Drug Cartels in Colombia

-Colombian drug cartels have only added to the violence, funding the paramilitaries and guerrilla groups with weapons and drugs in exchange for money
-Since the 1970s, Colombia has developed some of the most organized drug trafficking the world has ever seen
-When cocaine became really widespread, two major cartels dominated the country: the Medellin cartel and the Cali Cartel
-The Medellin cartel rose to a criminal empire under the supervision of Pablo Escobar (above)
-The Cali cartel, rivals with the Medellin cartel, thrived off of secrecy and organized business
-Both of these cartels had ties to the government, and during their prime, they had full control over Colombia
-In recent years, there has been a significant decrease in drug trafficking in the country