The top guerrilla commander of the National Liberation Army (ELN), known by the alias Antonio García, published an op-ed in which he denied the group’s involvement in drug trafficking and accused President Petro of having ties to an active armed group.
ELN guerrilla commander firmly responds to President Petro
In his opinion column published in “Voices,” a magazine linked to the armed group, Garcia asserted that, on the contrary, there is an alliance between the DEA and Colombian intelligence to associate the ELN with illegal activities. He stated that, so far, not a single ELN member has been arrested for the crimes alleged by the Petro government.
As officially stated by Garcia, “there will never be room in the ELN for “traquetos” (drug traffickers) or Narcos, nor for addicts and we take that with pride. The dream of the DEA and Colombian state intelligence has been to infiltrate us with a Trojan Horse linked to drug trafficking operations to present so-called “evidence” or a “smoking gun.” But we have always uncovered these attempts, and their plans have failed. They have never captured an ELN member with even a gram of cocaine, nor have they found a single lab where it is processed. There is no judicial record proving otherwise.”
Antonio Garcia also accused President Petro of lying about the ELN’S alleged involvement with illicit crop cultivation reported in various regions of Colombia. “Since the plans of the DEA and Colombian intelligence have failed, Petro now tries to twist reality with lies,” Garcia stated.
Additionally, the insurgent leader proposed the creation of an international commission to investigate and verify accusations linking the ELN to drug trafficking. He stated, “as we have suggested before, when the opportunity arises, we are willing to engage in a national debate to thoroughly address the issue of drug trafficking. In that context, we could establish an international commission to verify the facts and corroborate whether what the ELN says is truthful and consistent with our actions.”
Connections between Petro’s government and FARC dissidents?
Antonio Garcia has also accused President Gustavo Petro’s government of having ties with the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents.
As stated in his column “since Petro keeps listening to his friends from the 33rd front, he’s now claiming that the ELN hires foreign mercenaries. Not at all-no one gets paid in the ELN, nor are they forcibly recruited. Those who join its ranks do so voluntarily, and everyone goes through combat schools, where they receive political, ideological and military training. That has been, and will continue to be, the ELN’s strength. Reality is not what Petro imagines in his head,” Garcia said.
These accusations come amid clashes in the Catatumbo Region- highly impacted by drug trafficking, violence and the presence of illegal armed groups–where both the ELN and the 33rd Front are vying for territorial control. Garcia claims that the Colombian government has protected the dissidents, allowing them to expand into strategic areas for drug trafficking. However, no concrete evidence has been presented to support these claims so far.
According to Garcia, the actions of Armed Forces in Colombia are targeting the ELN instead of fighting drug traffickers and this points to a relationship between state and criminal groups. “Has anyone ever witnessed or heard of any clashes between the Armed Forces or the Police and the 33rd Front in Catatumbo? No, they don’t exist. That means there’s either a clear alliance with them or they’re part of the state,” said Garcia.
Meanwhile, the Petro administration has been exploring peace talks with the 33rd Front, which may have led to perceptions of favoritism or alliances. Still, these efforts are part of the government’s “total peace” strategy, aimed at negotiation with various armed groups to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country.
Antonio Garcia’s column highlights the deep divisions and ongoing mutual accusations that define Colombia’s political and security landscape. For now, peace talks between the ELN and the government remain suspended due to a surge of violence in the Catatumbo region, which has displaced more than 61,000 people and left nearly 100 dead.