BOGOTÁ — Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of coca leaf, according to the annual Global Cocaine Report by the United Nations. Additionally, according to data from the Colombian government, cocaine seizures have reached 50 million tons, as part of a new approach to drug policy aimed at reducing production and the capabilities of criminal organizations. In this regard, Voice of America spoke with Minister of Justice Néstor Osuna about the new shift in the United States’ approach to the war on drugs in Colombia, suspending the monitoring of coca crops in the country and the consumption of fentanyl, a synthetic drug that has claimed the lives of 110,000 people in the US in the past year. Osuna also discussed with VOA the prison humanization bill, which could allow some prisoners to be temporarily released from custody. He also provided details on agrarian jurisdiction, a mechanism aimed at resolving land conflicts in the country.
VOA: Why did the US decide to suspend the monitoring of drug crops in Colombia?
Osuna: It is a decision of the United States, as informed by the US embassy in our country. It is due to a change in the agencies responsible for the monitoring, which have decided to suspend it this year. However, this does not mean that they won’t resume it in future years. It is also true that there has been a change in the drug policy, just as we have changed our traditional drug policy in Colombia from punitive and prohibitionist to one of peace. The United States has new concerns, so this monitoring is not an essential part of their drug strategy. Moreover, there are already two monitors, one conducted by the United Nations and the other by the police, which the United Nations largely relies on and was also used for the US report. Therefore, it is an internal decision that we respect and that does not affect the drug policy in any way.
VOA: Will the money that the United States provides to Colombia change due to this decision to suspend the monitoring of illicit crops?
Osuna: The economic collaboration that the United States provides to Colombia for drug-related issues and other topics is permanent, fluid, and it is expected to continue. There may be variations for reasons on their part, but it is not linked to the monitoring.
VOA: How will Colombia handle the eradication of coca crops?
Osuna: Our drug policy is focused on combating cocaine, the money from cocaine, money laundering, and major, medium-level, and mafia drug traffickers. These are the key targets of our drug policy. Our seizure figures for this year are very promising. The number of cocaine production labs destroyed in Colombia this year is historically high, and we have made more arrests of drug traffickers compared to previous years. As for eradication, which is not the central focus of our drug policy, we are prioritizing forced eradication of some crops and convincing communities to voluntarily substitute their crops. So we will continue with eradication, but it is not the main pillar of our drug policy.
VOA: Fentanyl is becoming a global problem in the fight against drugs. What has the US told you regarding this drug, which cartels are starting to move to?
Osuna: It is a mutual concern. In all conversations with US authorities and in official trips to Washington, the concern is enormous, not only for them, as fentanyl consumption has skyrocketed in the US, but also for Colombia, where it is also consumed. The conditions for fentanyl consumption in Colombia are different from those for cocaine. This has allowed us to think about collaborative strategies to address consumption and to consider public health and prevention policies. We need to help each other because fentanyl consumption severely affects health and carries a high risk of death.
VOA: What is the situation with fentanyl in Colombia? Are there cartels dedicated to its production and distribution in the country?
Osuna: The international trafficking of fentanyl does not have a specific reference in Colombia. In the international drug trafficking chain involving fentanyl, Colombia is not a participant. Our police authorities are investigating whether the fentanyl consumed in the country is produced here or if it is being brought in, but there is no fentanyl trafficking passing through Colombia for export, and we will strive to keep it that way.
VOA: How significant is the presence of Mexican cartels in Colombia?
Osuna: Criminal structures do not recognize borders and have no interest in respecting them. Therefore, we know that there is a presence of cartels and criminal structures from other countries, not only from our neighboring country Mexico, which has many positive aspects and is well-regarded. But there are also criminal structures from other countries.
VOA: The surrender of illegal organizations without political status to negotiate peace is very important in President Gustavo Petro’s «total peace» policy. This is known as the «Surrender Law» and aims to dismantle high-impact criminal groups. The state commits to imposing alternative prison sentences ranging from six to eight years in exchange for these criminally engaged organizations providing reparations and truth to their victims. What awaits the Surrender Law bill in Congress?
Osuna: The government is precisely focused on putting an end to the problem of criminal structures, which have caused us so much pain and suffering, with a strategy that works on two fronts. On one hand, there is the action of the police, armed forces, and the judiciary. On the other hand, there is an offer that, as you mentioned, involves reducing sentences in exchange not only for truth but also for assuming responsibility. It is not amnesty or pardon; it is a reduction in sentences that requires assuming responsibility and surrendering assets and information about their activities. Therefore, the Colombian state needs a law, a legal tool that allows for collective surrenders and trials for these cases. That is why this law is necessary because we already have laws for individual surrenders and providing collaboration with justice. The novelty of this law lies in its ability to completely dismantle criminal structures.
VOA: Does the surrender to justice bill include the dissident factions of the FARC, or will there definitely be a different approach to those groups through a peace process?
Osuna: This law is designed for criminal structures that do not have a political reference, groups that operate with the aim of conducting illicit activities. The group you mentioned (dissident factions of the FARC) is a politically oriented group, so it is not covered by this law. Instead, a different legal framework will be applied.
VOA: What is the prison humanization project that aims to shift the treatment of convicts?
Osuna: This government inherited a prison situation on the brink of collapse because for the past 20 years or more, there has been a strategy of increasing penalties, creating new crimes, and reducing benefits, as a result of rampant punitive populism. However, there was no budget allocated for the construction of new and better prisons or for ensuring that prisons serve a purpose. We encountered a terrible problem of overcrowding because prisons do not fulfill the purpose of reintegration, resulting in very few opportunities for individuals leaving prison to avoid recidivism. Therefore, our idea has been to change the current state of things and make prisons serve their intended purpose. They should be places of punishment, that is clear, but they should also serve… [reaches character limit]
Fuente de TenemosNoticias.com: www.vozdeamerica.com
Publicado el: 2023-07-14 06:24:35
En la sección: América Latina – Voice of America