Los Rastrojos

The Rastrojos started in 2002, as the armed wing for Wilber Varela, alias "Jabón." At the time, Varela was fighting a rival in the Norte Del Valle Cartel, Diego Montoya, alias "Don Diego," and Montoya's private army, the "Machos." Varela lieutenant Diego Pérez Henao, alias "Diego Rastrojo", recruited its first members, hence the group took on his name." ==Consolidation==

Conflict with FARC-EP and ELN Los Rastrojos have frequently fought battles against the guerrilla groups FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) and ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) in the southern Cauca department. Currently, the Rastrojos have an agreement with the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) for several years in the departments of Cauca and Nariño. More recently they obtained a similar agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) in other parts of the country. In both cases, these alliances give the Rastrojos direct access to coca base, which provides them the raw material to convert into cocaine at very cheap prices. The Rastrojos' other ally, Daniel Barrera Barrera, alias "El Loco," struck similar agreements with the FARC in other areas until his arrest in September 2012. Together the Rastrojos and Barrera have obtained a huge competitive advantage, one that has also led to strong partnerships with Mexican cartels. 2012 setbacks The Rastrojos suffered a series of major setbacks in 2012, a year in which all three of its top leaders either surrendered or were arrested. In May 2012 one of the leaders of Los Rastrojos, Javier Antonio Calle Serna (alias "Comba"), handed himself in to US authorities in Aruba. As a result, Diego Rastrojo and Calle Serna's brother Luis Enrique (also alias "Comba") became leaders; Rastrojo's leadership was short-lived, as he was captured in western Venezuela in early June. The Venezuelan government said it would hand him over to the Colombian authorities. "El Doctor" is accused of the murder of Varela, having been Varela's right-hand man for a decade. On October 4, Colombian authorities announced that Comba, the last remaining leader of the Rastrojos, also surrendered to U.S. narcotics agency DEA. ==Decline==

and the colombian Anti-Narcotics Force. The last faction of Los Rastrojos was captured in February 2017. On February 4, 2020, it was announced Cúcuta police officer Sthevenson Sanchez, who was revealed to be the assistant CFO of the local Los Rastrojos branch, was arrested the previous week. Cúcuta former mayor Ramiro Suarez had also been previously jailed for his ties with Los Rastrojos as well. On February 17, 2020, 14 Los Rastrojos members were revealed to have been arrested in the Venezuelan border city of Boca de Grita. On March 30, 2020, the group was revealed to be now be in a conflict with the ELN after the bodies of eight Los Rastrojos members were found dead in a village in Cúcuta. == Popular culture ==

In TV Series El cartel, they are referred as 'Los enterradores' (The undertakers). ==References==