trade). Therefore, the contributions made by these
groups, motivated by the profits they made, enabled the drug trade to grow in
influence throughout Colombia.
For all these
reasons, and because of many conditions within Colombia, drug trade is a strong
force that remains a major problem the government wishes to eradicate.
“An Honest Citizen”. PBS. Web. 01 May 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/an-honest-citizen/map-colombia-cocaine-and-cash/colombia/536/>.
Your post does an excellent job in highlighting all of the different steps and factors that have given rise to the massive drug trade in Colombia. The post starts with the origin of coca cultivation, and proper emphasis is given on both the geographic and economic features that led to it. It properly describes the motives of poor Colombian citizens for getting involved in the agriculture of the coca plant. I would have also included, however, the role of FARC in encouraging the cultivation of the coca plant. Because FARC was started by unsatisfied agrarians, many of these farmers left their lands and joined other FARC members in various mountainous locations throughout Colombia. Without their old crops, many farmers started to cultivate coca because it does not need fertilizers or pesticides. FARC was initially opposed to the raising of coca, but did not want to alienate peasant support. The detailed description of the Medillin and Cali cartels demonstrate how the business of cocaine grew in Colombia and why it has become so valuable. Your emphasis on the paramilitary and rebel groups explains why the drug trade in Colombia has become so widespread and nearly impossible to stop. Despite a few missing points, your post gives a very accurate interpretation of the Colombian drug conflict.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah that your post does explain the different reasons for the growth of the drug trade and drug wars in Colombia. The geographic features and high unemployment are what led to farmers becoming dependent on the growth of Coca as you stated. The growth is due to the sale of these drugs. Coca is the most profitable crop in Colombia, therefore farmers continue to grow and sell it. The reason for the drug wars are all the different cartels fighting for power and customers. I agree that groups like FARC and other powerful cartels are the ones selling these drugs, but the weak government is at fault, for failing to stop the huge exports and attacking the real problem, which is the low economy forcing farmers to continue supporting cartels with Coca plants in order to make money.
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job explaining how the drug trade came about. I especially liked how you were the first of us to use Medellin and Cali specifically. Explaining that it was also a recession that contributed to the rise in coca cultivation was also done well. The results of the drug trade were also extreme, which you demonstrated by the actual use of numbers. I have no real qualms about your post except that the real spread of the drug"wars" was not the fact the the paramilitary groups helped the drug cartels. Instead it was when the cartels were able to support themselves that the paramilitary groups like FARC started attacking the drug cartels since they were losing money themselves.
ReplyDeleteAll of these responses have furthered my understanding of the drug wars in Colombia and the contributing factors that allowed it to grow so rapidly over numerous decades. Through Sarah's comment, I was able to better understand that the FARC actually encouraged the cultivation of the coca plant. Their only motivation was not just that they made a profit off of their involvement in this trade, but that they felt it was necessary to get involved in order to maintain support. I also learned that the FARC initially did not support such activity. Maciek made a very solid point that the different groups and cartels within Colombia were not the only contributing factors to the spread of the drug trade, for Colombia's weak government was also at fault. Diandra also made a good point that the FARC, once they started losing money, used violence to attack the drug cartels to protect their interests. All these points were essential in bettering my evidence about the factors that contributed to the rise of drug trade in Colombia.
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