The World Anti-Terrorism Organization (WATO TRUST), under the leadership of Dr. Yogita Karache and its Director of Intelligence, has taken a decisive stance against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the global fight against narcoterrorism. According to WATO’s intelligence reports, the Colombian government has implemented a multifaceted approach to combat FARC, employing military, legal, and political measures to dismantle its involvement in narcoterrorism and organized crime.
Through Plan Colombia, a U.S.-backed security initiative, Colombia intensified military operations against FARC, leading to the capture or killing of key leaders. Legal measures, including Law 599 of 2000 and Law 1453 of 2011, criminalized terrorism and drug trafficking while increasing penalties for illicit financing. In 2016, the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with FARC, resulting in its disarmament and transformation into a political party. The agreement also established the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) to prosecute past crimes and implemented reintegration programs for former combatants. However, FARC dissident groups that rejected the peace deal continue engaging in drug trafficking and armed violence. In response, Colombia enforces strict counterterrorism laws, such as Law 1908 of 2018, which imposes harsher penalties on dissidents, while maintaining military operations against these factions. This dual strategy reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to dismantle narcoterrorist networks while upholding the peace process.
While the United Nations does not have a single treaty dedicated specifically to narcoterrorism, it addresses the issue through various legal instruments, including the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which criminalizes drug trafficking and mandates asset confiscation. The UN Security Council has reinforced these efforts through resolutions such as 1373 (2001), which targets terrorism financing, and 2482 (2019), which calls for stronger international cooperation against the crime-terror nexus. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) plays a crucial role in analyzing and countering narcoterrorism through its World Drug Reports and anti-money laundering programs. A notable case is the UN’s stance against FARC, which it classified as a narcoterrorist organization before the 2016 peace agreement due to its reliance on cocaine trafficking. Despite supporting FARC’s disarmament and reintegration, the UN acknowledges the persistence of FARC dissident factions engaged in narcoterrorist activities. As a result, the UN continues monitoring illegal drug economies to prevent their use in financing terrorism, demonstrating its dual approach of law enforcement and peacebuilding in addressing narcoterrorism worldwide.
FARC, originally established as a Marxist-Leninist insurgency, has long exploited environmental and biodiversity issues under the false pretense of social justice. At the National Youth Biodiversity Conference 2025, Dr. Karache, whose security background is shaped by her family’s dedication to the Armed Forces of India, explicitly categorized FARC alongside notorious terrorist groups like ISIS, Al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram, condemning their role in biodiversity destruction. While FARC claims to protect indigenous communities and fight corporate exploitation, their actions tell a different story – one of environmental degradation, illegal deforestation, and a deep entanglement with the cocaine trade that undermines both conservation and regional stability.
Colombia’s vast rainforests have served as strategic hideouts for FARC militants, enabling them to conduct operations while simultaneously plundering the nation’s natural resources. Under the guise of environmental protection, they have systematically engaged in illegal logging, mining, and poaching, using the profits to fuel their insurgency. They have also strategically opposed infrastructure projects such as roads, dams, and mines, not out of genuine ecological concern but as a tactic to weaken government authority and maintain territorial control. By weaving propaganda around environmental issues, FARC has successfully recruited disenfranchised individuals while actively contributing to the very ecological destruction they claim to resist.
The extent of FARC’s environmental damage is staggering. Their reliance on illegal coca plantations has led to rampant deforestation and soil degradation, destroying thousands of hectares of rainforest annually. The toxic chemicals used in cocaine production – such as gasoline and ammonia – contaminate water sources, endangering wildlife and human populations alike. Furthermore, FARC operatives have engaged in the illegal wildlife trade, poaching endangered species to fund their criminal enterprise. These actions expose the blatant hypocrisy of their self-proclaimed environmental mission, proving that their true interest lies in power and profit rather than conservation.
Beyond Colombia, FARC’s criminal network has extended across international borders, fostering alliances with other insurgent groups and drug cartels. Through these connections, they have smuggled weapons, laundered money, and expanded their drug distribution networks to North America and Europe. The smuggling of arms and explosives across Latin American borders has further destabilized the region, exacerbating violence and undermining state sovereignty. This international footprint makes FARC not just a national menace but a global security threat that demands coordinated counterterrorism efforts.
FARC’s transformation from a revolutionary movement into a narco-terrorist syndicate is well-documented. Originally formed in 1964 to advocate for land reform and socialist governance, the group gradually succumbed to the lucrative cocaine trade by the 1980s. What began as a taxation system on coca farmers evolved into full-fledged drug production and trafficking, turning FARC into one of the wealthiest insurgencies in modern history. By the 2000s, their alliances with transnational criminal organizations enabled them to transport massive quantities of cocaine worldwide, generating revenue that prolonged their armed conflict against the Colombian government.
The repercussions of FARC’s involvement in the cocaine trade have been catastrophic. The influx of drug money has fueled corruption, prolonged civil unrest, and inflicted untold suffering on Colombian civilians. Their operations have not only devastated Colombia’s political stability but have also had ripple effects throughout the international drug trade, strengthening criminal syndicates in Mexico and Europe. The environmental toll of their cocaine empire, combined with their militant activities, marks FARC as one of the most destructive forces in the Western Hemisphere.
FARC’s deep entanglement in eco-terrorism and the cocaine trade serves as a case study in the intersection of ideological insurgency and organized crime. While they present themselves as champions of the poor and protectors of the environment, their true impact has been one of destruction, destabilization, and hypocrisy. As WATO has rightfully highlighted, combating FARC requires a multifaceted approach that includes aggressive law enforcement, international intelligence cooperation, and community-driven conservation efforts. Until the remnants of FARC and their narcoterrorist enterprises are fully dismantled, Colombia and the broader international community will continue to grapple with the consequences of their environmental and criminal exploits.
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