Shifting Ex-FARC Mafia Alliances Fuel Colombia Criminal Shakeup by Parker Asmann and James Bargent - InSight Crime
The restructuring of Colombia’s underworld in the wake of the demobilization of the FARC guerrillas continues apace, with cells of criminalized former fighters seeking new alliances, rebuilding old ones and striking out on their own.
The ex-FARC mafia — networks of former fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) — have rapidly emerged as central players in the Colombian underworld, using their criminal and military experience to take control of drug trafficking real estate and activities.
What remains to be seen, is how these emerging actors will interact with each other and with other criminal organizations as the Colombian underworld moves through this transitional period. New media reports from three of Colombia’s principal drug trafficking hubs, though, offer clues as to the directions they will take as these groups start to forge new alliances and create new networks…