Despite Cali Cartel Plea Deal, Challenges Remain in Colombian Drug War

Sept. 26, 2006 — -- Although U.S. and Colombian officials claimed a final victory over the Cali cartel following the guilty plea by its two founding members, significant challenges remain in the drug war and the Colombian government's efforts against the FARC narco-terrorist rebel group.

At a news conference, the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Carolina Barco, said, "For Colombia, the drug problem has been its major challenge, and we have been fighting this since the 1980s, with great conviction and at great cost."

According to the DEA, the FARC rebels (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) control large parts of the coca production areas in Colombia and are responsible for supplying more than 50 percent of the world's cocaine and more than 60 percent of the cocaine that enters the United States. They have provided it to many Mexican trafficking organizations and according to some U.S. officials, have recently begun to shift their trafficking networks into Venezuela.

FARC guerrillas use the proceeds to purchase weapons and munitions for their war against the Colombian government. The insurgent group has been active in the country since the 1940s, but fighting intensified in the late 1990s when the FARC gained more territory and had several key victories over the national military.

Barco described the struggle that has gripped the country for years and the consequences of the drug trade, saying, "As a Colombian, I think we all need to continue to speak out to what drug trafficking means to any country, because it is that terrible combination of incredible amounts of money, which breed corruption, and incredible amounts of violence."

Despite increased eradication flights, which U.S. and Colombian officials say are having an effect, coca production in Colombia and other Andean nations remains high. However, cultivation levels have dropped drastically since the mid to late 1990s.

A report by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime found that coca production in Colombia increased by 8 percent over last year.