Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia earns billions from drug trade

Colombian Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) earned between US$2.4 to US$3.5 billion annually from drug trade.

“Of the 350 tonnes of cocaine produced in Colombia, 200 are linked to FARC", said Pinzón during the Colombia-USA forum organised by the Colombia-America Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami.

He said those are the figures with which the Colombian government works, referred to the first half of the year, and collected by multiple intelligence sources.

Pinzon said that FARC currently has the lowest number of men and women in arms -- 8,147 compared to their peak of 20,000 guerrillas back in 2000.

He underlined the capacity of these armed organisations and criminal gangs to adapt, and warned of significant changes in their operations at crucial moments, such as the beginning or end of presidential mandates.

“FARC have mutated their tactics and forms of attack against the Colombian armed forces with snipers and improvised explosive devices, as well as an increase in attacks against energy infrastructure and renewed contacts with social movements," said the minister.

“Currently they operate with small units in ten different specific areas using tactics to create insecurity more than military results”, he added.

Since the end of August when the beginning of the peace process was announced, Pinzón said that 70 FARC members have been killed and another 30 have turned in and 20 others have surrendered in combat.

Other targets include the National Liberation Army, ELN, the most important guerrilla group after FARC and which, according to Pinzon, has 1,300 men in arms but do not operate from camps or bases but rather mingle with the population.

The Army will see its numbers increased by 25,000 in the next two years plus 20 new helicopters, 30 river patrol boars, state of the art intelligence equipment and a greater investment in defence.

“The only thing that is going to happen with the guerrillas and criminal gangs is that they are going to end up in irrelevance," said Pinzón.

Private estimates of the FARC budget have been challenged by private organisations based on estimates from the Colombian Attorney General’s Office which puts total turnover at around US$1.1 billion.

The figure is also higher than the UN Development Programme estimate from 2003, which at the time listed FARC's annual income at US$342 million of which US$200 million came from the drug trade.