War on Drugs in Columbia

War on Drugs

Following the Colombia's history, there has been a sequence of violence and conflicts perpetuated by class warfare ever since the Spanish era during land allocation and slavery in the country. The focus of this article will be to satisfactorily analyze the situation facing the Columbia, considering the efforts United States has been undergoing to militarize and centralize conflicts related to class. The States has been working ever since the era of J.F. Kennedy to try and take charge of the Columbian citizens and eradicate the drug related transactions. The United Sates, through their intelligence unit CIA, have been involved in many missions trying to get to the drug cartels in Columbia and have in circumstances succeeded. One of the New York Times magazines in 1997 had the story confirming that the CIA approved shipment of a ton of cocaine which was pure, to the Miami International Airport with intentions of gathering information concerning Columbian drug cartels. After the investigative processes, it was later reported in the wall Street Journal that a famous smuggler, General Guillen, had done the business for long, and had smuggled drugs amounting to over twenty two tons (Villar & Cottle, p.14).

Regardless of the scarcity of information regarding drug smuggling and the returns from the same, statisticians have been successful in the estimation of this data. The mostly traded drug in Colombia ever since the beginning in the early 1980's is cocaine. By 1987, for instance, Kalmanovitz estimated the value of drug exports from Colombia reached over five billion U.S. dollars as the annual income. This clearly explains the estimated amounts of drugs that were in circulation. In fact, others were of the view that this estimates were much more underestimated, and that the U.S. agencies doing the studies were relying on estimations, which were hardly true/confirmed.

Money from drugs earns entry to Colombian economy

It is ironical that as the United States tried to suppress and eradicate drug trafficking in Colombia, large amounts of the money was entering the country's economy according to economic statistics. This could be made possible in different ways and most of this economic resources from drug trafficking are registered in the country's balance of payment. This is because of the fact that laundering illegal dollars can, by manmade inflictions, either deflate or inflate the earnings of legal transactions outside Colombia (Bergquist & Sanchez, p.78). All the operations from the drug trafficking industry therefore affect indirectly the legal economy of Colombia. In the last decades, for instance, the capital entering the Colombian economy from drug trafficking transactions is estimated between 0.5 to 4 billions of dollars, each year (Bergquist & Sanchez, p.75).

Colombia verses the United States Imperial States

Colombia is currently seen to be the hub of American theater of war, both on issues related to drugs and terrorism. Why there is consistent drug trafficking in Colombia is still a mystery to many, and cannot be understood even in the current times. To begin with, there is a need to analyze the Crystal triangle, which was a coca growing zone covering the nodal points of Colombia, Bolivia and also Peru. The Crystal triangle notions can be phased back to the Asian Golden triangle, which involved the United States CIA unit trying to curb heroin trade in Vietnam. During and towards the end of the Vietnam War, the entire United States was completely flooded with heroin which came directly from the Southwest part of Asia. Immediately after they were defeated in the Vietnam War, this prompted the entrance of a new drug to the markets of America, cocaine. This was gotten from the coca leaf which was also known for the manufacture of crack. This led to the United States concern on 'war on drugs' (Villar & Cottle, p.18).

Ronald Reagan was in power during the conceptualization of the war on drugs situation after the Crystal Triangle managed to process cocaine for Americans especially in the United States. The victims mainly comprised of Latinos and African-Americans and within Colombia, cartels managed the shipment and supply of drugs both in its rock and powder form and United States was the destination. Investment in this business resulted to increased profitability in many sectors of Colombia's economy. Popular drug cartels were tolerated by the government then, due to their interests in the business. Within a short time, Colombia was referred to as national business elite, as it relied on its powder and wealth through trading cocaine.

The less privileged and poor of the society were the ones that grew the coca leaf. The 1980's came to be popular as the cocaine decade and this called for over-dependence and relying on the United States for support and assistance with their military. Washington later condemned guerilla armies to be narco terrorists. This further deepened and legitimized the war on drugs by the proceeding governments under Clinton and later Bush. The region of Colombia had been shattered by the long wars and the country was extremely doomed considering their economy was fuelled by illegal economies perpetuated by cocaine dealings, terror and also death squads (Villar & Cottle, p. 20).

Paradoxically, the so-called narco-imperialism was a transformation of recolonization which was phrased as narco-colonialism. Narco-colonialism was pursuing the imperial objectives, contrary to state objectives of the States, hence making Latin America more dependent on the United States. The war on drugs by the United States for the Colombians was actually controlling cocaine related transactions and trade through terror that was sponsored by the state.

Trading drugs in Colombia

Different from other drugs, specialists suggest that the conversion of coca leaves to cocaine is a lengthy process that involves specialized equipment and chemical reactions. Though Colombia's drug trafficking and trade can be linked historically to the wars experienced in the country, the country is also assisted by its economic relatives including United States, Britain and Spain, where they import their machinery from to use in processing cocaine. The external demands for drugs have kept Colombia in business for long periods of time, not forgetting they have been known to export minerals such as silver and gold. Cocaine, however, was noted to be the highest exported commodity of all times, beating all the other export commodities in terms of export sizes (Villar & Cottle, p.29).

Towards the end of Cold War, CIA and NSC officials of the United States highly protected the people against drug-trafficking promotions showing evidence of the adventures of the imperialism on the 'war on drugs' in Colombia. One of the processes of cocaine manufacturing is done in the northern parts of Colombia, and these operations are protected from the public by private paramilitaries. The manufacturing organizations/firms are concealed and their identities not revealed for security purposes. The traffickers have to pay prices demanded to the guerrillas who also levy drug taxes on the dealers. The chemicals required for processing cocaine are currently absent in Colombia, necessitating that the chemicals be transported, mainly by sea, from China, Europe, United States and Germany. The high processing expenses have lead to high cocaine prices. A gram of cocaine, as by 2010, ranged between 150 dollars to 164.91 dollars.

These drugs are transported to the United States via air departing from remote airstrips. They also export the drug by sea, especially from the northern and western Colombian coasts. Helicopters which are paramilitary forward the drugs to Antioquia where they are sorted and exported. The helicopters are reported to originate from army bases in Colombia, and the routes of transport gradually change according to issues of policy.

Failure of U.S. counterinsurgency policies

Policies adopted and implemented by the United States in the entire region of Latin America was not as effective as projected and they failed contrary to their expectations. This was due to the ever increasing numbers of guerillas in the late 1970's. However, the policies did work elsewhere, including the southern part of Argentina, and the Mexico borders to America. To counter the United State policies, Anti-Communist Confederation (CAL) used drug-traffickers and other operations to resist communism. Dictatorships and right wing groups together with other criminal sects met annually thus creating associations that were closer. This led to strong political parties that controlled drug trafficking in Colombia, supplying both Europe and United States.

In the 1980's, about eighty percent of the entire cocaine came from Bolivia, which resulted to the name general motors' of cocaine. This brought interest to Argentineans, who started to fight for seizure of Bolivia by deploying numerous army personnel for the task leading to many wars and fights where thousands lost their lives in the fights. At the same time, United States had not given up, and tension rose every time as Colombian cartels were sent to the United States for prosecution such as Escobar Pablo. Funds from the war on drugs campaigns aided Colombian military, through advancing their training, proving backup assistance and purchasing better technology and weaponry. Drug war critics however confirmed that the funds were not against the traffickers and drug cartels but political opponents.

As the power of the Colombian economy grew as a result of trading cocaine, the influence was not only experienced in the country's political system, but was also institutionalized virtually into the very system. Many poor people were enriching themselves by indulging in the cocaine business. A good example is Escobar, who was a dealer for cars which had been stolen. Once he got to know about the cocaine business, he was given responsibility to substitute marijuana with cocaine to the market. He later made contacts with influential cartels both in Peru and Bolivia and due to the expansion of the business; he became one of the most known successful cartels in the sector. Different meetings were arranged and organized with intentions of discussing how to produce and distribute drugs as well as coordinating transportation of the drugs through precise export routes (Villar & Cottle, p. 46).

CIA in Crystal Triangle

According to one of their former agents, Mr. Parker, operatives from the CIA organized two meetings with drug dealers of Colombia. The first was in 1981 and this was attended by over two hundred dealers. The other meeting was held in December of the very year, with intentions of forming cartels. Every member paid $35,000, which was to guarantee security during their operations. The cartels meet regularly, aimed at centralizing the trade of cocaine in Colombia and ensuring Bolivia and Peru are neutralized as they were the main rivals.

The cartel formed in 1981 December, known as the Medellin cartel, maneuvered many drug dealings, denying competitors a chance. They eliminated middle men from other regions and adopted their own, leading to increased profit margins and lower risks due to integration of CIA officials. Regardless of the increased cartel growth which the United States had involved in, most of the raw materials still originated from Bolivia, forcing that Colombia had to work as per the crystal triangle in fear of depletion of raw materials in Colombia. The CIA, who was aware of the flights bringing in drugs to United States, could do little, due to the collaborations they held with the cartels. This made trafficking of cocaine and other drugs easier for the Colombians, who exported the drugs that were distributed in U.S. through Bolivians and some Colombians (Villar & Cottle, p. 49).

According to reliable sources, cocaine trade had saved Colombia from a series of poor economic crisis that had hit the entire continent, characterized by the hyper inflation rates and high devaluation possibilities. The balance of payments of Colombia hardly collapsed due to the trading of drugs. This trade has affected the country politically and economically, even socially. The other parts of the crystal triangle such as Bolivia and Peru were also affected in equal measure. The market was easily introduced in the United States following cartels and other collaborations.

Imperialism and the cocaine trade

The duty of imperialism (United States) in the black market came about as a result of efforts by U.S. To secure economic and political positions globally. As the cocaine decade came to a halt, a common scandal known as Iran-Contra was a revelation that the United States were involved in drug trafficking. This started in the Reagan era until the time of Bush. CIA was also involves, as already suggested by the preceding paragraph. It is imperialism that brought about organized crimes and money-laundering expeditions under orders from above, that is government officials and CIA officials. Groups in Colombia could freely exploit the United States in terms of availability of middlemen, the safe warehouses to transact in and the safest airways to traffic the drugs through.

As the drug trafficking in Colombia increased, it opened ways for regimes that aimed at extending the markets in the United States. Examples included the Bolivia's narco-militarists, the Honduran military, Argentina's military junta and many others. This ignited stronger involvement of the United States in the business, when they sent their police together with Colombian police to Tranquilandia, which was believed to be a complex that was of large capacity containing laboratories that processed cocaine. There was an assumption that the complex was used by the common FARC guerillas to store weaponry and uniform. Reports involving the fight against terror and drug trafficking failed to reveal that the United States was involved, both directly and indirectly, in the drug business (Villar & Cottle, p. 53).

Colombian business benefiting the U.S. economy

Specifically during the cocaine decade, drug trade in Colombia emerged to be a source to the capital of the United States leading to high profitability for banks which were initiated to invest and launder money from drugs into U.S Corporations that were acting legitimately and were legally registered. As the United States continued to convince its citizens that they were against drug smuggling to their country and terrorism by Colombia, the fact remained that the United States imperialism was in collaboration with Colombian to ensure continued production of cocaine, whose marketing was to flourish as far as Western Europe and United States.

Effects of drug trafficking on Colombia's economy

The cocaine decade led to Colombia's construction of strong political and economical strengths. The trade revolutionalized the country's stability and self-dependency abilities. As a result, the country took advantage and invested greatly in their paramilitary and army forces. This lessened their struggles as measures where developed that ensured coca was cultivated in large scale, cocaine was produced in large amounts, marketed and distributed to different regions, just to secure opportunities for making extraordinary profits. Traffickers of drugs and militia who were paramilitary were absorbed into the political and financial institutions that were operated legally (Villar & Cottle, p.55).

Money laundering was the main reason why Colombia and the United States got along. It was the narco-connection between the two countries. Laundering happens when illegal organizations and personal criminals disguise their acquired proceeds and invest in financial and commercial opportunities which are legally run. This happens both in the developing and developed countries. However, for Colombia's case, the country not only indulged in money laundering activities but also drug trafficking related operations. Some of these operations were done so secretly, raising different opinions concerning cocaine processing and trafficking. Some argued that cocaine was not the source of Colombia, and that it was not important as perceived. Others thought that the United States government officials and CIA agents did not take part in drug trafficking and that cocaine trade existed because of corrupt individuals and not any legal institutions or bodies. Only those who understood the relationship between the United States and Colombia could comfortably unravel the mentioned myths (Villar & Cottle, p.56).

As a matter of fact, it is evident that the drug cartels in Colombia came to be respected and were influential even to the leaders of the country. The ruling class was subdued by the individuals that led different drug cartels. The Medellin cartel, for instance, waged battle against any individuals or organizations that were reluctant to make deals with them. They were either murdered or blackmailed by the cartel. Rivalry enterprises had to face unintentional or compulsory liquidation, hence running for refuge to the United States who was a collaborator. The United States retaliated by declaring war on drugs targeting Escobar Pablo. According to the UN Drug Control Program, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Burma are the leading cocaine and heroin trade states. All of this militaries were trained by the United States, in efforts to reduce drug trade (Villar & Cottle, p.58).

Colombian's Perception on 'war on drugs'

Despite the United States trying to extradite influential drug traffickers and trying them in the United States, were they believe victims would face more severe and tougher sentences, the countries involved such as Colombia and Mexico, consider extradition to be imperialism. They also think that these steps shows excessive affront of sovereignty. Their perception is that the production of illicit drugs is income generating for many poor citizens who are farmers. Their opinion remains to be that the trading of drugs is vital and fundamental given they source income for survival through trafficking of drugs.

Steps by the United States to extradite drug dealers have been conflicted strongly, propelling violence and aggressive protests. This has been noted in many countries including Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, Peru and many others. For instance, when drug dealer Matta Ramon was extradited people went on the streets staging anti-American protest in Tegucigalpa. Different drug traffickers have also gone to the extents of intimidating their governments such as the Medellin Cartel did by paying guerillas to counter government powers. The group went beyond boundaries when they held hostage justices of the Supreme Court of Colombia and destroyed evidence that was to be used in extradition trials (Chepesiuk, p.72).

This resistance from the drug cartels prompted the Colombian government to wilt and change their position regarding extradition in the last decade. In 1997, the government restored the processes of extradition, but it was not retroactively applied. Many traffickers have escaped extradition such as Miguel Rodriquez, Gilberto brothers and Calli Cartel godfathers. This happened after an order from Attorney General of the United States, Reno Janet, that the godfathers be extradited.

Reviving the lost war on drugs

All the preceding presidents of the United States, including Reagan and Bush floated and were unable to control drug trafficking in their country. Instead, they went ahead to indulge themselves in the trafficking of drugs with intentions to gain economically from the drug dealings. Latin America, therefore, continued to involve their cartels in the black market, and using queer ways to develop and build their economies. There was an opinion from one of the American Speaker of the House, Hastert Dennis, suggesting that war on drugs in Latin America has to be extended so as to protect the United States against terrorism. After Colombian Armies threatened to cause terror in the U.S., the United States took bold steps of issuing policies that constituted fresh warnings to those who wanted to begin 'narcoterrorism'. This happened just after the blasts on September 11 (Sharpe & Spencer, p. 21).

The United States has amended its policies with intentions to guarantee prevention from terrorist and drug trafficker's attacks. The policies aim at the re-energizing development, economic integration, immigration and democracy in the Latin America Region. The countries that were considered included Mexico and Colombia, when the United States developed new drug-war policies especially those certifying co-operations that need to deal with drug war and their performance in the different countries. Security forces and other services of intelligence have to be strengthened in Latin America, to deal with the changing security climates in the countries most affected by the drug traffickers.

Presently, the most fundamental fronts being handled include Colombia and Mexico, when it comes to drug war. The Clinton administration has been very particular with the war on drugs in conjunction with the Senate through the democratic lawmakers (Sharpe & Spencer, p.22). As the United States continues to deal with the enemy, who is definitely assumed to be the drug lords and cartels, the market system in the United States is ignored. Market systems could easily lead to resistance of drug control policies. The main enemy is the U.S. market system, whose demand for drugs lures investors to it. Traffickers have always targeted the United States due to the lucrative profits from the drug trade. When drugs, say cocaine, are produced in Latin America, they sell ten times more than the production costs. Inflation of the prices does not reduce demand in any way in the United States.