Drug Cartels (Latin America)

Latin American Drug Cartels
Location: Central and South America
Timeframe: 1992-1999

During my time in service, the US military performed counter-drug missions in Central and South America. This was most evident to me when I was stationed in Florida from 1996-1999, where I provided weather support to aircrews involved with the War on Drugs. Drug cartels throughout the region enjoyed the support of corrupt politicians, military officers and law enforcement personnel.

In 1996, the Columbian Medellín and Cali cartels were estimated to control up to 80% of the Andean region's cocaine traffic, and a similar percentage of the U.S. cocaine market, worth $6 to $8 billion per year. U.S. law enforcement officials in the estimated that Colombian drug cartels spent more than $500 million each year throughout the 1990s to bribe officials.

In Venezuela, the Cartel of the Suns was headed by high-ranking members of the Armed Forces of Venezuela involved in international drug trade. Venezuelan military officers formed the Bolivarian Cartel and led a 1992 coup d'etat since there was money to be made from corruption, particularly in drugs. After his election to Venezuela's president in 1999, Hugo Chávez expanded corruption to unprecedented levels in an already corrupt military.

In Guatemala, the drug cartel Los Zetas used military-style tactics and extreme violence to terrorize their enemies. The Zetas' membership included former army personnel, corrupt police officers, and ex-Kaibiles, the special forces of the Guatemalan military.