# POLITICS, CORRUPTION AND DRUG POLICY - Kimberley Lynn Thachuk B.A. university of British Columbia, 1985 M.A. University of British Columbia, 1989 - I f' * THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF DOCTOR OF PAILOSDPHY --. a under Special Arrangements a in the + Faculty of Arts ' @ Kimberley Lynn ThachuR 1997- SIMON FRASER UNIvE$tSITY , SEPTEMBER 1997 All rights reserved. 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Neither+te droit d' auteur qui protege ce@ehese. thesis nor subst~tialextracts &om it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celke-ci ne doi;ent Ztre im~rimCs reproduced without the auwr's ou autremknt reproduits sans son permission. $9 * autorisation. Name: Kimberley Lynn Thachuk ~e~iee: Doctor of Philosophy /, <,. Title 'of Thesis: Plomo d Plata: Politics, Corruption and Drug Policy in Colombia -a Examiningr Committee: 'Dr. Phyllis M. Wrenn, Chair Dr. Margareb A. Jackson, Sertior Supervisor Professor, C.rimipology Dr. Michael Howard, Supervisor Professor. Soci~lnovand Anthropology or. Gerardo Otero, Supervisor Associatefiofessor, Sociology and Anthropology Dr. Patrick Smith, Silfkrv~sor - Associate professor! Political Science Dr. Raymoixj Corrado. InternalExternal Examiner Professor, Criminology DI. Richard fiillett, External Examiner Professor. History, Southern lllinois University ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the problem of making drug t policy in Colombia and to determine why Colombia~officials have been unable or unwilling to bring intemjtional criminals to justice and how this has not only affected + I Internal state order but external state relations in dn increasingly inteidependent world. A study of the politics and history of CofoMia was first carried out though an \ 1, * \.\ examination of the contention that Colombia is the most viole~ntryon earth. Next. 6 the growth of criminal organizations in that country was traced over several ~ecades. .a Factors shch as indiscriminate violence, corruption, historical party rivalries, traditional - v .* oligarchical structures, exuemes of wealth and poverty and guerrilla movements were ' * f : - also found to contribute to a very difficult environment in which to make and implement * / - policies in the Colombian criminal justice system. v a, 6. * Secondly, the international dimensions of this problem were explored through an - >, examination of il~rernationalcriminal law, generally and extradition, specifically. The t United States was found to have significant influence on Colombian drug policy in how ' - it has, in effect, turned a domestic consumption crisis into a foreign policy problem, A I- focal point of relations between, the two states has been the 1979 U.S.-Colombia Treaty of Extradition which the U.S. insists ~blombiaenforce. When Colombian traffickers 1 - have been extradited, however, the drug cartels' violent retributions have been so . 0 * deleterious to the social order that desperate Colombian officials have been virtually ' coerced into finding political/iegal barriers to t#e3 Treat Colombian policy\ makers have thus been subject to extremes of viol&&. coercion and international pressure from fiercely competing interests such that it is ' difficht.' if not impossible. to makeAeffective -and lasting policy to combat drug trafficking. The results have been fatal for many Colombian officials and debilitating for .. - < - the country's political sykem and international relations. The research for this dissertation has included ad analysis of available l/terature. i J- both academic .and government sources as well as other communications ~elevantto the research. subject such as -media reports. A content anal$is as a foh of unoblrusive research was undertaken together with interviewe with selected persons who have , expertise in the area. f # v I r- DEDICATION - - , * \ D 8 To Dr. John Ekstedt. Thank y,ou for your mentorship, wisdom and friendship. I have . learned a great deal from you about seeking truth and jujtice and e to con6nue to do d so in future years. -w Also ... to that riystical and m&ical thing called happiness that has for so long led me on @ a merry do-si-do wit reverses and dizzying spins, all the while eluding me. e . * * a .- - . - I - It was as if God had decided to put to the test eve? capacity for srrrprise and was keeping the inhabitant$ of Macondo in a permanent alternation between excitement and disappointment, doubt and'revelation, to such an extreme that no one knew for certain where the limits of reality ia$..:on the streets of Macondo men and women were seen who had adopted eve$dav and normal customs and manners but who really ~ohkedlike people our bf a circus. In a town that had chafed under the tricks of the gypsies there was no future for those ambulatory hcrobnts of commerce who with equal eflrontery offered a whistling kettle and a daily regime that would assure tbe salvation of the soul on the seventh day; but from those who let themselves be convinced out of fatigue and the ones who were always unwary, they reaped stupendous benefits... and everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have -a second opportuniry on earth. f. Gabnel Garcia M&rquez. One Hundred Years of Sol~tude , I am grateful to a number of people for their assistance and encouragement in P completing thii.s dissertation. While many people gave me val~fibleinsight into this work. its shortcomings are entirely my own creation. -9 i Firstly, I wodd. /;* like- to thank my Senior Supervisor Dr. John Ekstedt. who spent *,.. many houis of his valu le time helping me to- grapple with the complex issues that arose during the research. Dr. Margaret Jackson, my other Senior -Supervisor,"also spent numerous hours encouraging my work and helping me to make sense of it. They are both b; * inspirations to me, not onlysin my scholarly work, but in many other facets of my life. I Q thank them both. I am also grateful to the other members of my Special Arrangements Committee, Dr. Gemardo Otero, Dr. Paddy Smith and Dr. Michael Howard, who not only agreed to spend many valuable hours to make this doctoral work very interesting forbme, but whose valuable criticisms on different comp$qegts of the dissertation helped ta give it its vnique perspective. I am further indebted to the external members of my committee, Dr. Raymond ~orraddand Dr. Richard Milktt, or their infight and contributions to my " , -x work. * ' i* My father and sister *ere also an immense support and helped me through some 22% Q of the more difficult periods with words of encouragement, bribery, and not a few threats! My friends Diane Purvey. Shelene Rail, and Mike Wallace, who listened to me discuss . my dissertation for hours to the point that the/ have surely become experts on ~'olombian \ Drug Po!$cy, deserve medals. I am in debt to Dana McFarlane, my friend and - librarian at UBC, who Dave me a great deal of help researching components _of this 4 - I, Y dissertation and gave me the piece of evidence that served as a "breakthrough" in my thinking. I 2 I 9 While writing this dissenation I made many new friends it Simon ~mser' f \I University, A1 Patenaude, Larry Buhagiar, Jacqueline Faubert, Ogbonnaya Elechi. ~ahussier,'Jhnne Holmgren and Chris Nowlin who gave me much-neededk, encouragement and support -- not to mention'ideas. documents and advice for some of e .- the work's components. Daniel Say, at the Simon Fraser University Library also gave me a a number of interesting 'leads' in terms of research and continually contacted me when,; pertinent articles and books became available. * I owe pariicular thanks to Liz Straker who encouraged me to "leave no stone ,- . .s untumed to finisb" as wkll as Dr. Frances Yakura and Dr. Paul- James in the same rmd. ' ' * Also to be $anked are the staff at the Sdhool of Criminology, Christine Eastlick, Deborah f Palliser and Sharon Rynders also gave me a great deal of suppon and assistance f throughout. I would also like to thank Dr. Phyllis Wrenn, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Ms. Vivian Blaker in the Office of the D~anof Graduate Studies, for both finangial .i 1 and technical support in making a unique Doctoral Program such as this such a success. My Colombian friends, Alberto and Maria Femanda Bonih as well as the Jaramillo family and the other Colombian people who prefer to remain anonymbus, are to be tha X ked for giving so graciously of themselves in \heir endeavour to help with this work. My good friend James "Zack'* Zackiison, fro& the Office of Naval intelligence in 9 U Wuhington D.C.. was also' a faithful f;iend in the area of information and. * "boondoggling.". * 3 . Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Fernando Cepeda Ulloa for not only sparking my interest in Colombia, but for continually spurring that interest on over the course of five' vears: ; Muchas Gracias por todo su apoyo! ; Sigo luchando para colombia! ., TABLE OF CONTENTS # APPROVAL ii , h 11 - I * ABSTRACT ' at .