How the weak won the war on Drugs

Drug Cartel Fragmentation and the Evolution of the New Generation of Colombian Drug Traffickers

Abstract

This article seeks to explain the factors and circumstances that give rise to the process of fragmentation of the criminal organizations in Colombia. From the State actions, through the peace accord and the phenomenon called “democratization of cocaine” as the main factors which have encouraged the process of micro-cartelization in Colombia. The hypothesis stated in this work is that the process of fragmentation of criminal organizations as a consequence of the abovementioned factors has resulted in the evolution of a defensive response by the drug cartels based mostly on bribery, corruption and the decrease in the use of violence. A defensive response that forms part of the evolution of the new generation of drug traffickers.