The Colombian drug cartels have had a tremendously disruptive influence on the Colombian government and nation. This influence was initiated and sustained by the United States-Colombian Extradition Treaty of 1979 and has been exerted through a systematic campaign of intimidation, kidnapping, and murder against anyone seeking extradition of cartel criminals to the United States. The current Colombian president has changed the country's policy to emphasize its desire to take care of its own internal security problems, although he has been criticized for accepting the terms of the cartels. The flow of drugs into the United States actually increased after the treaty was signs. Thus the treaty's goals of stopping or at least slowing the flow of drugs was not entirely successful. Difficulty in capturing drug criminals slated for extradition, corruption of the judicial system, and narcoterrorism have all resulted in the policy change. However, the flow of narcotics continues to threaten the national security of both countries. It is imperative that they reconcile their differences in prosecuting the war on drugs to ensure a united approach in resolving this mutual problem. Figure, photograph, and 27 references