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Medellin Cartel
The Medellin Cartel is credited with starting the Colombian drug trade around 1970. They were the main exporter of Cocaine from Colombia for almost all of the 1970s and 1980s. Even though they were a very large cartel with a lot of power, they were eventually taken down by the Colombian government with help from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in the early 1990s. They are also known for their infamous leader Pablo Escobar -
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The resistance of Pablo Escobar
Even though Escobar may have had a lot of support in the Colombian government, there were many groups that resisted him. The left-wing guerilla groups in Colombia during the time of the Medellin Cartel's dominance resisted the cartels -
Rodriguez Gacha, the Ochoa Brothers, and Carlos Lehder
These people were the second in commands to Escobar in the Medellin Cartel. They all came from well-respected families, but the temptation of money and power overcame that. Their stories show that anyone can become part of the drug trade when they see the money and power availabe -
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The support of Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar, even though he was a violent criminal, was respected and even loved by many Colombian citizens. He was known for helping many poor people around Colombia and even built an apartment complex in Medellin. As one Medellin resident puts it, “While he was alive, everyone respected him, everybody managed themselves well in the neighborhoods and comunas.” Escobar even held a government seat for some time. -
Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
The Justice Minister was one of the crusaders in the Colombian government against the drug trade at a time when this was not the norm. He called Escobar a "drug baron" and forced him out of his government seat. But these actions did not come without a price, Lara Bonilla was gunned down in his limousine. Escobar was blamed but never convicted -
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PEPES
PEPES, or People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar, was one of the groups that heavily resisted the Medellin Cartel in Colombia. They pressured the Colombian government to make changes in its corruption. -
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The Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel is credited with making the Colombian drug trade what it is today. They made the trade cheaper and more efficient, so more illegal drugs could be shipped out of the country at a higher margin. They were at the top of their reign in the 1990s and were somewhat modeled after the Medellin Cartel. They were eventually shut down and less is known about them because of all of the secrecy practiced by them. -
Pablo Escobar
The leader of the Medellin Cartel was shot and killed by American Drug Enforcement Agency officers in 1993. Even though the Medellin Cartel was on the outs at the time, this marked the end of their reign as the biggest cartel in Colombia. -
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The Drug Trade Today
Due to the influence of the Cali Cartel, the Colombian drug trade has become very efficient in its production of Cocaine. There are many different underground jungle labs that can create Cocaine for very cheap. There are no more large cartels because the Colombian government has gotten so good at finding drug traffickers that the cartels have to stay small and undercover. -
Griselda Blanco
The so-called "Godmother" of the Colombian drug trade was murdered at this time. She was one of the first smugglers to illegally get Colombian drugs into the United States. -
Largest Colombian Drug Raid
This drug raid occurred after Colombian police seized 12 tons of Cocaine from one of the largest Colombian drug cartels, the Gulf Clan. The cartel signed treaties with a Colombian rebel group called FARC. FARC is a very dangerous rebel group that controls many parts of Colombia and having the Gulf Clan side with them shows direct opposition to the Colombian government and openness to violence
