HomeNewsBriefGuerrilla Leader Exemplifies Possible Criminalization of Colombia's FARC
BRIEF

Guerrilla Leader Exemplifies Possible Criminalization of Colombia's FARC

COLOMBIA / 21 AUG 2015 BY MICHAEL LOHMULLER EN

A guerrilla commander that operates along Colombia’s southern border and is suspected of large-scale drug trafficking serves as a good example of the type of FARC elements most at risk of criminalization in a post-conflict scenario.

Operating in Colombia’s southwestern department of Nariño, the Revolutinary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) commander, known only as "Rambo," runs the rebel army's “Daniel Aldana” mobile column. According to El Tiempo, this column is one of the FARC’s most active, and is also responsible for helping finance the FARC's insurgency. Drug trafficking is reportedly the principal source of income, but extortion and illegal mining also provide the mobile column with illicit revenue streams.

US and Colombian authorities consider Rambo to be the biggest drug trafficker in Nariño, where he allegedly controls coca cultivation, cocaine processing laboratories, and trafficking routes. He is thought to be capable of moving hundreds of tons of cocaine through Colombia's Pacific coast. 

According to El Tiempo, Colombian state intelligence agencies assert Rambo has held meetings with representatives of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel near the Ecuadorian border. In 2014, authorities in Nariño seized a private plane carrying a 500-kilo cocaine shipment that Rambo had allegedly coordinated for the Sinaloa Cartel.

InSight Crime Analysis

Due to his extensive involvement in the drug trade, Rambo embodies the class of insurgents most likely to criminalize should the FARC sign a peace agreement with the government. As previously documented by InSight Crime, it is almost inevitable that some FARC elements will continue their participation in criminal activity after demobilization. The guerrilla factions most deeply involved in drug trafficking are also many of the most vulnerable to criminalization, as it would be easiest for them to transition into full-time criminal actors. 

SEE ALSO: FARC, Peace and Possible Criminalization

There are increasing signs that some guerrillas may criminalize even before a peace deal with the government is struck. In July, authorities captured a FARC finance chief that allegedly doubled as the head of a narco-paramilitary gang. Earlier this month, uncovered FARC email correspondence reportedly revealed a drug trafficking alliance between the rebel group and criminal organization the Urabeños.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 12 MAY 2022

An armed blockade by the Urabeños drug clan that left much of northern Colombia reeling has signaled that the group…

COCAINE / 9 SEP 2021

A gang, which modified aircraft to be able to carry cocaine from Colombia to the United States and Mexico, has…

AUC / 27 OCT 2021

New documents in the case against accused paramilitary drug lord Guillermo León Acevedo, alias “Memo Fantasma,” reveal that former top…

About InSight Crime

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…