Virgilio Barco Vargas declared total war against the drug cartels, and re-established an extradiction policy with the Usa and sent more than a dozen middle ranking traffickers there. but the cartels responded viciously, blowing up planes, killing people, bombing the headquarters of the secret police. but as a result pablo escobar offered to negotiate with the government. but while attention was focused on the leaders of the medellin cartel, smaller groups like the Cali cartel emerged and increased its share of the us cocaine market to 30%

he organization that it has developed employs up to 120,000 people, including 2,000 to 3,000 in the us. controlled by pablo escobar, who ran it even in prison. primary target of us. Belisario Betancur in 1988: "we are up against an organization that is stronger than the state

ormed in 1982 in response to the kidnapping of a member of the ochoa family by the m-19 guerrillas. rapid increase in profits led to the cocaine wars. as the cartels became more powerful, they expanded into politics, media, private armies, real estate, and international banking

payed bribes to curropt police officials, judges were also paid as well, assassinated people, and offered to pay 10 billion to pay off national debt. and even killed the justice minister in 1984.