DRUG TRAFFICKING, VIOLENCE, AND PEASANTRY IN THE HIGH JUNGLE

In 1983, Sendero Luminoso decided to extend its traditional sphere of influence to the eastern slopes of the Andes, with the directive to "conquer support bases." This political and military expansion was made possible by the difficult social and political situation in the area — for example, the existing conflicts between the interests of traffickers, the police, and the army. Caught in the middle of this situation were the peasants who cultivated coca. Sendero also aimed to achieve political hegemony by channeling regional struggles and those of producer committees within its own political calendar. Thus, it recognized the existence of "precise conditions for developing contingents of broad mobility and firepower." There followed a progressive expansion of SL and MRTA within their respective spheres of influence along the Huallaga. These groups found effective support bases — not necessarily an ideological commitment — that facilitated their political work, military operations, and, incidentally, the attainment of a profitable source of financing. On this particular point, control of extortion payments has been and continues to be a source of constant contradictions among the security forces, armed insurgent groups, and ordinary criminal organizations. There is little doubt about the economic relationships and shared interests between the insurgency and drug traffickers, as well as the submission of the latter to the party's decisions in the area, but this does not justify confusing the two phenomena or the ways of addressing them.