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."

'Top Extradition Partner'

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.

Peter DeShazo, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C., think tank, said, "This has clearly been a long-standing problem where the Colombians have made progress, but it's still a major challenge."

FARC rebels have been involved in hostage takings, massacres, and have used terrorism as a tactic in cities and the countryside through Colombia. Currently, the FARC is holding three U.S. military contractors that worked on intelligence and anti-drug flights in Colombia.

The U.S. has supplied Colombia with more than $1 billion to help the Colombian government in its fight against narcotics by supporting eradication flights and military support. The U.S. has indicted numerous FARC members in this country on terrorism and drug trafficking charges, including the top leadership, and two senior FARC commanders are currently facing trial in America.

Since 1997, the Justice Department has extradited more than 450 Colombians from their native country to be tried in the United States, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday.

Some experts believe the combination of U.S. funding, and tough military and law enforcement measures by Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has quelled the group and improved the security situation there.

Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), who chairs the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, told ABC News, "Our support has enabled President Uribe to make great strides in building civil society, growing the economy, enhancing law and order, and moving aggressively to crush terrorism and drug trafficking."