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A decade ago, the Colombian region of Putumayo was the main production centre for coca, the raw material for cocaine And the guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) were well placed to profit from the illegal drugs trade. Today, there are still small fields of bright green coca cut from the virgin jungle, but the rebels have found a more lucrative, and far safer, source of income: gold. It was here the US military aid package, known as Plan Colombia, which has amounted to some $8bn (£5bn) since 1999, was concentrated. Since 2000, fleets of spray planes have dropped glyphosate chemicals over the coca bushes, managing to reduce, but never eradicate, drug production. What the chemicals have done is push local farmers into the new, informal industry of gold mining. "We estimate that the Farc here make 800m pesos ($450,000) a week from illegal gold mining," said Jhimmy Calvache, the acting mayor of Mocha, the capital of Putumayo province.
Colombia has vast gold deposits, especially along the rivers that wash down from the Andes Mountains. It was gold that drew the Spanish conquistadors here in the 16th Century, and now, with prices high for precious metal, gold fever has returned. Mechanical diggers operate along the riverbeds and banks in Putumayo, protected by heavily armed rebels who allow no access to the sites and impose huge "taxes" on production. In March, police sought to send in investigators to find out how much gold was being extracted. They ran into trigger-happy guerrillas and it was decided that, without massive army support, there was no chance of making any meaningful inquiries. The operation was abandoned.
Mine operators
While the illegal exploitation of gold in Putumayo is still in its infancy, it is well developed in other parts of the country. In the northern department of Antioquia, the Farc have established a series of extortion schemes on the gold miners, legal and illegal. For every mechanical digger that enters their territory, the rebels charge an initial "tax" of up to $3,000 and another $2,000 per piece of heavy machinery for every month of operation. In the gold-rich municipality of Anori in Antioquia, authorities believe there are up to 120 diggers operating, earning the local Farc unit a monthly income of at least $240,000. There are 125 municipalities in Antioquia. "Gold is now more lucrative than coca," says Antioquia Governor Sergio Fajardo. The guerrillas are not just extorting money but running some mining operations themselves or demanding a percentage of all production.
The advantage of gold is that it is perfectly legal to transport and sell, unlike cocaine. Indeed, legally registered mines have become a favourite acquisition for drug traffickers as well, as they are perfect vehicles for laundering money. The mining companies can claim any amount of gold is being extracted and then traffickers put all their money from cocaine sales through the books. On condition of anonymity, a mine worker in Anori played the recording on his telephone of a call he said was from the Farc demanding payment. "Don't try my patience this month," growled a low voice, "don't make me look for you, or the machines will be burnt and you may become a military objective [this is guerrilla speak for becoming a target for assassination]." He paid, and continues paying, even during the rainy season when the rising water levels make extracting gold from the river bed almost impossible.
Recruitment drive
A drug trafficking link between Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel and Colombia's FARC rebel group has been revealed by authorities in Panama. In an 18-month-long investigation that concluded Friday, Panamanian authorities confiscated about four tons of cocaine, more than $500,000, five speed boats and 38 vehicles. More than 50 people were arrested and processed in Panama. The investigation, coordinated with Mexican and Colombian authorities, was confirmed by Panama's National Police and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, El Universal reported.
Drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel worked with Colombia's FARC rebel group in Panama, according to authorities. A Mexican couple is accused of helping Guzman expand his cartel's influence into Panama.
Guzman allegedly visited Panama at least twice about seven years ago while he was on the run, leading Panamanian authorities to suspect Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel of operating in Panama. "We have detected Mexican drug cartels associated with the FARC," Omar Pinzón, director of Panama's Police, told El Universal. The case stems from a married Mexican couple working for the Sinaloa Cartel who previously lived luxuriously in Panama City. According to authorities, the couple established a drug trafficking business relationship with Martín Leonel Pérez Castro, known as Richard -- leader of the FARC's Front 30 unit who was arrested in 2014.
Pérez Castro allegedly controlled about 60 percent of the FARC's drug trade to buy weapons and other materials for the rebel group's insurgency campaign. Front 30 operates in Colombia's southwestern Valle del Cauca province, which has access to the Pacific Ocean -- making it easier to traffic drugs to Central America and Mexico. Panama is working to extradite the unidentified Mexican couple accused of helping expand Guzman's cocaine trafficking network. In July, Guzman escaped from a Mexican maximum security prison for the second time using a mile-long tunnel, which could have taken a year to build.
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The law, a key part of a peace deal signed last month between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, will not include fighters who have committed war crimes or human rights violations.
DEMOBILIZATION
The amnesty also applies to members of the country’s military. It is the first in a series of laws tied to the deal that is to be sped through congress in hopes of reassuring rebels who are beginning to move to special demobilization zones. The bill passed in both the Senate and the lower house, despite vociferous opposition from the right-wing Democratic Center party, whose members abstained from voting. The coalition of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this month, has a majority in Congress. About 7,000 FARC fighters are expected to lay down their arms over the next six months.
PUNISHMENT
Rebels found guilty of serious crimes like massacres, sexual violence or kidnapping will not fall under the amnesty and will instead serve alternative sentences, such as land mine removal, to be determined by a special court. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the FARC and the government said they would establish how many rebels are not eligible for the amnesty by Jan. 30 at the latest. Other laws tied to the peace deal include rural reform, compensation to victims, removal of land mines and a UN-monitored ceasefire. The FARC will convert into a political party under the accord.
Bogota Congress approves amnesty for FARC rebels - Taipei Times
