Why Colombia is holding talks with Clan del Golfo, world’s largest cocaine producer: Video
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced the start of a new dialogue outside the country with Clan del Golfo, the nation’s largest drug-trafficking organisation and the world’s largest producer of cocaine.
Speaking on August 8 in Córdoba, about 180 miles (289 km) west of Bogotá, Petro said, “We have initiated conversations outside Colombia with the self-proclaimed Gaitanista Army… We are trying to cut off the finances [of the groups] that fuel violence in many regions of Colombia.”
The group, which has roots in paramilitary activities, calls itself the Gaitanista Army of Colombia and has more than 7,500 members. It is considered one of the main security challenges for Petro’s left-wing government.
"Today, we are talking about illicit economies. Cocaine, perhaps the largest. And so this must be discussed at the negotiation tables. If it is possible to peacefully dismantle drug trafficking in Colombia so that there can be peace," Petro added.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025, global cocaine production reached a record 3,708 tons in 2023. Colombia accounted for more than 67% of the world’s coca leaf crops and recorded a 53% increase in cocaine production that year.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Colombia orders deportation crackdown on irregular migrants
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
