Bananas are not typically the first thing that comes to someone’s mind when they think of war, but in the case of Chiquita Brands International Inc., that’s exactly what it was. Currently the number one import of bananas in America, Chiquita, formerly the United Fruit Company, has a long history of success in the fruit world but not one that didn’t come without its controversy. From the 1990’s into 2004, Chiquita Bananas were the product of an all-out war between left-wing extremists and right-wing extremists.
With the use of multiple sources, an enlightening discovery of the funding of terrorist groups by Chiquita can be discovered. Though it is the number one banana import into the United States, it has a background that has most likely resulted …show more content…
This began when FARC started to attack locals employed by Chiquita in their Colombian plantations and the crops they were harvesting. In response to this, Chiquita began giving them money as bribes in order to stop their attacks. Unfortunately they became too powerful and Colombia’s military forces could not defend against them. Because of this, the AUC was established which brought together militias which consisted of ranchers and drug traffickers who established themselves in the 1980s, ultimately creating a paramilitary …show more content…
Several lawsuits had taken place in an effort to get to the bottom of the problem, creating a lengthy U.S. Justice Department investigation. Chiquita, “In 2007 pleaded guilty to similar criminal charges brought by the Justice Department and paid a $25 million fine,” adding if the lawsuits succeed, damages against Chiquita could reach into the billions (CBS News, 2011). Though that took place, Chiquita has shown little to no remorse for the victims of the terrorist attacks and one executive is even quoted saying the payments “were the cost of doing business” and also noted “need to keep this very confidential - people can get killed” (Chiquita Brands International, n.d., para.
With the use of multiple sources, an enlightening discovery of the funding of terrorist groups by Chiquita can be discovered. Though it is the number one banana import into the United States, it has a background that has most likely resulted …show more content…
This began when FARC started to attack locals employed by Chiquita in their Colombian plantations and the crops they were harvesting. In response to this, Chiquita began giving them money as bribes in order to stop their attacks. Unfortunately they became too powerful and Colombia’s military forces could not defend against them. Because of this, the AUC was established which brought together militias which consisted of ranchers and drug traffickers who established themselves in the 1980s, ultimately creating a paramilitary …show more content…
Several lawsuits had taken place in an effort to get to the bottom of the problem, creating a lengthy U.S. Justice Department investigation. Chiquita, “In 2007 pleaded guilty to similar criminal charges brought by the Justice Department and paid a $25 million fine,” adding if the lawsuits succeed, damages against Chiquita could reach into the billions (CBS News, 2011). Though that took place, Chiquita has shown little to no remorse for the victims of the terrorist attacks and one executive is even quoted saying the payments “were the cost of doing business” and also noted “need to keep this very confidential - people can get killed” (Chiquita Brands International, n.d., para.