The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, more commonly known as the FARC, have been negotiating a peace deal for some time. Toward that end, they have agreed on several important issues, including land reform, political integration and reducing the production and distribution of illegal drugs. These agreements will need to be finalized before the FARC lays down its arms.
But even if a peace deal is reached, it is possible that not all members of the group will honor it. The FARC is deeply involved in the drug trade. In fact, many factions operate in Colombia's coca-producing regions. These regions include the southwestern departments of Putumayo, Caqueta and Narino, as well as the northeastern department of Norte de Santander. In 2013, they accounted for nearly 65 percent of the country's 48,000-hectare (118,610-acre) coca crop. The FARC fronts there have either taxed cocaine production or directly administered it for more than two decades.
So even if the insurgency's top leaders are willing to withdraw from the cocaine trade, these groups may split off to form their own criminal organizations. Such was the case with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a criminal group Bogota struck a peace deal with in the mid-2000s. Some of its members abided by the deal, but many others did not. Those that ignored it subsequently formed competing criminal organizations that continued trafficking cocaine and engaging in other illegal activities. In fact, many criminal groups active in the country today — such as the Urabenos, the now-divided Rastrojos and the Aguilas Negras — once belonged to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.
