Chapo Guzman Funds FARC: What's The Connection Between The Mexican Drug Lord and Colombia's Revolutionaries?

Chapo Guzman, Mexico's most powerful drug dealer, may be the most important financial force behind Colombia's revolutionary group FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia), according to Univision. The Spanish-language news site reports that the guerilla organization is the biggest source of cocaine for the Sinaloa Cartel. FARC has been using the port at El Valle del Cauca to transport drugs to Mexico, funded of course by El Chapo. When you consider that 48 percent of Colombia's cocaine crops are controlled by FARC, it becomes apparent that El Chapo may play as big a role in the Colombian drug trade as he does in Mexico.

Chapo Guzman (born Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera) has been Mexico's drug kingpin since 2003 when Osiel Cardenas of the Gulf Cartel was arrested. He is considered "the most powerful drug trafficker in the world," by the US Department of Treasury. According to Colombian Anti-Drug Police Chief Ricardo Restrepo Londoño, Guzman is FARC's main client. A few months ago, a huge shipment of FARC cocaine was detained bound for the Sinaloa Cartel. "In April this year," said Colonel Jorge Eduardo Mora, "in Operation Magistral, we found some markings which we have determined are used by the Sinaloa Cartel."

Chapo Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel smuggles cocaine as well as marijuana, methamphetamines and heroin through Mexico and into the United States. The US offers a $5 million reward for information leading to his cpature - the Mexican Government offers a reward of $30 million pesos. FARC is most likely not Guzman's only source of cocaine, and nor, indeed, is Guzman likely to be FARC's only export partner: however, the idea that Mexico's biggest drug boss would have a strong tie to Colombia's biggest drug exporter makes a lot of sense. According to Univsion, a FARC source revealed that the Mexicans were called "sombrerones," which translates to 'the big hatted ones' by FARC operatives. The source said that one of the biggest factors in the relationship was the fact that speed and larger payments offered by El Chapo which far exceeded the competition.