One indication that effective Security Services Columbia is in such need for those travelling into the region can be seen with the recent difficulties in the differences between the local militias and the drug traffickers. While armed militias, such as FARC, operate under specific guidelines which are put into place by a central command structure, there are other entities in the region which deal in an array of illegal activities. The problem is that the line between these two sides can be very blurry at times with members from each side simultaneously participating in the movements of both groups.

There have been several cases of members of FARC who have been caught drug smuggling, and it is known that FARC funded much of its operations for many years with the money derived from the drug trade. Now, with the apparent separation between guerilla militia groups and the drug trade, all elements of drug-related business are claimed to have been removed from FARC’s dealings. Despite the claims, however, well-known drug traffickers and members of organized crime organizations, such as Gildardo Rodríguez Herrera, are still being found to have links to FARC.

National Security Services Columbia are currently not able to effectively differentiate between friend and foe because the links between the two groups are still too strong. While the drug traffickers are using the local militias to aid them in moving illegal products throughout the country, they are also providing the militias with much-needed money. This situation points to the growing difficulty that the Columbian government is having when it comes to curbing drug-related crime activities in the country.