Colombia seeks deeper security ties with India to fight drug cartels

“I think we face common threats. Sometimes you think that the international problem of drugs relies only on Colombia, but in fact, the reality is that it is an international problem; there are networks, no boundaries. They are transnational, they work as a multinational corporation. So the only way to face it is through international cooperation,” said Jaramillo.

“The Colombian police can share information very swiftly with the local police when it is needed to tackle international crime. India is a transit (for the drugs) to go to Australia, to New Zealand,” he added.

A senior Indian government official requesting anonymity said Indian agencies have seized cocaine originating from Colombia but have not come across any case in which there was evidence that the consignments were being routed through India to Australia or New Zealand.

From drug lord Pablo Escobar to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country has had a violent past. India, meanwhile, has declared all districts free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related violence, according to a 1 August government statement.

“I think it's very focused with some very specific samples on intelligence—artificial intelligence—because this is not a regular confrontation. When you have this kind of confrontation, where there is a group that is hidden in the jungle, in the case of Colombia, they are producing drugs, and you have to find them. Yes, you use technology. They are guerrillas if you still want to call them. They hit and hide. The territory is very big. Half of the country of Colombia could be empty. A very important part of that is intelligence technology,” said Jaramillo.

“There has been an interest that Colombia has been exploring. And we have been in contact with India because part of our challenges in Colombia is fighting these drug cartels, terrorists, narco-terrorists… They (BEL) have this facility in Ghaziabad. Very competitive prices. When you compare prices, you can get an anti-drone shield in India compared to the European competitors. It happened during the previous government,” Jaramillo said.

Queries emailed to the spokespersons of National Police of Colombia, and India’s ministry of external affairs, and BEL on 29 September remained unanswered till press time.

Queries emailed on 6 October to narcotics control bureau director general, and spokespersons for the ministry of home affairs and Interpol also remained unanswered till press time.

Colombia’s ministry of national defense in an email response said that it has assigned Mint’s query to the Colombian National Police and added, “The ministry of national defense is committed to improving the citizen experience regarding procedures and services within the Defense Sector.”

Building links

The two countries have already begun limited cooperation on police training. Twenty-five Colombian police officers from the National Police of Colombia attended an Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (Itec) course on artificial intelligence for human security at Rashtriya Raksha University in Gujarat from 26 March to 8 April 2025.

“At present, no additional training programme or visit by officers of the National Police of Colombia has been scheduled. To date, Rashtriya Raksha University has not conducted a similar training programme for officers from other Latin American countries,” said Ankit Kumar, director, School of International Cooperation, Security and Strategic Languages, Rashtriya Raksha University, in an emailed response.

Dependra Pathak, retired special commissioner of police, Delhi Police, said India’s experience in dealing with narcotics and insurgency along its borders, along with BEL’s capabilities in drone technology, could complement Colombia’s expertise in combating drug cartels.

“It is going to complement each other's strength—India's advancement in technical training in the field of artificial intelligence and IT on the one hand—and our public sector undertaking defence manufacturing strength that is Bharat Electronics particularly in the field of drones," said Dependra Pathak, retired special commissioner of police, Delhi Police.

Strategic experts said this collaboration enhances India’s status as a global defence tech provider. “Hosting foreign police forces portends India’s technological advancement in defense and surveillance. Secondly, physical interaction with Colombian officials gives Indian agencies knowledge of how Colombia has dealt with cross-border crime, drug cartels, and urban conflicts,” said Aprajita Kashyap, associate professor, Latin American Studies Programme at the Centre for the Study of the Americas, School of International Studies, JNU.

Former Indian ambassador to Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba Deepak Bhojwani said Colombia had shown interest in Indian defence equipment for years, including Howitzers and Arjun tanks. The renewed security engagement could provide an opportunity to strengthen defence cooperation, especially in anti-drone technology, he said.

Dhirendra Kumar

Dhirendra Kumar is a seasoned policy reporter with about 20 years of experience in deep, on-ground reporting across key economic and governance sectors. His work spans finance, public expenditure, disinvestment, public sector enterprises, textiles, trade, consumer affairs, and agriculture, with a strong focus on uncovering structural policy shifts and their real-world impact.Kumar has been awarded the Chaudhary Charan Singh Award for Excellence in Journalism in Agricultural Research and Development, recognising his contribution to reporting on critical issues in the farm sector. He has also been a recipient of a fellowship in international trade from the National Press Foundation, which has further strengthened his coverage of global trade dynamics and their implications for India.Kumar is known for breaking complex policy developments into clear, accessible stories. His reporting focuses on uncovering under-reported trends, explaining policy shifts, and helping readers stay informed about developments that shape India’s economic landscape.