AUC leaders are threatening to split the organization up because of disagreements over criminal activities. Some leaders, including the founder Carlos Castano, back links to drug cartels, but not things like kidnapping for ransom and robbery. The AUC needs some source of income to pay its troops and buy weapons. Castano has resigned as overall leader of the group, leaving it to the lower ranked leaders to sort out what, if any, overall strategy the AUC will adopt.