The illegal drug trade in Colombia has, since the 1970s, centered successively on four major drug trafficking cartels: Medellín, Cali, Norte del Valle, and North Coast, as well as several bandas criminales, or BACRIMs. [1]

Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence.

Nov 22, 2022 · Drug production boomed in Colombia during the pandemic. The total area harvested for coca leaves – the main ingredient for cocaine – grew 43% in 2021 according to a new annual survey by the...

The Medellín Cartel (Spanish: Cártel de Medellín) was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar.

Jan 22, 2025 · More than 32,000 people have fled to towns in northeast Colombia as they attempt to escape a sharp rise in fighting between militant factions, according to the country’s ombudsman. Iris Marín said...

Feb 28, 2025 · Drug groups, especially the Medellín cartel, also began using terror to increase their bargaining power with the government. As a result, homicide became the leading cause of death in the country and 1989 was the most violent year in Colombia’s brutal history, with more deaths per capita from violence than during any year of La Violencia.

Jan 28, 2019 · Colombia and Mexico remain the two hotbeds of Latin America’s drug trade, with a myriad of cartels competing for dominance in a global industry that generates hundreds of billions in revenue....

Jan 9, 2020 · Around 20 years ago, Colombia’s government was on the verge of collapse. Powerful drug cartels, such as Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel, were growing increasingly powerful to the point that the government was at risk of being overrun.

Colombia’s cocaine cartels have a long and complex history, starting with the rise of the Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar. Over the years, these cartels have evolved, fragmented, and adapted to new challenges.

Jan 20, 2021 · Over the past four decades, the war on drugs has forced numerous Colombians to sacrifice their lives. As corruption has spread without limits, criminal organizations have become more powerful than ever, exporting from our territory ninety percent of the cocaine that is consumed around the world.