Mexican Drug Cartels Paying Farmers for Cultivation of New Strains of Cocaine in Colombia

Mexican drug cartels are paying farmers in advance when it comes to the cultivation of new strains of cocaine in Colombia, according to coca growers, security officials, and rights activists.

Reuters reported that Mexican drug cartels such as Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel have since bought cocaine from Colombia's guerilla groups and crime gangs.

Residents and farmers noted that the increasing presence of emissaries of Mexican drug cartels is noticeable in areas where cocaine is being produced.

Emissaries have once operated as discrete buyers and still avoid direct engagement in the competition for their business.

Colombia's anti-narcotic police noted that the cartels have driven significant changes in the varieties of cocaine being planted in the country, which sends cocaine production higher.

Police added that the improvements in cocaine development have contributed to the increased quantity and purity of cocaine being sold to both the United States and Europe.

General Fernando Murillo, head of the DIJIN investigative division of Colombia's national police, also acknowledged that there are individuals sent by cartels to guide the production of new strains of cocaine, as well as the buying and transport of the products.

The U.N., police, and military sources noted that there a recent surge in productivity due to "careful selection" of "high yielding' strains.

One coca grower noted that Mexican drug cartels' representatives and Colombian business partners started releasing more "fruitful varieties" two years ago and ordered farmers to plant those.

Mexican drug cartels have been purchasing high-grade cocaine from Clan del Golfo, National Liberation Army rebels, as well as former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Mexican Drug Cartels in Colombia

The Colombian government engages in exchange of military intelligence with the U.S. and Mexican governments as part of their response to the arrival of Mexican drug cartels, according to a Dialogo Americas report.

In April 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that it will collaborate with Mexico and Colombia to combat drug production and trafficking.

The Ombudsman's Office, an autonomous institution under the Colombian Office of the Attorney General, noted that fights between criminal groups have created "forced displacements, homicides, massacres, confinements, and assassinations of social leaders and ex-combatants."

Sinaloa Cartel is identified as the most active Mexican cartel in Colombia, partnering with National Liberation Army.

Meanwhile, the Jalisco Cartel has connections with a group in Buenaventura, which is the main Colombian port in the Pacific.

The United Nations International Narcotics Control Board said in a March 2020 report that criminal groups have ramped up their funding and arming Colombian narcotrafficking groups.

Mexican Drug Cartels Fueling Violence in Colombia

A dozen Colombian law enforcement officials told Reuters that machine guns, assault rifles, and semi-automatic handguns are making its way into Colombia.

In 2020 and 2021, most of the 1,478 long arms confiscated from Colombian armed groups were foreign-made and brought to the country in secrecy.

Police noted that criminal groups used the same smuggling routes to traffic drugs to move the arms.

Colombian authorities noted that Mexican drug gangs have easy access to guns purchased in the U.S.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Colombia's surge in cocaine production hinders security efforts - from Al Jazeera English