In a new paper for the Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózaga (ICP), published in partnership with ICAIE, David M. Luna argues that Colombia can once again lead the hemisphere against organized crime, illicit trade, and narco-terrorism.
Since President Abelardo de la Espriella took office in August 2026, the fight against organized crime and illicit trade has become a top national security priority. Luna reads drug trafficking, illegal gold, smuggling, arms and human trafficking, counterfeiting, and money laundering not as separate markets but as a single ecosystem of criminal convergence, sharing routes, logistics, facilitators, and finance.
Drawing on Colombia’s experience confronting narco-corruption and the Medellín and Cali cartels, he calls for a new generation of regional cooperation built around intelligence sharing, joint investigations and operations, financial disruption, and coordinated action against these interconnected threats.
Inside the paper
- Introduction by Carlos Augusto Chacón Monsalve, Executive Director, ICP
- Executive summary
- The rising criminality and insecurity in Colombia
- Hemispheric threats in a world of crime convergence
- Strengthening regional cooperation against narco-terrorism
- Full spectrum dominance: from intelligence sharing to network disruption
- Conclusion
The paper is available in English and Spanish. Everything is connected.