The most terrible drug lord. Pablo Escobar is the world's most famous drug lord. Going underground and the Great Terror

The criminal world has its own dark stars, who stand out from the general background with the list and scale of their deeds. They also exist in the world of drug trafficking. Meet the seven most dangerous and famous drug traffickers in the world.

1. Pablo Emilio Escobar

The head of the most famous and powerful Colombian drug cartel. At the peak of his criminal activities, Escobar was the No. 7 richest person in the world, controlling up to 80% of all cocaine entering the United States. Escobar and his henchmen are responsible for the death of at least 5 thousand people - police officers, competitors, witnesses, etc. At the same time, Escobar liked to portray himself as a sort of Robin Hood, helping the poor and even building neighborhoods for them. The violent activities of the most famous criminal in the world were put an end to by NSA agents who raided his house in the Medellin neighborhood of Los Olibos in 1993 and shot Escobar.

2. Joaquin Guzman Loera

Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman is Mexico's most notorious drug trafficker. After escaping from prison in a laundry basket, he was wanted by the police for 13 years. He was distinguished by cruelty and unpredictability. His small height - 165 cm - for which he received his nickname, did not prevent him from leading a cartel that transported huge amounts of drugs to the United States. The total wealth of the cartel was estimated at one billion US dollars.
In February 2014, “Shorty” was detained by American and Mexican detectives in a Mexican resort town and put back behind bars.

3. Frank Lucas

An American drug trafficker who established an uninterrupted supply of heroin from South-East Asia in the USA, using coffins containing American soldiers killed in Vietnam. Lucas's invulnerable smuggling method allowed him to earn $1 million a day selling drugs on 116th Street in Harlem. In 1976, justice appreciated his talents, sentencing him to 70 years imprisonment. But out of 70, Frank served only five years, collaborating with law enforcement agencies. He received parole under the witness protection program, but a year later he was again jailed for drugs - this time for 7 years. After being released from prison in 1991, Lucas retired from criminal activity. In 2007, his past “exploits” were immortalized in the film “American Gangster” starring Denzel Washington.

4. Ismael Zambada Garcia

One of the largest drug traffickers in the world, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who has about 1,000 militants at his disposal. The FBI is offering $5 million for any information about him. Former Mexican farmer with extensive knowledge of agriculture and botany, Zambada began his criminal career by smuggling several kilograms of drugs. Subsequently, over 18 years, the cartel he led imported more than 200 tons of cocaine and tons of other drugs into the United States.

5. Sandra Avila Beltran

"Queen of the Pacific", the head of a Mexican drug cartel who served as a link between the Sinaloa cartel and Colombian drug traffickers. Born into a family of famous drug dealers, she actually inherited the family business. "Black Widow" Sandra married twice, both of her husbands were former police officers who became drug dealers; and both were killed by killers. After the death of her husbands, Diego Espinosa, nicknamed “Tiger,” the head of the Colombian drug cartel, became her lover. In 2007, she was arrested in Mexico, and in 2012 she was extradited to the United States. One Mexican folk group, inspired by Sandra's personality, dedicated a ballad to her.

6. Rick Ross

This American drug trafficker is considered the initiator and organizer of the crack “epidemic” in the United States in the second half of the 1980s. At one time, Ross's gang was selling $3 million worth of crack every day. Unlike regular cocaine, crack could be smoked, which opened up ample opportunities for increasing its volume using other substances. In 1996, Ross was arrested for selling 100kg of coke to an undercover police agent, but was released in 2009 as a model prisoner.

7. Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo

Patriarch of the Mexican drug trade who founded the Guadalajara cartel. Also known by the nickname " Godfather"After its collapse, he headed the most dangerous Tijuana cartel, which practically monopolized the supply of cocaine to the United States. He collaborated with Mexican and American intelligence services. In 1989, he was arrested on charges of kidnapping, torture and murder of a drug enforcement agent.

1. Pablo Emilio Escobar

The head of the most famous and powerful Colombian drug cartel. At the peak of his criminal activities, Escobar was the No. 7 richest person in the world, controlling up to 80% of all cocaine entering the United States. Escobar and his henchmen are responsible for the death of at least 5 thousand people - police officers, competitors, witnesses, etc. At the same time, Escobar liked to portray himself as a sort of Robin Hood, helping the poor and even building neighborhoods for them. The violent activities of the most famous criminal in the world were put an end to by NSA agents who raided his house in the Medellin neighborhood of Los Olibos in 1993 and shot Escobar.

2. Joaquin Guzman Loera.

Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman is Mexico's most notorious drug trafficker. After escaping from prison in a laundry basket, he was wanted by the police for 13 years. He was distinguished by cruelty and unpredictability. His small height - 165 cm - for which he received his nickname, did not prevent him from leading a cartel that transported huge amounts of drugs to the United States. The total wealth of the cartel was estimated at one billion US dollars.
In February 2014, “Shorty” was detained by American and Mexican detectives in a Mexican resort town and put back behind bars.

3. Frank Lucas.

An American drug trafficker who established an uninterrupted supply of heroin from Southeast Asia to the United States in the early 1970s, using coffins containing American soldiers killed in Vietnam. Lucas's invulnerable smuggling method allowed him to earn $1 million a day selling drugs on 116th Street in Harlem. In 1976, justice appreciated his talents and sentenced him to 70 years in prison. But out of 70, Frank served only five years, collaborating with law enforcement agencies. He received parole under the witness protection program, but a year later he was again jailed for drugs - this time for 7 years. After being released from prison in 1991, Lucas retired from criminal activity. In 2007, his past “exploits” were immortalized in the film “American Gangster” starring Denzel Washington.

4. Ismael Zambada Garcia.

One of the largest drug traffickers in the world, the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, who has about 1,000 militants at his disposal. The FBI is offering $5 million for any information about him. A former Mexican farmer with extensive knowledge of agriculture and botany, Zambada began his criminal career by smuggling several kilograms of drugs. Subsequently, over 18 years, the cartel he led imported more than 200 tons of cocaine and tons of other drugs into the United States.

5. Sandra Avila Beltran.

"Queen of the Pacific", the head of a Mexican drug cartel who served as a link between the Sinaloa cartel and Colombian drug traffickers. Born into a family of famous drug dealers, she actually inherited the family business. "Black Widow" Sandra married twice, both of her husbands were former police officers who became drug dealers; and both were killed by killers. After the death of her husbands, Diego Espinosa, nicknamed “Tiger,” the head of the Colombian drug cartel, became her lover. In 2007, she was arrested in Mexico, and in 2012 she was extradited to the United States. One Mexican folk group, inspired by Sandra's personality, dedicated a ballad to her.

6. Rick Ross.

This American drug trafficker is considered the initiator and organizer of the crack “epidemic” in the United States in the second half of the 1980s. At one time, Ross's gang was selling $3 million worth of crack every day. Unlike regular cocaine, crack could be smoked, which opened up ample opportunities for increasing its volume using other substances. In 1996, Ross was arrested for selling 100kg of coke to an undercover police agent, but was released in 2009 as a model prisoner.

7. Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo
Patriarch of the Mexican drug trade who founded the Guadalajara cartel. Also known by the nickname "The Godfather". After its collapse, he headed the most dangerous Tijuana cartel, which practically monopolized the supply of cocaine to the United States. Collaborated with Mexican and American intelligence agencies. In 1989, he was arrested on charges of kidnapping, torturing and murdering a drug enforcement agent.

The Colombian drug cartels are a huge octopus that has entangled its tentacles not only in Colombia, but also in neighboring countries. Locals they obey them more than the authorities, and they fear them more than the intelligence services. Their arsenal includes kidnapping, torture, and murder. Few people know about their structure, business and income - cartel members are accustomed to keeping their mouths shut under pain of death. But some secrets of the drug lords of Colombia nevertheless became known to the general public.

The main source of income for Colombian drug cartels is drug smuggling into the United States. This business brings crazy profits, but, as you know, no business will develop well if you don’t invest money in it. And the Colombians have something to invest in the business. Since land delivery of goods is not only dangerous, but also fraught with large losses due to vigilant customs and border guards, Colombians, competing with each other, are actively looking for new ways to deliver contraband to the huge American market, trying to grab additional market share at every opportunity. . Therefore, the most powerful drug cartels in Colombia have their own small fleet, which includes not only speedboats, but even submarines! Such submarines can secretly approach the shore in secret places, delivering huge loads of goods at once.

Of course, it is more convenient to supply drugs and human goods if you are covered by those who, as part of their duty, must fight your activities. And the Colombians spare no effort in this direction. The United States was recently rocked by a scandal when a former D.C. police officer alleged that from 2005 to 2008 he organized parties with prostitutes for DEA agents financed by Colombian drug cartels. Moreover, everything took place right in the service apartments of anti-drug fighters! Another police officer confirmed the information, saying that he was present at the parties as a security guard, ensuring the inviolability of weapons and personal belongings of police agents. In addition, he added, in addition to prostitutes, drug cartels supplied federal agents with money and gave them expensive gifts, including weapons.” Yes, in such an environment, drugs clearly cannot be overcome!

IN Lately, as journalists report, drug cartels are mastering new business- highly profitable and popular. This is their approach: they try to put their paw on everything that brings high income. In this case, we are talking about oil - the main source of income for Mexico, which actively supplies oil to the United States, which is considered its main buyer. Already, judging by press reports, drug cartels are actively engaged in illegal pumping of oil from Mexican wells, while actively seeking ways to take over the highly profitable business. It is even possible that in the coming years the fire of criminal wars, which has long been blazing in Colombia, will spread to Mexico if the cartels decide to get down to business seriously.

In 1985, a Colombian drug cartel and its affiliate, the M-19 rebel movement, seized the Palace of Justice in the Colombian capital, Bogota. Bandits under the command of Pablo Escobar himself seized the building, taking several dozen people hostage. It took the Colombian military, including tanks and helicopters, to regain control of the Palace of Justice. The attackers were killed, but dozens of innocents also died. Pablo Escobar needed this operation to intimidate him: he did not want the Colombian government to interfere with him, and in such a cruel way he decided to show that it was better to live in friendship with him.

Despite the strict laws of silence adopted in the Colombian drug cartels, any member caught transporting a large quantity of cocaine is almost always ready to turn in his accomplices in order to escape a life sentence. The leaders of the cartels know this - and do not know pity, trying to exterminate betrayal in the bud. The all-powerful drug lord Pablo Escobar was famous for his particular cruelty towards his own people. Escobar had attacks of paranoia, complicated by insomnia, and at these moments, as biographers say, betrayal seemed to him everywhere. One could come under suspicion for the slightest reason or even for no reason at all. Pablo ordered the suspect to be brought to him for interrogation, beat him, brutally tortured him, and often killed him, without ever learning that this man had no guilt against him. The problem was aggravated by Escobar's temper, which prevented him from thinking clearly and making the right decisions - including about the fate of his comrades.

Colombian drug cartels are distinguished by their outstanding skills not only in making illegal money, but also in turning it into legal, solid capital. To do this they use financial institutions all over the world. Some drug cartels launder their money even in Hong Kong, allegedly purchasing goods there through trusted companies and transferring money to Hong Kong banks for supposedly existing products. To understand the scale of the phenomenon, let us recall one story. In 2014, the US Federal Court found Daniel Barrera guilty of money laundering. According to the prosecution, the money laundering took place through a Chinese bank in Guangzhou, and the amount amounted to 5 billion dollars! For some countries this is the entire annual budget. And for Colombian drug lords - just one portion of funds laundered in just one country in the world.

An investigation conducted in 2013 showed that every year thousands of Colombians become victims of modern slave traders. People simply disappear without a trace - and local authorities and law enforcement already know what this means. The Colombian police are doing what they can to save people, but, alas, the forces are unequal: in addition to the Colombian drug cartel, dozens of criminal communities around the world are involved in human trafficking. As a rule, the victims of modern slave traders are girls supplied for the sex industry and slaves on Coaquin plantations, whom drug cartels use as free labor. US authorities have estimated the annual turnover of the modern slave market in America at $30 billion. It is not surprising that Colombian drug lords have entered this business - they are attracted by everything that promises easy money.

Participation in terrorist attacks is par for the course for drug cartels in Colombia, and the deaths of hundreds of innocent people do not bother them at all. On November 17, 1989, Avianco Airlines flight #203 was scheduled to depart from El Dorado International Airport in the Colombian capital of Bogota to a city in California. The plane took off from Bogota at 7 a.m., but exploded in mid-air just a few minutes later. The speed of the Boeing 727 aircraft at that time was about 350 kilometers per hour, the altitude above the ground was about 6000 meters. The plane crashed to the ground, killing everyone on board - 107 passengers and crew members. After the tragedy, Pablo Escobar did not even hide the fact that the explosion was his doing, just as he did not hide his goal - to prove to the government that power belongs to him. The lives of innocent people, from his point of view, were worth nothing.

Kidnapping is the Colombian drug cartel's tool of choice.

The cartel does not hesitate to use any means to achieve what it wants. Kidnapping innocent people and using them for trade is his favorite method. In 1991, members of the Medellin drug cartel kidnapped the famous journalist Diana Terbey. She was deceived into allegedly meeting with one of the leaders of the cartel - but instead of a drug lord at the meeting place, a group of bandits was waiting for her, who grabbed the journalist and took her to an unknown direction. Terbay later died when Colombian police officers failed to save her. The kidnapping of the journalist was only a small part of the drug cartel's global plan to kidnap as many government officials and journalists as possible in order to prevent the passage of a law on the extradition of criminal elements. However, Colombian legislators nevertheless passed a law that allowed the country's authorities, when searching for Escobar and other drug lords, to extradite them to the United States, placing them under the jurisdiction of an American court.

Medellin drug cartel - a terrible legend of Colombia

Before his death at the hands of US Drug Enforcement Administration agents in 1993, Pablo Escobar led one of the largest and most brutal Colombian drug cartels, the Medellin Cartel. This organization, involved in drug smuggling and trafficking, was founded in the Colombian city of Medellin. In the 1970s and 80s, the cartel's headquarters were located in Bolivia. The Medellin cartel is considered one of the most successful drug trafficking organizations in history. According to rough estimates, the cartel annually earned from $50 to $100 billion from drug trafficking. However, in the 1990s, after the death of Escobar, the cartel was destroyed by competitors. By this point, the Medellin cartel had become so hated (probably out of envy) that the rival Cali drug cartel was given as much credit for its destruction as the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

An interview given by Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro in 2014 was like a bombshell. In it, the mayor admitted for the first time that drug cartels had long paved their way to the highest echelons of government. For years, Colombian lawmakers have shown a strange reluctance to take steps to crack down on the country's illegal cocaine exports, which have already become a national disaster. Regarding the situation that has arisen in the country because of this, Gustavo Petro said: “I am sure that in order to achieve peace, we must change the political model, integrate the population of the country into social life and democratize Colombia... But for this we need to find the courage to solve the problem of illegal drug trafficking. These problems go hand in hand: it all starts with people being marginalized, which creates violence - and as a result we are faced with illegal drug flows, where drug traffickers use violence to achieve their goals... If we do not solve the social problems that provoke violence , we will not solve the rest either. Drug lords use violence to control the state and the territory of Colombia. This makes the drug trafficking problem insoluble. The drug lords have concentrated power over the country in their hands.”

Jairo Velasquez Vasquez, nicknamed Polpay, Pablo Escobar's favorite hitman, is rumored to have killed 300 people with his own hands and issued sanctions for the murder of another 3 thousand. The most incredible thing is that Popeye, having “retired”, released his memoirs, talking about his life in the Medellin cartel - terrible life, which left behind thousands of corpses of innocent people. But Popeye talks about this in passing. The main theme of his memoirs is how he managed to survive all these years next to the paranoid tyrant Escobar. Popeye also confirms that in its heyday, the Medellin cartel kept a large portion of the Colombian government on its payroll. In addition, he says that huge amounts of money helped Escobar also bribe the highest ranks of Colombian intelligence and the national security service. Popeye admits to having participated in both the bribery of government officials, their kidnapping and torture, and his involvement in the 1989 Avianca Airlines bombing.

The Cali Cartel - the brutal successors of the Medellin Cartel

The Cali Cartel, led by brothers Rodriguez Orejuela and Jose Santacruz Londoño, broke away from Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel in the late 1980s. His base was located in the south of Colombia, in the city of Santiago de Cali. When the Medellin cartel lost its leader, the Cali cartel quickly took his place in the drug trafficking market. In their better times the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and their people controlled up to 90% of the world's cocaine traffic. The US Drug Enforcement Administration compared the Cali Cartel to the Soviet KGB in terms of strength and power and called it “the most powerful crime syndicate in recent history.”

"Group 400" - a secret criminal alliance

A division of the Cali cartel, the "Group 400" was led by the famous mafioso Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, nicknamed Don Cholito. It was a community of 400 of the most talented criminals from around the world, operating with the support of government officials. Rodriguez was known for smuggling millions of dollars worth of cocaine into the United States before he even turned 18. He was brought into the Cali cartel by his father, Jorge Alberto Rodriguez Sr. Subsequently, Don Cholito was called the most all-powerful drug trafficker in the United States. In 1990, Rodriguez was arrested and sentenced to several decades in prison. However, according to rumors, within a few years, Rodriguez was released and enjoying all the benefits that a multimillion-dollar fortune can provide, somewhere in the United States.

Drug lords do not hesitate to kill senior officials

This film was shot on August 18, 1989 in the city of Soacha, where Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan was killed by Colombian drug cartel militants. On the recording, machine gun fire can be clearly heard - these are the killers sent by Pablo Escobar. Escobar made the decision about his death immediately after Galan announced his intention to participate in the presidential elections in 1990. The murder occurred during a meeting between Shalan and voters and became the loudest and most daring action in a series of numerous murders, assassinations and kidnappings, the purpose of which was control over the government. The cartel needed guarantees that the newly elected president would suit it, and to ensure the arrival of the candidate the kings of drug trafficking needed, they stopped at nothing.

Despite the fact that law enforcement agencies around the world fight crime every day, some individuals manage to create entire empires of criminals and challenge the state. Drug dealers have been especially successful in these matters, having amassed a billion-dollar fortune and can afford to keep an entire army of remarkably equipped mercenaries.

1. Pablo Escobar

Everyone in the world has heard about this man. He has always been and will be the number one drug lord. He founded the Medellin drug cartel, an iron fist that ruled it for many years. Pablo, in his heyday, controlled 80% of the world's cocaine market. But by the end of the 90s, he had amassed a fortune of $9 billion. At the same time, Forbes included him in the list of the richest people in the world. His criminal detail from ordinary thefts, and then went uphill. Escobar became the number one authority in 1977. Only in the end even competing punitive forces declared war on him, along with the government of the country. The baron died at the hands of a sniper.

2. Amando Carillo Fuentes

He is also known by some as the Lord of the Skies. Amando began his drug trafficking career as an assistant to one of the Colombian punishers. His services were paid for in cocaine. When the punitive forces began to have problems with the law in the 80s, Amando took the matter seriously and created the Juarez Cartel. He also controlled up to half of the illegal drug trafficking to America from Mexico. It was this baron who first began to use airplanes to transport drugs. Drug trafficking in his heyday reached up to $30 million a day. The baron died during an unsuccessful plastic surgery.

3. Hong Sa

This baron's nickname was the Opium King. And he is considered not just another ordinary drug lord, but one of the leaders of the Burmese opposition. Khun managed to create his own state in a state on the border of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. He controlled for some time 75 percent of the world's heroin market, and also fought protracted guerrilla battles with the regular army. American authorities offered three million dollars for his extradition. Hong Sa eventually surrendered himself to British authorities in 1996. And yours last days spent at home under house arrest.

4. Griselda Blanco

She is also known as the Cocaine Queen of Miami. She actively collaborated with the Medellin Punisher and was considered one of the best distributors of cocaine. It was this lady who was the first to establish an uninterrupted supply of drugs to America from Colombia. Blanco was able to amass a fortune of half a billion dollars. But I started my journey with girls lung behavior. Along the way, Griselda also changed three husbands. Women have always been particularly cruel. she killed hundreds of people with special sadism. served 20 years in prison for drug trafficking, and then she was deported to Colombia. There she was killed by two mercenaries.

5. Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha

This drug lord takes fifth place in our ranking. He was one of the founders of the Medellin Punisher and controlled the transportation of cocaine to America from Colombia. Jose was also able to establish channels for the uninterrupted supply of drugs to Europe and Asia. Jose was able to get into the list of the richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine. Gacha has always been particularly cruel. At his instigation, the leaders of several local parties and the country's Minister of Justice were killed. In the end, he was killed at the ranch during an assault by the Colombian police.

6. Carlos Leder

Carlos began his career as an unknown car thief. He subsequently became one of the founders of the Medellin Punisher. During his life, Carlos created a fairly effective system for delivering cocaine to America from Colombia through Southeast Asia. About 300 kilograms of drugs were carried on this flight annually. Only in the end Carlos received a life sentence from the authorities.

7. Felix Mitchell

In criminal circles, he is best known as the Cat or Gangster 69. He managed not only to create a drug empire, but also to become the darling of the black neighborhoods of Oakland. This guy always paid for scholarships and tuition for athletes, gave out free tickets to children's amusement parks and generously funded schools. When the spheres of influence were redistributed, during the arrest of Felix, for several weeks the streets of the city turned into a real theater of military operations. Mitchell was killed in prison. But his funeral became a real show with a crowd of a thousand people.

8. Santiago Luis Polanco Rodriguez

The Dominican takes eighth place on our list. He was able to turn selling drugs into a real art. He used the marketing tricks of large chain stores. Santiago was able to create his own brand and provided a system of discounts for regular customers. But the goods themselves were presented in beautiful parchment envelopes. Rodriguez went to jail for a short term and for a minor offense that was not even related to drugs. Today he lives with his family in the Dominican Republic.

9. Paul Lear Alexander

This personality is considered controversial. He built an aura of omnipotence and mystery around himself. For some time he was considered the number one supplier of cocaine in Brazil. He also made his business cards openly. Only now he had to escape to the USA, where he became an informant about drugs. But Lear ended up behind bars because he played a double game with the federal authorities.

10. Ricky Ross

This American is known in criminal circles as Freeway. Through dealers, this man sold more than $3 million in one day. Today Ricky sits in an American prison and is serving his life sentence. But Ricky was betrayed by his partner, who became an intermediary in the sale of 100 kilograms of cocaine to federal agents.

Video: Top 10 most famous drug lords

Since the release of the first list richest people world in 1982, Forbes magazine includes drug lords and gangsters - since organized crime is part of the world economy, these incomes need to be counted. For example, according to The Guardian, the Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta became richer in 2013 than Deutsche Bank and McDonald's combined - by €53 billion.

Below are the odious figures of the underworld who made millions and billions - Pablo Escobar, "Shorty", Al Capone, Tony Salerno and others.

Pablo Escobar

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar became the first criminal to appear on the Forbes 100 International Billionaires list in 1987 with an income of $3 billion. He dropped out only after his death in 1993. The Medellin cartel, led by Escobar, had revenues of $7 billion from 1981 to 1986, with the drug lord taking 40% for himself. The cartel received its main wealth from smuggling cocaine into the United States (about 15 tons daily); in the late 1980s, it owned 80% of the entire cocaine market in the world. According to Business Insider, Escobar earned $420 million a week; according to other sources, his fortune was more than $30 billion.

Each year, the king of cocaine lost about $2.1 billion (10% of revenue) as the money was haphazardly stored in warehouses and abandoned farms, destroyed by mold and rodents. Every month he spent $2,500 on rubber bands to hold bills together. Escobar once burned $2 million to keep his daughter warm: the family was then hiding in the mountains, and there was nothing to light a fire with. In 1984, the cartel offered to pay Colombia's national debt in exchange for immunity. The Drug Enforcement Administration placed a reward of $11 million on Escobar's head. In 1991, the drug lord made a deal with the Colombian government to build his own La Catedral prison (with a football field and guards chosen by him), which the authorities could not approach closer than 5 km.

The life of the drug lord was so colorful that Netflix released the series “Narcos” dedicated to him in 2015.

Joaquin Guzman Loera

In 2009, Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, nicknamed “Shorty,” was included in the Forbes list of the richest people on the planet with a fortune of $1 billion. In 2012 and 2013, he ranked 63rd and 67th among the most influential people in the world. Strategic Forecasting Inc. and even estimated his wealth at $12 billion. The Sinaloa Cartel under the leadership of Loehr was responsible for 25% of illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and received revenue of $3 billion. The New York Times, citing data from the Drug Enforcement Administration, writes that the cartel sold more cocaine than Escobar at the peak of his career.

“Shorty” started his business in the early 1990s, transporting cocaine, including in cans of chili peppers (in 1993, Mexican authorities confiscated such a 7-ton cargo). He was declared "Mexico's most wanted man" with a $7 million reward for his capture: $5 million from the United States and another $2 million from Mexico. He was first arrested in 1993, but escaped from prison in 2001. The last time Mexican security forces captured Loera in Sinaloa was in January 2016. The drug lord was killed by vanity. He was going to make a biographical film about himself and was conducting a casting. In addition, actor Sean Penn flew to "Shorty" for an interview. It is believed that the authorities were able to track the movements of the criminal due to this.

Brothers Ochoa and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha

In 1987, along with Escobar, the co-founders of the Medellin cartel, Jorge Luis Ochoa-Vazquez (with an income of $2 billion) and his brothers Juan David and Fabio, who received 30% of the cartel's revenue, were included in the Forbes list of the richest. The Ochoa brothers remained on the Forbes list for another 6 years until they surrendered to the authorities.

The drug lord Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, who lived at the same time, worked both with the Medellin cartel and independently (for example, transporting cocaine from Bogota to the United States disguised as flower deliveries) was also a billionaire. In 1988 year Forbes estimated his fortune at $1.3 billion. Gacha remained on the list for two years until he was shot dead by Colombian police.

Rafael Caro Quintero and Amado Carrillo Fuentes

Before the star of the drug lord "Shorty" rose in Mexico, two names thundered there - Rafael Caro Quintero (pictured) and Carrillo Fuentes. The head of the Guadalajara cartel, Rafael Quintero, owned a marijuana plantation called Rancho Bufalo. During a police raid in 1984, about 6,000 tons of marijuana were seized at the ranch, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, cost Quintero between $3.2 and $8 billion. The Guadalajara cartel earned $5 billion a year. There were rumors in the Mexican press that Quintero, following Escobar, offered to pay Mexico's foreign debt in exchange for his freedom. The drug lord was sentenced to 40 years in a Mexican prison in 1989, but was released 28 years later.

The second Mexican drug lord is Carrillo Fuentes, head of the Juarez cartel. The Washington Post estimated his fortune at $25 billion. It is believed that his wealth allowed him long years avoid justice. Fuentes received the nickname "Lord of the Skies" for his extensive fleet (22 aircraft) for transporting cocaine to the United States. Fuentes died in 1997 during plastic surgery to change his appearance.

Morris Dalitz

Moritz (Moe) Dalitz was one of such legendary gangsters as Al Capone and Bugzy Siegel. During the Prohibition era, he was involved in bootlegging, and later in the gambling business and real estate. In 1982, Dalitz appeared on the first Forbes list of the richest, along with artist Yoko Ono, actor Bob Hope and mafia accountant Meyer Lansky. Dalitz's fortune was estimated at $110 million, but how much he actually earned remains a question.

Dalitz received a significant share of his wealth from the first Las Vegas casinos. In 1949, he co-founded the Desert Inn and Stardust Hotel casinos. In the 1950s, he took part in the emergence of the Paradise Development Company, which built a university and convention center in Las Vegas. In the 1960s, he invested in the $100 million La Costa Resort complex near San Diego, after which he sued Penthouse magazine for $640 million, which wrote that the construction was financed by the mafia. Unlike many of his colleagues with a criminal past, Dalitz lived to an old age, in last years did charity work.

Khun Sa

Khun Sa, the “Opium King,” was estimated by Business Insider to be worth $5 billion. Born Chang Shifu, the son of a Chinese man and a Shan woman, in the 1960s he changed his name to the pseudonym Khun Sa, which means “Prosperous Prince.” During these years, he led the Burmese army, which was engaged in the cultivation of opium in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, which included 20,000 men. In the 1970s and 80s, the Sa army controlled the Thai-Burmese border and was responsible for 45% of the pure heroin entering the US, earning it the title of "the best in the business" by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (The Economist).

The US government placed a $2 million bounty on the head of the “Opium King.” By the 1990s, the DEA was able to destroy Sa’s trading chain, he moved to Yangon and retired. Currently, opium production in the Golden Triangle has fallen to 5% of the global figure (in 1975 it was 70%).

There are different versions about whether the drug lord saved billions before his death in 2007 - from “lived in luxury” to “was content with a modest pension.”

Griselda Blanco

The Western press called Colombian Griselda Blanco the “Godmother of Cocaine.” Blanco was a key figure in the Miami cocaine trade in the 1970s and 1980s. Even in the male drug business, she had a reputation as a ruthless operator. According to Business Insider, her fortune was approaching $2 billion, however, she was far from the income of Exobar.

A three-time widow whose spouses were rumored to have died at her hands, she named one of her sons Michael Corleone. Its distribution network made tens of millions of dollars and transported about 1,500 kilograms of cocaine a month, according to The Guardian. Before his arrest in 1985 in California, “Godmother” appeared on the list of the most dangerous drug traffickers along with Escobar and the Ochoa brothers. She was charged with 40 to 200 murders in Florida, but the woman managed to avoid the death penalty due to technical error in court: the officer who testified against her was discredited because he had a telephone sex conversation with the secretary in the prosecutor's office, the Guardian wrote. Blanco was imprisoned in federal prison and deported to Colombia in 2004, where she was shot and killed by a motorcycle killer eight years later.

Al Capone

Capone is the most famous American gangster. A character named Al Capone appears in 77 Mafia films.

At the time of his death in 1947, his fortune was estimated at $1.3 billion. Capone operated in various criminal spheres - bootlegging, racketeering, murder. In 1929, the American government declared him "Enemy No. 1." Prosecutors repeatedly sentenced Capone to prison, but he was released several months later. As a result, in 1931, Capone was only sentenced for tax evasion - for 11 years. He was to spend most of his sentence in Alcatraz.

In 1939, Capone was released, but his health was poor - he suffered from syphilis and dementia.

In 2012, Forbes conducted an analysis of Capone's former properties. The Chicago four-bedroom house he bought with his first earnings was valued at $450,000, and the Miami Beach mansion where he died in 1947 was valued at $9.95 million.

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar

The income of India's most wanted criminal is estimated by Business Insider at $6.7 billion. Forbes included Kaskar in the lists of the most influential people in the world in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (50th, 63rd and 57th place, respectively). His crime syndicate, D-Company, is blamed for the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and has also been involved in drug and arms smuggling. The US government believes that Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar has ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. According to one version, Kaskar is hiding in Pakistan.

Anthony Salerno

In 1986, Fortune magazine published a list of the "50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses." Chief Editor explained the appearance of the material by the fact that “organized crime is a powerful economic factor.” Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno also made the list. Led by a gangster, the Genovese clan (300 people) was involved in racketeering and drugs in New York. According to The New York Times, the clan's influence extended to Cleveland, Nevada and Miami, and its interests also included construction, loan sharking and casinos. Since the 1960s, the clan earned $50 million a year. Between 1981 and 1985, Salerno imposed a two percent Mafia tax in New York on all contractors pouring concrete for buildings costing more than $2 million. Salerno's real wealth may have been $1 billion.

In 1988, the gangster was sentenced to 70 years for racketeering and concealing illegal income of $10 million a year (the declaration indicated only $40,000 a year). Four years later, at the age of 80, he died in prison.

Michael Franzese

On Fortune's list of the 50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses, Michael Franzese was ranked 18th. Franzese, nicknamed “Don Yuppie,” is the son of a bank robber who formed a cartel that was involved in the release of B-movies, the illegal sale of gasoline, scams involving the repair and sale of cars, and fraudulent loans.

Michael Franzese received between $1 and $2 million in income per week. In 1985, the US government charged him with fraud, stripped him of $4.8 million in assets and ordered him to repay $10 million for illegally selling gasoline through shell companies. After eight years in prison and a $15 million settlement, Frances moved to California and decided to capitalize on his criminal past. He has written two books - an autobiography, Blood Covenant, and a business advice book, I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, as well as sold the rights to a miniseries about his life to CBS. Now the former gangster lives in a $2.7 million house, drives a Porsche, gives interviews to Vanity Fair and gives lectures at universities.

Shinobu Tsukasa

74-year-old Shinobu Tsukasa leads a yakuza clan called the Yamaguchi-gumi. Fortune listed the Yamaguchi-gumi as one of the five most powerful mafia groups in the world, with annual profits of $6.6 billion. Yamaguchi was founded in the port city of Kobe more than 100 years ago and has 23,400 members. Most of the income comes from drug sales, as well as gambling and extortion.

Shinobu Tsukasa is the sixth leader of the clan in history. In the 1970s, he was sentenced to 13 years for murder with a samurai sword. In 2005, he was jailed for 6 years for possession of a firearm. In 2015, a split occurred in the Yamaguchi-gumi. According to Tokyo Reporter, most of the group remained with Tsukasa, and 3,000 members formed a new clan led by Kunio Inoue.

John Gotti

New York boss of the Gambino clan John Gotti received two nicknames from the press. “Teflon Don” - for being invulnerable to justice for a long time. And also “Don the Dapper” - for expensive custom suits (Brioni for $2000 and hand-painted silk scarves for $400), careful hairstyle, black Mercedes 450 SL and lavish parties.

Growing up in the South Bronx, Gotti joined the Gambino clan in the 1950s, one of the powerful syndicates involved in gambling, extortion, loan sharking and drugs. The US government suspected that on his way to becoming head of the Gambinos, Gotti eliminated his predecessor Paul Castellano in 1985. An FBI agent who worked on the Gotti case said that "he was the first media don, never trying to hide the fact that he was a superboss." And his large lifestyle and external gloss always provided food for articles in the tabloids.

According to the New York Times, Gotti earned between $10 million and $12 million annually in income, while the Gambino clan earned more than $500 million a year in the 1980s. Justice did not reach Gotti until 1992, and 10 years later he died in prison.