By Edelmiro Franco V. | 2025-02-25

BOGOTA -- The Gulf Clan, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States on February 19, stands as Colombia's largest and most notorious cartel, having seen a massive expansion in territory and manpower in recent years.

Formerly known as the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), the Urabeños, or the Usuga Clan, it surpasses the National Liberation Army (ELN) and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents in both firepower and personnel.

On February 19, the US government expanded its list of terrorist organizations in Latin America to include also Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang, El Salvador's Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and five Mexican cartels.

The Gulf Clan is the largest criminal organization in Colombia, surpassing other major drug trafficking groups, Oscar Julian Palma, a security expert and professor at Universidad El Rosario in Bogota, told Entorno.

He further noted that this criminal organization "may control the majority of drugs departing through the Pacific and the Caribbean and has established alliances with certain Mexican cartels."

With the new terrorist designation, the US government will be able to employ a range of financial, tactical and strategic tools to combat these cartels, Palma said.

Gulf Clan dominance

The Gulf Clan emerged as a criminal organization following the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) in 2006, during Álvaro Uribe's presidency (2002-2010).

The AUC was originally established in the 1990s, ostensibly to combat leftist guerrillas.

After it AUC disbanded, several former leaders created new criminal organizations, including the Gulf Clan, which has expanded significantly over the past decade. It is now Colombia's dominant drug cartel, with a strong presence across much of the country.

Official figures reported that the Gulf Clan operated in 107 municipalities with approximately 1,900 members in 2017. However, the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP) estimated the true number to be between 3,000 and 3,500 militants that year.

According to the FIP, the group operates with two distinct structures. The first is its core armed faction, concentrated in Uraba (Antioquia and Choco), southern Cordoba, and urban and semi-urban areas of Bajo Cauca in northwest Colombia.

The second is a subcontracting network that extends into other regions and departmental capitals, complicating efforts to assess the group's full reach.

A confidential Colombian security report, published by La Silla Vacía in March 2024, estimated that the Gulf Clan had around 5,000 members in 2023, up from 4,000 in 2022 -- a 20% growth in just one year.

Territorial expansion

Now classified as a terrorist organization, the Gulf Clan operates in 24 of Colombia's 32 departments.

According to estimates from the Ombudsman's Office published by Infobae in August 2024, its territorial presence expanded by 84% between 2019 and 2024, growing from 213 to 392 municipalities.

Initially concentrated in the banana-growing region of Uraba and Choco, near the Panamanian border, the group rapidly expanded into other areas, exploiting the power vacuums left by the FARC and other criminal organizations.

Its influence is strongest in Antioquia, Choco, Bolivar, Cordoba, Meta, Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Cesar and Cundinamarca.

Beyond drug trafficking, the Gulf Clan is involved in human smuggling through the Darien jungle, human trafficking (including women and children), extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, forced displacement of peasant and Indigenous communities and enforced disappearances.

The transnational criminal organization enforces control through targeted assassinations, eliminating opponents and rivals. It also profits from illegal mining operations, causing severe environmental damage.