“War on Drugs”: US Military Deployed in Colombia to Combat Trafficking

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A special unit of the US Army will operate in Colombia starting in early June. According to official sources, it will “advise and support the South American country’s armed forces in the fight against drug trafficking”. A joint statement to this effect was issued last Wednesday by the US embassy in Bogotá and the Colombian Ministry of Defense.

The operation is part of the reinforced counter-narcotics action announced by US President Donald Trump on April 1st. “More destroyers, warships, planes and helicopters, coast guard ships and surveillance aircraft” should be sent to the Caribbean Sea and special forces deployed on the ground, Trump said.

This is the largest US military operation in the region in 30 years. The US has greatly increased its military presence since then, mainly off the coast of Venezuela. US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper declared at the time: “Corrupt players, such as the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela, rely on proceeds from the sale of narcotics to secure their oppressive hold on power”.

Trump’s announcement came less than a week after US judicial authorities charged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other leading politicians in the country with involvement in drug deals and money laundering. The US government has also issued a bounty of US$15 million for information or actions that will lead to Maduro’s capture.

According to the US Embassy, the special unit (1st US Security Force Assistance Brigade, SFAB) created in 2018 is working with a Latin American country for the first time. This commitment by the US is intended to strengthen the relationship with its “closest ally and friend in the region”.

Admiral Craig Faller, Commander-in-Chief of the US Southern Command (Southcom), said: “The SFAB mission in Colombia is an opportunity to reaffirm our mutual commitment to fighting drug trafficking, promoting regional peace and respect for sovereignty. According to a Southcom press release, the mission has no time limit.

The troops will mainly be concentrated in the Bajo Cauca, Córdoba, Nariño, the Chiribiquete, Sierra de La Macarena, Nudo de Paramillo and Sanquianga national parks, as well as in the areas of Catatumbo, Bari and Arauca, which border on Venezuela.

According to Faller, the mission’s goal is “to defend common ideals and values”. Brigadier General Scott Jackson, Commander of the 1st SFAB, continued: “We are helping our partners to develop security skills so that they can exert continued pressure on violent extremist organizations and ensure the security of their nation, while helping us to counter threats to the United States”.

However, the deployment of the US Army is strongly criticized in Colombia. The association of left-wing groups Congreso de los Pueblos declared that this was “a serious attack on national sovereignty”. The acceptance of US troops on Colombian territory turns the country into a “platform of aggression” and intensifies the tensions with Venezuela.

Deputies from several parties questioned the purpose of the deployment and criticized the fact that the government failed to petition for parliamentary authorization beforehand.

Antonio Sanguino (Green Party), for one, criticized that the special unit soldiers were “no angels” and that the deputies’ prior authorization should have been requested. He also demanded specific details: It was unclear how many “specialists” would come, figures ranging from 53 to 800 men were rumored. The planned presence of the troops, particularly in the border areas, would “increase diplomatic tensions with Venezuela”, Sanguino said.

The FARC party accuses President Iván Duque of allowing US operations on Colombian soil, which are directed against local farmers and the Venezuelan people, without congressional approval. The party calls on “the democratic and peace forces” to mobilize against destabilization and violence in the region.

Left-wing senator Gustavo Petro tweeted: “The obvious cannot be concealed: an invasion of Venezuela is in preparation,” and this is being done “with the help of the drug trade”. Senator Armando Benedetti of the National Unity Social Party also spoke out: “Admiral Craig said in March that his mission was to arrest Maduro for drug trafficking. Today his troops are on their way, and I don’t care if they capture him or not, but don’t involve our country in someone else’s war. Let them proceed if they wish, but not from here.”

Criticism also came from the President of Congress, Lidio García (Liberal Party). Through his Twitter, he reminded Duque “with all due respect” that it is “a constitutional duty of the Senate to allow the transit of foreign troops on Colombian territory”.

On the other hand, Duque’s ruling party in Congress argues in favor of “common law” tradition. “We have been cooperating with US troops for decades,” explains Paola Holguín, a member of the Centro Democrático.

President Duque has set himself the goal of destroying 130,000 hectares of coca plantations by 2020. The Minister of Defense, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, and the Commander General of the Armed Forces, General Luis Fernando Navarro, declared in turn that the fight against drug trafficking is a common priority shared with the United States. It is “one of the main engines of violence affecting communities and activists”.

According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Colombia’s coca crops increased slightly last year, compared to the preceding year, to 212,000 hectares. The capacity to produce cocaine has increased from 879 tons in 2018 to 951 tons. However, the USA is the main cocaine buyer. Colombia is considered the world’s largest producer, the USA the largest consumer.

Bogotá and Washington are currently working on a plan to reduce coca plantations and cocaine production capacity by 50 percent by the end of 2023. This will entail the deployment of military forces and the reintroduction of the highly controversial large-scale aerial spraying of glyphosate herbicide.

On the other hand, there is a growing number of voices seeking the implementation of the voluntary replacement programs agreed with the FARC-EP in the peace treaty. Furthermore, there are an increasing number of proposals for a paradigm shift towards state regulation of drugs.