Famous colombian cartels today. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (/ ˈ ɛ s k ə b ɑːr /; Spanish: [ˈpaβlo eskoˈβaɾ]; 1 December 1949 – 2 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. government agencies broke up Caribbean networks used by Colombian cartels to smuggle Jun 1, 2022 · MIAMI — Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, an elderly leader of the former Cali cartel that smuggled vast amounts of cocaine from Colombia to the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, has died in a U Jan 22, 2024 · Those were the years in which drug-trafficking permeated Colombian society — a prelude to the war, in which Escobar said he preferred a grave in Colombia to a prison in the United States. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U. (Colombian presidential press office via AP) The U. Cocaine is shipped to every industrialized nation in the world and Sep 4, 2019 · This Colombian Drug Kingpin, easily the best-known co-founder of the Medellin Cartel, had ambitions of becoming the President of Colombia. Furthermore, Otoniel’s downfall is unlikely to have a positive effect on Colombia’s drug Jan 26, 2023 · Notorious Colombian cocaine trafficker Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as Otoniel, has pleaded guilty to drugs charges in a US court. Carlos Valderrama played a prominent role during the 1990s, which is considered the Aug 8, 2023 · Prosecutors had described him as "the most significant Colombian narcotics trafficker since [the leader of the Medellín cartel] Pablo Escobar" and said he helped ship nearly 100,000 kilograms Jan 20, 2021 · Today, Colombian drug cartels export 90 percent of the cocaine that enters the United States—around 1,040 metric tons of high-quality cocaine derived from coca leaves grown by more than 250 thousand peasant families on nearly 200 thousand hectares of land, nestled in the depths of our mountain ranges. It opened up the drug market to new players. [7] The Medellín cartel differed to smaller cartels, as it was extremely organised and vastly influential within its varied socio-economic spheres, corrupting Colombia over a course of almost 20 years. Nov 22, 2022 · The government’s critics, such as former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, who presided over the greatest crop reduction in the country’s history through a controversial all-out military Oct 23, 2021 · Colombian military forces captured the leader of a major drug cartel, considered by the government to be the most wanted man in the country, President Iván Duque announced on Saturday. From opium to marijuana to cocaine, a variety of substances have been illegally imported, sold and distributed throughout U. The illegal drug trade in Colombia has, since the 1970s, centered successively on four major drug trafficking cartels: Medellín, Cali, Norte del Valle, and North Coast, as well as several bandas criminales, or BACRIMs. Otoniel was the leader of Colombia's most powerful criminal May 5, 2022 · Mr. Trafficking humans. It is also an old criminal organization, based in: Drug trafficking. Jan 24, 2024 · Juarez Cartel. This cartel is one of the few large and powerful enough to truly rival the Sinaloa Cartel. 1 Either “openly avowed or tacit enterprises,” drug wars have been as much about expanding the drug trade as they have been about limiting it and, in most cases, they Feb 2, 2024 · Pablo Escobar led the Medellín Cartel in the mid-1970s,, marked as Colombia’s first significant drug cartel. Aug 8, 2023 · Today, the group continues to control vast swaths of territory near the border with Panama and on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts and has thousands of members, according to Colombian security forces. The Gulf Cartel is a formidable and violent organisation with a great deal of power. Jarrod Sadulski (Faculty Member, Criminal Justice) and Efren Munoz (Major, Criminal Investigation Directorate and INTERPOL, National Police of Colombia). "El Chapo" - or "Shorty" - was once ranked as one of the world's richest men. Moving drugs between provinces. Juarez is responsible for smuggling tons of narcotics into the United States since the 1980s. They commenced their operation by smuggling small quantities of indigenous marijuana before escalating to more hazardous narcotics. Otoniel led the Gulf Clan cartel and is wanted in the US on drug trafficking charges. It warned that anyone who disobeyed the Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos telephoned Peña Nieto and congratulated him for the arrest of Guzmán, highlighting its importance in the international efforts against drug trafficking. [293] The cartels use grenade launchers, automatic weapons, body armor, Kevlar helmets, and sometimes unmanned aerial Jan 26, 2023 · Notorious Colombian cocaine trafficker Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as Otoniel, has pleaded guilty to drugs charges in a US court. The DEA and the Colombian National police believe there are more than 300 active drug smuggling organizations in Colombia today. Long dubbed the Cali cartel as "Colombia's Gentlemen Cocaine Traffickers. The export of cocaine is supervised by transnational crime organizations that do business with foreign crime organizations, particularly Mexican cartels. law enforcement history. Writing for the Los Angeles Times, William R. Tongs and outlaw motorcycle gangs, as well as terrorist, militant, and paramilitary groups, are mentioned if they are involved in criminal activity for funding. Otoniel was the leader of Colombia's most powerful Stacks of cocaine seized by the Colombian police. Oct 24, 2021 · Colombia's most wanted drug trafficker and the leader of the country's largest criminal gang has been captured. Jan 26, 2023 · A Colombian man who was once one of the world’s most-wanted drug lords pleaded guilty Wednesday to U. smuggling charges, admitting that he led a cartel and paramilitary group that trafficked Feb 4, 2023 · The CJNG’s rise is particularly concerning because of what it has been willing to do to expand its power. Extorting money. Kidnapping. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Colombian football players of all time, Valderrama was included in Pelé's FIFA 100 list in 2004. With the collapse of the Cali and Medellin cartels, the cocaine business in Colombia began to disintegrate. Although Colombian president Duque compared Otoniel’s capture to Pablo Escobar’s killing, the two men were dissimilar in most ways. He died in 1993. Jun 17, 2020 · The man who set up the notorious Medellín drug cartel alongside Pablo Escobar has arrived in Germany after his release from a US prison. Aug 8, 2023 · A US court has sentenced Dairo Antonio Úsuga, who was once Colombia's most-wanted drug lord, to 45 years in prison. Dairo Antonio Úsuga, better known as Otoniel, was seized after a joint operation Aug 8, 2023 · NEW YORK (AP) — For years, the man known as Otoniel was seen as one of the world’s most dangerous drug lords, the elusive boss of a cartel and paramilitary group with a blood-drenched grip on much of northern Colombia. Since 1974 limited progress has been made on those issues; however, the Colombian economy has grown despite The Medellín cartel in their peak was supplying an estimated 80-90% of the US cocaine market, turning over US$100 million in profits per day. S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) track down Escobar. intelligence. Otoniel was Colombia's most wanted man and the government had offered a $800,000 (£582,000) reward for Carlos Valderrama is a Colombian retired football player whose distinctive hairstyle and technical skills made him popular. May 31, 2017 · Drug trafficking in the United States dates back to the 19th century. Úsuga, 50, led the Clan del Golfo, a Colombian drug cartel that uses violence and intimidation to control drug-trafficking routes and expand its territory, according to federal prosecutors in Aug 5, 2024 · At the international level, Mexican cartels began to take on a much larger role in the late 1980s, after U. “Today, Mexican cartels control everything from coca leaf to the sale of cocaine on a New York street corner. -based corporation Texas Petroleum, the Colombian legislature, small industrialists, and wealthy cattle ranchers came together in a series of meetings in Puerto Boyacá and formed a paramilitary organization known as Apr 24, 2023 · Twenty years ago, on December 2, 1993, Pablo Escobar, the pioneer of Colombia's cocaine trade, was killed on a rooftop in his native Medellin by police. for trial. “I was a gangster,” Lehder conceded this week, in an unusual interview with W Radio, a Colombian station. Since the British Empire waged the first modern drug war in the mid-19th century to force Chinese governments to accept imports of opium from India, the term “drug war” has been an ambiguous concept. Later, they worked as a middleman for the Colombian drug cartels, including Pablo Escobar. Jun 1, 2024 · COTIJA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role than before in Sunday’s elections that will determine the presidency, nine governorships and about 19,000 mayorships and other local posts. Feb 4, 2023 · However, PBS wrote that the Cali cartel did not inherit Escobar's public flair for violence, preferring to adopt a business façade in their international operation. While other cartels in Colombia filled the void, their power failed to match that of their predecessors. Úsuga, also known as Otoniel, was a notorious cocaine trafficker who was the Jan 26, 2023 · Notorious Colombian cocaine trafficker Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as Otoniel, has pleaded guilty to drugs charges in a US court. The Cali Cartel (Spanish: Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Counter-Narcotics Assistance to Mexico. The Future of Colombian Cartels. [1] At the end of 1981 and the beginning of 1982, members of the Medellín Cartel, Cali Cartel, the Colombian military, the U. Oct 24, 2021 · In this photo released by the Colombian presidential press office, one of the country’s most wanted drug traffickers, Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias “Otoniel,” leader of the violent Clan del Golfo cartel, is presented to the media at a military base in Necocli, Colombia, Saturday, Oct. drug trafficking charges was sentenced on Tuesday to 45 years in prison by a judge in Brooklyn who called him "more Jun 26, 2024 · Pablo Escobar’s death in 1993 and the crackdown on the cartels by the Colombian and US governments in the late 1990s and early 2000s erased the powerful monopoly Colombian cartels had held over the trade for the previous three decades. His death signaled the end of one era of drug trafficking and the birth of another, as the drug trade continued apace, with Medellin still at its heart. An Ambiguous Term. Aug 8, 2023 · For years, the man known as Otoniel was seen as one of the world's most dangerous drug lords, the elusive boss of a cartel and paramilitary group with a blood-drenched grip on much of northern Oct 24, 2021 · Colombia’s most-wanted drug lord Otoniel has been captured by authorities in what has been heralded as the biggest blow to the country’s narcotics traffickers in decades. Jan 12, 2023 · Nevertheless, according to Colombia’s Defense Ministry, more than 150 tons of cocaine is seized annually. “The decisions I made continue to be an Oct 13, 2023 · Chupeta began his career with the Cali Cartel during the 1980s, where he worked as a horse trainer for Iván Urdinola Grajales, then a mid-level trafficker in the cartel, according to a Colombian police intelligence report cited by El Tiempo. The following is a listing of enterprises, gangs, mafias, and criminal syndicates that are involved in organized crime. Many leaders of the Cali cartel were arrested in the 1990s, and by the next decade the organization had largely disbanded. She also allegedly rejected a $15 million offer from a rival cartel to give up her Dec 21, 2023 · The number of women in drug cartels and organized crime networks is growing Although there are famous precedents for women’s incursions into these activities — such as the late Colombian Jun 26, 2021 · Now 60, Ávila Beltrán was an important link between Mexican cartels and Colombian cocaine traffickers, largely because of her romantic relationship with Colombian drug dealer Juan “The Tiger May 10, 2022 · The Gulf Clan drug cartel shut down dozens of towns in northern Colombia for four days in reaction to its leader being extradited to the U. Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. 2 Jan 26, 2024 · Netflix’s miniseries “Griselda” is inspired by the real-life Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. Jul 10, 2017 · Today, Mexican drug cartels are the most feared drug trafficking organizations in the world. May 8, 2022 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. In a few cases, the Colombian groups have maintained direct routes to foreign markets. Otoniel was the leader of Colombia's most powerful criminal The Mérida Initiative, a U. Jul 13, 2024 · Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has focused on targeting drug trafficking networks and a shift away from eradicating the coca leaf has helped feed the surge in cocaine production, according The capture in October of drug lord Dairo Antonio Úsuga was described by the Colombian government as "the most important blow to drug trafficking since the fall of Pablo Escobar". " Yet the Cali cartel was still a powerful drug cartel that Dec 8, 2021 · The capture in October of drug lord Dairo Antonio Úsuga was described by the Colombian government as "the most important blow to drug trafficking since the fall of Pablo Escobar". Over 30 years after the violence and devastation caused by Pablo Escobar and the Medellin drug cartel, Colombia is now dealing with another formidable transnational drug cartel once again wreaking havoc on the country. 23, 2021. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] [deltaHours] hours ago Yesterday [monthFull] [day] [monthFull] [day], [year] [deltaMinutes] mins ago Now Jun 15, 2008 · The cultivation, production, and trafficking of cocaine in Colombia remains a major industry, employing — as of 2004 — about 200,000 people and generating annual revenues estimated at 2. . Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the Mexican drug cartels operating today along the border are far more sophisticated and dangerous than any other organized criminal group in U. You see, it wasn’t just about business; it was about establishing dominance and fear. The Rise Of The Medellin Cartel Sep 11, 2024 · Colombia - Drug Trafficking, Guerrilla Warfare, Conflict: The process of change brought with it new political, economic, and social problems, which stemmed from uneven development, unequal gains, and a growing perception that the benefits of higher income were not widely shared. Sep 28, 2021 · Through the years the cartel had multiple leaders, committed hundreds of crimes, and owned a fleet of planes, helicopters, yachts, and even two rumored submarines. S Dec 6, 2021 · In late October 2021, the Colombian military captured Dairo Antonio “Otoniel” Usuga, the head of the Gulf Clan and one of Colombia’s most wanted drug kingpins. Mar 21, 2023 · Since the downfall of Colombia’s Medellín and Cali cartels in the mid-1990s, the dominance of Mexican cartels in the node of narcotics distribution has shifted power away from Colombian suppliers. [148] Colombia's Defense Minister, Juan Carlos Pinzón, congratulated Mexico on Guzmán's arrest and stated that his capture "contributes to eradicate Sep 13, 2022 · By Dr. Mexican cartels (also known in Mexico as: la Mafia (the mafia or the mob), La Maña (the skill / the bad manners), [21] narcotraficantes (narco-traffickers), or simply as narcos usually refers to several, rival, criminal organizations that are combated by the Mexican government in the Mexican War on Drugs (List sorted by Aug 8, 2023 · The leader of a prominent Colombian criminal group who pleaded guilty to U. Souvenirs depicting the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar could be banned in Colombia if legislators approve a bill introduced this week in the nation’s congress. They first came into the existence in 1980s, initially smuggling small amounts of mariju*n* and opium into the U. Oct 24, 2019 · Founded in the late 1980s, it was for many years headed by the notorious drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. The Cali cartel went so far as to help Colombian police and the U. Carlos Lehder, a 70-year-old Colombian-German national The arrest of Montoya and the murder of Varela closed a small chapter in Colombia’s cocaine war; however, officials believe remaining cartel members may fight for leadership of the organization. May 12, 2022 · Colombian firefighters stand by a burnt vehicle, after the Gulf Clan ordered a four-day 'strike' in retaliation for their former leader's extradition to the US, in Bolivar, Colombia, May 5, 2022 Apr 3, 2023 · Inside Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking group and its case for peace Leer en español LEFT: A unit of the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, which uses the acronym AGC, moves Apr 17, 2023 · Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar helped create and run the notorious Medellín cartel and was responsible for killing thousands of people. “The CJNG’s rapid expansion of its drug trafficking activities is characterized by the group’s willingness to engage in violent confrontations with Mexican government security forces and rival cartels,” the Drug Enforcement Adminsitration (DEA) wrote in its latest threat assessment. He gained plenty of popularity by sponsoring charities and sports but eventually undermined his own reputation with excessive and often indiscriminate violence . Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela , Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela and José Santacruz Londoño . From the beginning, the cartel was set up to become exactly what it was: the largest, most terrifying drug cartel in Colombian history. The Sinaloa Cartel (Spanish: Cártel de Sinaloa, CDS, after the native Sinaloa region), also known as the Guzmán-Zambada Organization, the Federation, the Blood Alliance, [4] [5] [6] or the Pacific Cartel, [7] is a large, international organized crime syndicate based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico [8] that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering. oqsmswjjadjtstecohkatprwmmczdncmslhtieyjkoldyrzfpmra
