Los Rastrojos is a Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n neo-paramilitary, armed group engaged in the Colombian armed conflict

Colombian Armed Conflict

The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...

. The organization is believed to be one of the armed groups 'that rose from the ashes of right-wing paramilitary squads', such as Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia. Los Rastrojos has been described as a 'private army' commanded by a 'warlord' and funded by 'wealthy business interests'. The group funds itself primarily by cocaine, heroin trafficking and illegal gold mining, thus taking advantage of high gold prices in 2010 and 2011. Los Rastrojos are, together with the Norte del Valle cartel

Norte del Valle Cartel

The Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...

, considered the 'heirs' of the Cali cartel

Cali Cartel

The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...

. Other reports allege Los Rastrojos are in fact the same as the Norte del Valle cartel, only working under a new name and taking advantage 'of a strong network of assassins, distributors and contacts in the international markets'. They are believed to operate mainly in Valle del Cauca and Cali

Calì

Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...

, although there are reports of them spreading their zone of influence to other parts of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 and western Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. Membership is estimated at 1,200 to 1,500 fighters and hitmen. Several members of Los Rastrojos have been killed or arrested in Venezuela by the Venezuelan armed forces.

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

ELN

ELN may refer to:*Equity-linked note, a financial instrument*Elastin, a protein*Ejército de Liberación Nacional, see**National Liberation Army **National Liberation Army **National Liberation Army...

 (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) in the southern Cauca department

Cauca Department

Cauca is a Department of Colombia. Located in the south-western part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east and the Nariño Department to the south, covering a total area of...

.