Top Mexican cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generacion - which have large areas of influence within Mexico and engage in brutal violence for control of drug routes - have long purchased cocaine from Colombia's guerrilla groups and crime gangs.
Individuals are sent by cartels to guide production, as well as buying and transport, General Fernando Murillo, head of the DIJIN investigative division of Colombia's national police told Reuters. The U.N., police and military sources, as well as growers and human rights activists, agree that a recent surge in productivity was due to careful selection of high yielding varieties.
Potential production refers to the quantity that would be produced if all coca leaves were processed into pure cocaine. The presence of emissaries in coca-growing regions is visible, four people living in Cauca, Narino and Norte de Santander and one who recently visited Cauca told Reuters. The most productive type varies according to climate - with some varieties thriving in colder areas and others heartier when it comes to resisting drought.