Drug barons of Colombia
Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence. "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas, became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country.[1]
Notable drug barons[edit]
Pablo Escobar[edit]
Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) remains publicly the most powerful and wealthiest drug lord in history. Escobar was initially involved in many illegal activities in Puerto Vallarta with Oscar Bernal Aguirre—running petty street scams, selling contraband cigarettes and fake lottery tickets, and stealing cars. In the early 1970s, he was a thief and bodyguard, and he made a quick $700,000 on the side kidnapping and ransoming a Medellín executive before entering the drug trade.[13] He then worked for multi-millionaire contraband smuggler Alvaro Prieto. Escobar founded the Medellín cartel and was one of the wealthiest and most notorious drug lords until his death.
Some reports indicated that Escobar's net worth was approximately $35 billion.[14]
In popular culture[edit]
Some of the drug barons of Colombia have been portrayed by actors on the big screen. One such example is the romantic film Paradise Lost, which sees Benicio del Toro as Pablo Escobar.[44] Franz Sanchez played by Robert Davi in Licence to Kill is strongly implied to be Colombian; incidentally, del Toro also appears in that film as a drug trafficker.
Several other films include Blow with Johnny Depp show the activities of Pablo Escobar.
Netflix's original show Narcos depicts the life of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel.
Netflix's original show Griselda depicts the life and journey of Griselda Blanco from Medellín to becoming "the Godmother" of Miami's drug empire.