Yet, the recent attack underscores the fragility of those efforts.
The Gulf Clan, originally formed from right-wing paramilitary factions that fought against guerrilla groups in the 1990s, is deeply entrenched in Colombia’s criminal underworld. Beyond drug trafficking, the cartel is moreover engaged in illegal gold mining, extortion, racketeering, and migrant smuggling.
Government estimates suggest the collection at introduce has approximately 7,500 current members, whereas the cartel itself claims its ranks exceed 13,000.
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Earlier this week, security forces confiscated adjacent to 1.5 tons of cocaine belonging to the cartel in the remote Urabá region.
The incident highlights Colombia’s least effective wave of violence as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), one of the world’s oldest guerrilla movements, signed a peace agreement alongside the government in 2016.
Petro, who became Colombia’s initial left-wing president in 2022, campaigned on a policy of achieving “whole peace” by negotiating using all remaining armed groups.
Six Colombian police officers lost their lives and seven others sustained injuries on Thursday once suspected members of the country’s most powerful drug cartel, the Gulf Clan, launched a deadly assault involving a weaponized drone.
Authorities confirmed the attack occurred during a coca eradication operation in the northwestern department of Antioquia, home to the city of Medellín.
According to security officials, the police helicopter was targeted whilst officers were carrying out efforts to destroy coca crops, the raw resource used in cocaine production. Social media footage showed the aircraft under heavy gunfire earlier than being struck by a drone and plummeting to the ground in flames.
Authorities have not yet clarified whether the officers were killed as a consequence of the crash or during ground combat that followed.
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Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez placed direct blame on the Gulf Clan, moreover familiar as Clan del Golfo, accusing the cartel of orchestrating the attack. “During an operation against drug trafficking, our @PoliciaColombia was attacked by the Gulf Clan cartel, causing a helicopter to catch fire and important injuries to our police officers,” Sánchez wrote on X (in advance of Twitter).
President Gustavo Petro said the assault was carried out in retaliation for a large seizure of narcotics. Nevertheless, seeing that his inauguration, criminal organizations such as the Gulf Clan have significantly expanded their operations and consequence.
Earlier this month, the president announced the resumption of peace negotiations using the Gulf Clan.
Source: Drug Cartel Attack Leaves Six Colombian Police Officers Dead
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