The expansion of foreign criminal groups into Latin America has taken on a new dimension in the last decade, with European networks directly organizing drug shipments from the region. 

Once dominated by Colombian organizations like the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC), Colombia’s drug trafficking landscape changed radically after the FARC’s demobilization in 2016, and with it, Latin America’s cocaine pipeline to Europe. 

Europe-based mafias are establishing their own routes and moving further down the cocaine pipeline. Italian mafia groups, especially in Colombia and Brazil, have expanded their presence, using cities like Medellín, Colombia, as logistical hubs.

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