NCJ Number
194833
Journal
Jane's Intelligence Review Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2002 Pages: 16-19
Date Published
April 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines recent trends in the structures of crime in Colombia.
Abstract
By 2000 it had become apparent that the sustained instability and levels of violence in Colombia were largely dictated by its involvement in transnational crime. Colombia has become one of the best examples of systematic transnational crime wherein organized crime, the drug trade, and terrorism have become indistinguishable. Moreover, Colombian criminal groups have learned how to manipulate opportunities present in a globalized world to expand their networks abroad, while continuing to provide a welcoming environment for their international compatriots. Despite recent efforts, Colombia remains plagued by a weak government; a relatively open business and banking environment; corruption; porous borders; and easily accessible air, land, and sea routes. The destruction of the two largest drug cartels in Colombia in the mid-1990's merely produced hundreds of smaller cartels. The Colombian authorities now face an estimated 200-300 criminal groups engaged in the drug trade and other associated criminal activities. Aware of the vulnerabilities present in large criminal organizations and taking advantage of globalization, the groups that currently operate in Colombia are structured along similar lines as terrorist cells. Not only is it more difficult to penetrate the upper echelons of cell-based organizations, but even if a cell is penetrated, members of a given cell will have little or no knowledge of other cell operations. Not only is Colombia the largest source of cocaine in the world, but it has also become the main supplier of heroin destined for the U.S. market. Peruvian intelligence has suggested that Colombian groups are securing territory in Peru to expand their role in the heroin trade. The most interesting and destabilizing criminal alliance that is affecting Colombia is the relationship that has developed between Colombian groups and criminal organizations from the former Soviet Union, including Russia and Ukraine. Evidence suggests that Russian groups have been supplying the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) with weapons since the early 1990's in exchange for cocaine. This alliance was strengthened by the additional involvement of Colombian drug cartels, the Tijuana cartel of Mexico, and Mexican guerrillas. Without the prospect for peace and stability in Colombia, the penetration of transnational crime will continue; and although the international community has consistently acknowledged that drugs and guerrillas pose a serious threat to Latin America, there has been little concerted effort to reverse the Colombian predicament.