"They are quite formidable," Morins said. "After all, they are the largest anti-governnt ard forces. They've been dabbling in the drug business much longer than we have, and I estimate they can control about 30% of it."
"Half…"
Song Heping weighed this in his mind.
ELN and FARC together could control half of Colombia's drug market—it still seed manageable.
"And the other half? Who's in control?"
"It used to be Pablo. After Pablo's downfall, his dellin Group declined. The territory and drug business he used to control are now mostly in the hands of the Gulf Gang, and the rest has been divided among smaller gangs." Morins spread his hands, "In Colombia, we are the kings. Those drug lords are like leeks, cropping up one after another—if they offend the Aricans, they get taken out, just like that."
"Do you know the boss of the Gulf Gang?" Song Heping asked.
"Of course, I know him. He's not in our territory, but we're all familiar with each other," replied Morins candidly. "The boss of the Gulf Gang is nad Autoneil."
"Can you ask him to join us when we et with Marulan tomorrow?"
"Invite him?"
Morins said in surprise, "Song, your visit to Colombia this ti... sohow I get the impression you're here for the drug business?"
"That's right," Song Heping admitted bluntly. "I am indeed here for the Colombian drug market."
Morins was stunned, "I thought you never touch this kind of business?"
"Sa as you, I don't have a choice."
The two n looked at each other for a mont, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Song Heping spoke earnestly, "You also know that I've been doing so things in xico recently, so I won't keep you in the dark..."
He briefly described his collaboration with the CIA's Secret Action Departnt in xico, and then revealed his ultimate goal.
"I aim to control all five major families in xico, to have them all listen to ."
Hearing Song Heping's deep collaboration with the CIA to control the xican drug market, Morins was astounded, his jaw almost dropped to the floor.
Even though he had been ntally prepared for Song Heping's cooperation with the CIA before coming, the scale of this collaboration still shocked him.
"Song, you're really playing a big ga."
"If you're going to play, you might as well play big," Song Heping said.
Morins pondered and voiced his concern, "So, you're eting with and Marulan to control the supplies headed to North Arica?"
"To control the five families, you either fight a tough battle—where countless people will inevitably die, and it would take at least a year or two and tens of thousands of lives to determine the winner," Song Heping nodded. "But I've checked that 70% of the coca and marijuana consud in the United States each year cos from here, from Colombia. The local products in xico aren't as plentiful as yours. If the supply controls here are tightened, then the drug volus for those xican trafficking groups will drop sharply. Relying on what they grow locally won't be enough to supply nor earn as much money as they do now."
"I'm going to wage an economic war against them—diminish their inco by attacking their finances, block their procurent channels, and through the CIA and DEA, intensify the crackdown on their North Arican sales channels, while also sealing their export paths. By attacking from multiple fronts simultaneously, we'll press the disobedient four families into a corner within xico. You can imagine, once their inco drops sharply, what will they use to support their nurous subordinates? For money's sake, I'd wager that the four families will contest for territories and channels for survival. By then, I'll just need to use a few tactics to provoke disputes between them..."
At this point, Song Heping revealed a confident smile.
Morins listened, breaking out into a cold sweat.
He realized that this old friend of his was truly a master of strategy.
When gangs and drug trafficking groups fight over territories, it's usually a brutal clash.
Whoever subdues the other, calls the shots.
Song Heping's thods were completely different.
No bloodshed, no life-or-death battles.
Cutting off your water supply directly, squeezing the economic sources of the other party, thereby forcing them to bow their heads.
As for the ans that Song Heping talked about to provoke infighting among the four big families, he couldn't guess what it was, but he believed that if Song Heping wanted to do it, he could definitely achieve it.
"Your idea is brilliant, the problem is..." Morins said: "How are you going to convince Marulan from FARC and Autoneil from the Gulf Gang? If they don't supply the xican drug dealers, they themselves will suffer losses. Even I, who am willing to bear losses and cooperate with you by stopping supplies despite opposition from the higher-ups in the organization, don't have a reason to convince the drug dealers on my turf who need to eat. To cut off their money and play such a big ga of chess with you, I have no reason to convince them."
"Leave that problem to , as long as you arrange a eting, I'll be able to persuade everyone. As for the revenue, I guarantee you'll not earn less than before. Currently, more than half of xico's drug smuggling and sales networks are under my control, do you think I'd let you lose out?"
Song Heping gave Morins a reassurance.
"Alright, I trust you." Morins said, "I'll arrange a eting tomorrow, the location to be determined."
"Okay, I'll wait for your good news. I'll stay over with you tonight."
"No problem, the business is done, let's have so drinks!" Morins was very hospitable, imdiately ordering food and drinks to be served.
While Song Heping was enjoying drinks and conversation with Morins in Colombia, far away at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Kelly was sitting behind the desk in her office, listening to her subordinates report on Song Heping's whereabouts.
After listening, she was silent for a long ti, her brows never unfurrowed.
"He's going to Venezuela at this ti?! What do you think he's planning to do?"
"Our people followed him for a while, it seems he's going to that school he built."
Subordinate A handed a photo to Kelly.
"According to satellite reconnaissance images, the Falcon Special Soldier School he built is almost finished. Maybe he's going back for an inspection?"
"Impossible." Kelly dropped the pen in her hand: "Didn't our people follow him to the vicinity of the school to check it out?"
"Well..."
The subordinate responsible for the tracking task, B, said: "Last ti, because we had a lesson, our people didn't dare to go to the school. Within a twenty-kiloter radius of that school, there's nobody, only a nearby small town with a population of less than 500. Any unfamiliar 'fly' that flies in would be swatted dead, our agents are too easily exposed."
Kelly's face turned ugly.
Being the director of CIA operations, with so many elite agents under her command, yet they couldn't track one person's movents closely.
This was truly embarrassing.
What exactly is Song Heping doing back in Venezuela now?
Barrett has already returned to the United States.
Because everyone else followed Song Heping to Venezuela, only Barrett was not called. According to Song Heping, it was to leave Barrett in xico because he was preparing to hand over Balrot's smuggling network to him, letting him be the boss.
However, once Song Heping and the others left, it would be very dangerous for Barrett to remain alone in xico.
According to intelligence, the four big families have already united to deal with Song and Shorty, and Barrett, nad by Song to serve as the smuggling network boss, naturally is on the assassination list, perhaps there's even a bounty out.
To this day, Kelly still has no idea what Song Heping is really thinking, unable to guess how he plans to settle the other four big families.
She had also tried probing, but Song was very cautious. When encountering key questions, he would joke and beat around the bush, without telling the truth—pressing him would only get one reply—"You'll know in the future."
Damn Easterners!
Always so insidious!
Kelly now even clearly understands that Song Heping doesn't trust her, and he is possibly using the CIA's na for other purposes.
Yet even so, she still has to pretend as if nothing's wrong and cooperate with him.
This is really infuriating!
If it weren't for the bigger picture, she would have torn him a new one already!
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