Homicide In Colombia

(1995), was temporary, and rose again in 2000. Because homicide is “the most accurately measured and most serious crime” (Levitt, 2004, p. 165; Boyum et al., 1996), Puerto Rico’s high rate of homicide and its more modest improvement during 1990-2005 deserve further analysis

By the mid-1980’s Colombian drug cartels controlled most of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. More than 15 tons of cocaine smuggled in each day, netting the cartel as much as $420 million a week. The cartels involved saw it as an opportunity to gain status and defeat the American government. What each person in a cartel was most afraid of was being extradited to the United States.

Drug Trafficking, civil unrest, and kidnapping are commonly associated with Colombia. However, a closer look at the South American Country, which is slightly less than two times the size of Texas, reveals not only a very rich culture that centers on fine arts and language preservation, but also a country that strives for economic progress and effective government. All of which is typically overshadowed by the notorious guerilla warfare and drug cartels.

According to the U.S. Department of State, coca growth and cocaine production in Peru started in the 19th century, when profits were high from exporting to the United States. In 1948, Peru outlawed cocaine and the production of it, prompting illegal growth in the largely uninhabited Hullaga Valley. The Hullaga Valley consists of incredibly rugged terrain, making it difficult for the government to control the growth of coca, ultimately leading to an increase in cocaine production in Peru. A large proportion of this cocaine was shipped southward out of Peru, through Chile, until roughly 1970 when an increased military presence near shipment routes caused a reroute through Colombia. By 1980, Peru was considered to be the world’s

Correspondingly, Colombian influence on the drug market has been primarily documented as a nation involved in the production of illicit substances. Initially, a successful drug-producing nation must possess access to an abundant amount of land for cultivation. As reported by the United States, Colombian land dedicated to coca, one of the major narcotics produced there, cultivation is approximately 112,000 hectares, which is a significant increase of 39 percent from the previous year (2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report). Subsequently, once there is sufficient land, the nation can begin the process of manufacturing. According to the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (2015), “potential pure cocaine production in 2013 increased 12 percent to 190 metric tons (MT), an increase of 20 MT from 2012” (136). To convey the significance of this nation’s influence, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration declared that over 90 percent of the cocaine confiscated out of the U.S. drug economy was from Colombia (2015 International Narcotics

Furthermore, Colombia’s drug trafficking history has hindered its path to development also. The largest cocaine smuggling cartels were the Medellin Cartel led by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel ran by the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and Santacruz Londono. Pablo Escobar was a very violent man that let success go to his head. His quest for power within government created a lot of violence between his cartel and the government (Frontline, n.d.). Escobar was tracked down and killed by the Colombian police then the Cali Cartel took over. They ran their smuggling business with finesse and professionalism. They hired lawyers to study DEA laws, they sold cocaine to government officials and police officers, and gave donations to government officials as well. The list of officials included former president Ernesto Samper ( Frontiline,

The trafficking of cocaine in Colombia also plays a big role in the lives of the indigenous people who

Introduction. During 1980s until 1996, Colombia lived the most dangerous and violence conflicts between the paramilitaries (FARCS), and the drug cartels by Pablo Escobar.

Escobar entered the business of trade of cocaine in the early 1970’s and within no time he became popular. It wasn’t out of the clear blue sky that Colombia came to dominate the cocaine traffic. Beginning in the early 1970s, the state became a prime trafficking ground for marijuana. But as the cocaine exchange flourished, Colombia’s geographical position proved to be its

In fact, the FARC has become increasingly violent throughout its recent history, “today it plants land mines, takes police stations, and ambushes army patrols.” In order to protect themselves, landowners and drug cartels (who had become wealthy and, therefore, targets for guerrilla kidnappings) formed paramilitary death squads. The government fueled the flames, particularly under President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010) by subtly endorsing and cooperating with these paramilitary squads, who claimed to be anti-communist, in order to eliminate the guerrilla influence. To do so, paramilitary groups invaded rural, peasant villages, and massacred the inhabitants, who were accused of sympathizing with guerrillas. The result was an increasingly violent, hostile war that pitted government-endorsed paramilitary organizations and drug cartels against the leftist guerrillas. The guerrillas target wealthy individuals in the city, whilst the paramilitary organizations target the poor, rural peasants, in a conflict that has overwhelmed Colombia and resulted in the shocking statistics in the introduction to this essay. Thus, historically, Colombia had been unable to peacefully resolve conflicts between guerrilla groups and the

Fights between farmers and paramilitaries have not helped affairs. One of the main crops of Columbia is coca (cocaine), leading to Columbia being one of the highest drug using countries in the world. The government is trying to eradicate the crop, but conflict has arisen between the government and coca farmers, because they argue that that is their only source of funds for living. In Columbia 1g of cocaine is legalised for personal use.

The drug dealers have captured a great deal of power in Colombia, and have adopted the position of the government in many instances. The drug trade has ruined the image of Colombia, and has caused the world to forget about the other goods produced in Colombia, like coffee, flowers, oil and gas for instance. As the website put out by the Colombian Government Trade Bureau entitled “Colombia Trade News” states,

The major conflict in Colombia is the civil war with insurgent groups, as time went the conflict worsens and new issues were added a result to the civil war in Colombian such as drug traffic, paramilitaries, common crime, poverty, and unemployment. However, the civil war in Colombia affects directly the U.S government interest; as a consequence, that, the insurgent groups in Colombia have as a major financial resource the drug traffic. Therefore, the high position of Colombia in the global production of cocaine and heroin has long been a U.S major concern to its national interest, since U.S has been one of the most cocaine consumers, affecting most of youth population and enriching the Colombian’s illicit groups.

During this time, the levels of violence were lower than many European and American Countries. Colombia has gained international fame as one of the major centers in the world for drug trafficking. Anytime a country has a problem with drug trafficking, crime is always high.

     The War on Drugs to stop terrorism is a problem for both foreign and domestic. There are three steps that must be taken to compete against the War on Drugs. First the drugs must not be harvested. This is not an easy task, especially in the Bolivian region where the economy relies heavily on the farming of the coca leaves. With a region that relies so heavily on the crop, stopping the production and distribution of the illegal substance will not come easily.