Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ignited a firestorm of debate by alleging that Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel—one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world—is now the de facto leader of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), Colombia’s most active guerrilla group.
“The real owners of these structures are not Colombian commanders; they are the Mexican buyers of cocaine. The Sinaloa Cartel is now the head of the ELN,” Petro stated in a speech in Bucaramanga on Friday.
His remarks come amid Colombia’s deadliest wave of guerrilla violence in a decade, with armed clashes in Catatumbo, a lawless region bordering Venezuela, where ELN rebels have been battling rival groups and government forces.
Catatumbo: The Epicenter of Violence and Cocaine Trade
Since mid-January, the Colombian military has launched an offensive against the ELN, following a series of brutal attacks on civilians and rival factions.
The statistics paint a grim picture:
- 53 confirmed deaths
- 8 missing persons
- Over 50,000 displaced residents
Catatumbo is one of Colombia’s most significant coca-growing regions, supplying the global cocaine trade. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has consistently reported that this area harbors some of the highest concentrations of coca cultivation in the country.
For years, criminal organizations from Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil have sought to control Catatumbo’s lucrative drug routes, using Colombian rebel groups as intermediaries.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s Deepening Influence in Colombia
Colombia has been the world’s leading producer of cocaine for decades, and Mexican cartels—particularly the Sinaloa Cartel—have played a crucial role in the global narcotics trade.
Petro’s assertion that the Sinaloa Cartel is now leading the ELN reflects a growing concern about foreign criminal influence in Colombian conflicts.
In January 2024, Bogotá City Council member Julián Sastoque released a previously classified police report from 2023, stating that:
- The ELN and other armed groups were forming international criminal alliances.
- Colombian guerrillas were trading cocaine directly with the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for advanced weaponry.
- The cartel’s internal divisions following the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July 2024 had led to a power struggle, leaving the ELN as a key strategic partner.
The Sinaloa Cartel, once dominated by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has fragmented, sparking violent infighting between rival factions. This internal chaos has resulted in 750 murders and nearly 900 disappearances in northwest Mexico since mid-2024.
Colombia’s Response: Military Action and Suspended Peace Talks
Since 2022, the Colombian government had been engaged in peace negotiations with the ELN, hoping to bring an end to one of the country’s longest-running armed conflicts.
However, the latest ELN-led violence in Catatumbo forced President Petro to:
- Suspend peace talks indefinitely.
- Deploy over 10,000 troops to ELN-controlled territories.
- Authorize military operations that have already resulted in direct combat with ELN fighters.
What Comes Next?
As the Colombian government escalates military action, questions remain about:
- The extent of the Sinaloa Cartel’s control over the ELN.
- How this cross-border conflict will impact Colombia’s relations with Mexico and Venezuela.
- Whether the peace process with the ELN can be salvaged or if a full-scale military confrontation is inevitable.
For now, Colombia faces one of its most complex security challenges in years, as criminal alliances blur the lines between drug trafficking, guerrilla warfare, and transnational organized crime.
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