Hermanos Carnales cartel trucks in Cravo Norte, 6 January 1990
The Hermanos Carnales was a Colombian drug cartel which was active from 1989 onwards. Based in the Tensaca department, it was founded by Felix Vijo shortly after the death of his brother Alejandrito, and it evolved from being a marijuana-smuggling cartel to being a nationwide crime syndicate which expanded into the neighboring regions and cities. By late 1990, Vijo was nearly a millionaire, and he was able to build nearly ten drug production complexes across the country, build around five aerodromes to export his drugs, and lay out new roads in the Colombian countryside. While Vijo was seen by some as a philanthropist who improved the nation's infrastructure, he came to attract the attention of the Colombian National Police, the Federales, the DEA, the Colombian National Army, the CIA, and even the US Army due to his cartel's immense power and wealth.