Indigenous Guambianos pull out opium poppy plants in a rural area of Silvia, Cauca province....

Indigenous Guambianos pull out opium poppy plants in a rural area of Silvia, Cauca province. For nearly 10 years, the poppies, the plant from which heroin is derived, have brought a bit of prosperity to many Guambianos, a tribe of impoverished Indians. But now the flower threatens to bring disaster to their ancestral communities in the highlands of southwestern Colombia. Backed by the U.S., the Colombian government is stepping up a massive offensive against illegal drug plantations in this South America nation that provides the majority of the cocaine and heroin sold on U.S. streets. Picture taken 26JUL00.