Colombia’s propaganda war goes visual: captured bodies, street coca, and the security race

Colombia’s De La Espriella is shown in a video posted online with bodies of captured or killed enemies, a tactic framed as power projection through imagery. The report links this trend to similar practices in the United States and El Salvador, suggesting a broader shift toward “media warfare” where leaders use graphic content to shape narratives. In parallel, reporting highlights street-level drug realities in Potrero Grande, where basuco wrappers and crude coca base scraps are described as common, underscoring how conflict-adjacent economies persist in everyday spaces. Taken together, the cluster points to a security environment where information operations and illicit markets reinforce each other, raising the stakes for public trust and enforcement credibility. Geopolitically, the key dynamic is legitimacy competition: governments and security actors seek to demonstrate control, deter rivals, and influence domestic and external audiences by controlling what is seen and shared. The cross-country comparison to the US and El Salvador implies that the “visual proof” strategy is not isolated, but part of a wider ecosystem of political communication under security pressure. In Colombia, the presence of basuco—an inexpensive street form of cocaine—signals that armed groups and criminal networks can sustain recruitment, revenue, and intimidation even when formal operations claim progress. This creates a feedback loop where propaganda can temporarily boost perceived authority while street markets reveal that coercion and governance gaps remain. Market and economic implications are indirect but tangible through security risk premia and social stability costs. Areas like Potrero Grande, described as dangerous with visible drug trade materials, typically elevate local risk perceptions that can affect insurance pricing, policing and justice spending, and investor willingness to operate in affected neighborhoods. While the articles do not provide explicit commodity price moves, the drug supply chain connects to broader demand for cocaine derivatives and can influence regional law-enforcement resource allocation, which in turn affects public budgets. For FX and rates, the main channel is confidence: sustained narrative battles and persistent street-level illicit economies can weigh on sovereign risk sentiment and raise the probability of fiscal pressure from security expenditures. What to watch next is whether authorities escalate information controls, prosecute or discourage the circulation of graphic content, and adjust operational messaging to reduce backlash. A key indicator will be the frequency and reach of “captured/killed” imagery across official and semi-official channels, and whether platforms face takedown or legal actions. On the ground, monitoring basuco-related indicators—such as seizure patterns, arrests tied to street distribution, and changes in neighborhood visibility of crude coca base—will show whether enforcement is translating into deterrence. The trigger point for escalation would be retaliatory violence following viral propaganda, while de-escalation would look like sustained reductions in street-level drug materials and a shift toward less graphic, institution-led communications.

Geopolitical Implications

• 01

  Visual propaganda is becoming a core security instrument, shaping legitimacy and deterrence.

• 02

  Persistent basuco street markets indicate governance and enforcement gaps that propaganda cannot fully mask.

• 03

  Cross-country convergence suggests a broader regional/global trend in narrative warfare under security pressure.

Key Signals

• —Takedowns, prosecutions, or policy changes targeting graphic violent content.
• —Shifts in official messaging away from graphic imagery toward institutional communications.
• —Seizure and arrest trends tied to street distribution of crude coca base.
• —Any retaliatory violence following viral propaganda campaigns.