How did FARC become involved in coca cultivation in Colombia?

The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) became involved in coca cultivation and the broader drug trade as a means to fund their long-standing armed conflict against the Colombian government.12

While the FARC originally formed with a Marxist agenda focused on wealth redistribution and opposing foreign influence, the organization eventually engaged in drug trafficking to sustain its operations. The group facilitated coca production and generated hundreds of millions of dollars annually by imposing taxes on the illicit trade. This involvement was part of a complex landscape of violence in Colombia, where the expansion of the cocaine trade fueled various criminal organizations, including powerful drug cartels, as well as guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitary forces.32145

The FARC's participation in these activities was a significant factor in the country's decades-long struggle with internal conflict and drug-related violence. In response, the Colombian government, often with support from the United States, implemented various drug interdiction and eradication programs to combat both the cartels and the guerrilla groups' reliance on the narcotics economy.2514