— N a= =—S_S_ World ae By BEVERLY BAIN Recent events in Colombia are far more romplex than the media would have us elieve. There are a number of unanswered questions: Who are the drug lords? What sectors of Colombian society do they come from? What has enabled these cartels to 8row In strength and expand so rapidly that it js virtually impossible for them to be Prosecuted within the Colombian judiciary System? Why has the Colombian govern- Ment chose now to declare war on the car- tels? What does the United States hope to snefit from its $65-million military aid Package to the Colombian government? These questions can only be adequately SWered if the entire drug trade is put into ©Social, political and economic context of Slombia, says a Colombian lawyer. Like the rest of Latin America, Colombia 4 country of a very few haves and many, an, Is New Titles SAVE OUR EARTH By Mikhail Rebrov $5.50 (paperback) A DREAM COMPELS US: Voices of Salvadoran women $17.50 (paperback) EUROPE: 1939 ... Was . War Inevitable? By Oleg Rzheshevsky $5.95 (paperback) Mail orders please include 50¢ per book ‘ 1391 COMMERCIAL DRIVE TELEPHONE 253-6442 K-EPHONE 253-6442 Re y¥ Colombia: nat justa war on drugs many have nots — those who face a life of desperate deprivation. The drug network is made up of the Medellin and Cali cartels. The Colombian government has been concentrating its efforts primarily on the Medellin group. In an interview with lawyer Fernando (he asks that his full name not be used), he indicates preferential treatment of the Cali group has always existed. The Medellin group is made up of the poorer classes, while the Cali cartel comes from the more fortunate individuals in Colombian society. < Cali has entrenched itself with the politi- cal elites. This cartel does not pose a chal- lenge to the political and social machinery of the society. The Medellin group however, “thas posed a challenge,” says Fernando. It is determined to gain entry into the upper echelons of Colombian society. Any pressure or attempt by the govern- ment to prosecute Medellin drug traffickers has been met with severe repercussions ae including the murder of judges and politi- cians, particularly justice ministers. Both cartels are supported by and pro- vide monetary support to various groups in Colombia. These include the Liberal and Conservative parties, church leaders who receive gifts and donations and the army which gets both material and military sup- port to fight rebels in the countryside. Other beneficiaries of the drug trade are peasants who are the prime cultivators and _proces- sors of cocaine for export to the North American and European markets, although their rewards are much less substantial — usually subsistence payments. The operation of these cartels has never been obscure, says Fernando, “For years, these cartels have been conducting their activities in the open. These drug lords with their local and foreign mercenaries have worked closely withthe army to huntdown and kill leftist rebels. These cartels are part Trial Lawyers Uncontested divorce Conveyancing Incorporations Probate of will Separauion agreements Wills ICBC WeltreZUTC appeals *AML prices plus disbursements Divorce and Family law $200* $200* $200* S500" $300* SS0* conungens feo agreement No fee* Criminal Law (neluding impaired driving) 108-2182 West 12th/732-7678 Tim Louis Michael Hambrook NANAIMO hear GEORGE HEWISON Socialist renewal in Europe New socialist perspectives for Canada JOIN IN DISCUSSION AND DEBATE SURREY VANCOUVER be of the political, economic and _ social machinery of the country.” Colombians are questioning the sincerity of the Liberal government crackdown, says the lawyer. “Why only now has the government declared war on the drug car- tels?” The timing is related to the upcoming elections in March, 1990,” he answers. “Many leaders in the Liberal Party want to appear clean.” He adds that there are are some in government genuinely opposed to the car- tels who would like to see them prosecuted. But Fernando doubts the U.S. administra- tion’s motives in assisting in the assault on the drug barons. Washington in the past has provided military aid to the Colombian government to smash its leftist rebel forces. The $65-million military package is not des- tined to destroy the drug cartels, he says, but provides a new opportunity for the U.S. to funnel arms and other military supplies to the Colombian government to fight guerril- las in the countryside. In fact, the U.S. has hada hand in fueling cocaine production by canceling its order of Colombian coffee, providing an incentive for coffee producers to move into the lucra- tive cocaine market. But there is also domestic pressure. The Medellin group is branching its operations deep into the U.S. where it is vying for control of the drug trade in Florida and California with the U.S. mafia. In addition, public opinion is calling on President George Bush to find a solution to the drug problem at home — a problem the administration was content to live with as long as it remained confined to the inner city and ghettoes. But this is no longer the case. Bush has proposed a $7.9-billion plan to fight the “drug.war’’consisting mainly of more prisons and police. The money will come from social programs and housing, striking at the American poor. And it is the poor neighbourhoods which will undoubt- edly pay the price with more police harass- ment and killings of people of colour. Fernando, like many Colombians, rem- ains dubious about U.S. posturing. He believe drug trafficking will continue. “A few may be extradited to the U.S., impri- soned and possibly given the death sent- ence, but in the end new people in Colombia will take their place and life will go on as usual.” Beverly Bain is one on the producers of Third Wave, aired every Friday on’ Radio CIUT in Toronto. 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