According to a recent report from the Ombudsman’s Office, there is the presence of the three strongest Mexican drug cartels: the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel.
The most dangerous, not only because of its presence in Colombia but because of its networks in different parts of the world, is Sinaloa. This is known for trafficking drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and, more recently, fentanyl.
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The Sinaloa Cartel has been detected mainly in the Caribbean region, in the departments of Bolívar, Sucre, La Guajira, Magdalena, Atlántico, César and in the archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia. This presence translates into an increase in extortions, massacres and homicides in these areas.
“The risk scenario is presented by the escalation of the conflict in the Metropolitan Area of Barranquilla over the control of income from illicit economies between the illegal armed group AGC (Clan del Golfo) and organized crime structures. The presence and/or actions of new transnational structures such as Los Malean (Venezuela), Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa Cartel (Mexico) and the Balkan Cartel (Albanian or Serbian mafias) are also highlighted,” the document reads.
The report also mentions the presence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cjng) in Colombia, with variations in its influence in different regions, such as Cali. This city, due to its geographical position, has become a strategic center for the southwest of the country, where the three main drug and weapons trafficking corridors are concentrated.
These corridors are the eastern one, which connects the department of Valle del Cauca with the north of Cauca, bordering the Cauca River; the western corridor, which connects with the north of Cauca, passing through Jamundí and integrating with Cali, achieving access to the sea through the Port of Buenaventura; and the central corridor, the Pan-American Highway, which connects Cali with the south of the country.
In southwestern Colombia, the presence of armed actors such as the AGC and cartels serving drug trafficking such as Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generación and Los Zetas have also been detected. All of them compete for control of illegal economies.
From 2019 to 2024, the expansion of these groups has been evident. For example, the ELN operated in 149 municipalities in 2019 and is now present in 232. The Clan del Golfo, which are several residual organizations that emerged after the AUC ended, is the group with the greatest expansion: They operated in 213 municipalities in 2019 and now have a presence in 392 municipalities.
Between 2019 and 2024, the presence of dissident FARC factions also increased; It did so by 141%, going from 124 municipalities in 2019 to 299 in 2024, including the Central General Staff (EMC), the Second Marquetalia and other dissidents.
This growth has been mainly driven by the EMC, which has gone from 14 substructures in 2021 to 26 today. Its main illegal activities are concentrated in southwestern Colombia, eastern Antioquia and southern Bolívar. The Second Marquetalia, although it has not grown at the same rate as other factions, has approximately 15 substructures, mainly distributed in the southwest of the country.
The departments that have the most warnings from the Ombudsman’s Office for possible massacres, murders and violent events are:
- Antioquia: 36 early warnings.
- Crashed: 36 early warnings.
- Valle del Cauca: 35 early warnings.
- Cauca: 29 early warnings.
- Nariño: 22 early warnings.
The above reflects a worsening of the conflict in which all types of armed actors have been strengthened., both during the government of former President Iván Duque (2018 -2022) and during the current Government (2022 – 2024). The lives of hundreds of Colombians, located in the same areas historically devastated by violence, are once again in danger.
