Galicia's rugged coastline and "Coast of Death" historically fostered a maritime black market.
In the 1980s, market dynamics shifted as the U.S. cocaine market saturated, pushing Colombian cartels to look toward Europe. FariГ±a
: Skills in navigating "narcolanchas" (speedboats) through the Galician estuaries (Rías) were originally developed for tobacco but became critical assets for international drug cartels. 2. The Shift to "Fariña" (Cocaine) Galicia's rugged coastline and "Coast of Death" historically
: Early "tobacco bosses" were often viewed as beneficent figures who provided employment in an economically backward region. FariГ±a