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113-473: Ricky Donnell " Freeway Ricky " Ross (born January 26, 1960) is an American author and former drug lord best known for the drug empire he established in Los Angeles, California , in the early to mid 1980s. He was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence was shortened on appeal and Ross was released in 2009. Ross attended school at Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles . He played for

226-683: A copyright infringement lawsuit against Ross in Los Angeles County Superior Court . Jay-Z had been called to testify in the lawsuit, as he was President of Def Jam when Ross was signed to the label. Ross sought $ 10 million in compensation in the lawsuit. After the lawsuit was dismissed on July 3, 2010, the album Teflon Don was released as scheduled on July 20, 2010. A federal judge dismissed his case, ruling that it should be refiled in California state court because it fell under California state law . Ross refiled

339-413: A corrupt police chief steals 100 assault rifles from an evidence room in his police station , after they were confiscated from an arms trafficker during a search and seizure; eventually, he sells all of them at once to a drug lord, for US$ 400,000 in total. If a drug lord has strong ties to a corrupt politician in office, such as a mayor, for example, he can ask the mayor to fire a police chief , who

452-462: A dealer. The teacher referred Ross to his supplier, Ivan Arguellas, who offered to keep Ross supplied. Arguellas was able to provide larger quantities at a better price, and Ross quickly went from dealing in grams of cocaine to dealing in ounces. About eight months after becoming Ross's supplier, Arguellas was shot in the spine, resulting in months of hospitalization that forced him out of the cocaine business. His brother-in-law Henry Corrales took over

565-449: A drug cartel . Since the 1970s, research on organized crime leadership (and, by extension, drug lords) has evolved. Where once studies emphasised the importance of the leader's human capital (e.g. individual traits), it has now developed to focus upon the leader's social capital (e.g. information and resource brokers, social status, access to information). Known as "El Padrino" (The Godfather) and "El Jefe de Jefes" (The boss of Bosses)

678-437: A 25-year prison term for a number of federal violations. Following his conviction, Rodriguez continued to operate his illicit business from behind bars, importing as much as 12,500 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S. each month and ordering numerous murders of informants, witnesses, in the U.S. and Colombia. He reigned and flourished while incarcerated until he was placed in court-ordered high-security isolation in 1994. According to

791-603: A Jamaican checkpoint on 22 June 2010. Demetrius Flenory is known as one of the co-founders of the Black Mafia Family , a Detroit -based drug-trafficking organization involving the large-scale distribution of cocaine throughout the U.S. from 1990 to 2005. There are currently plans to produce a film based upon his career. Jose Figueroa Agosto (born June 28, 1964), also known as "José David Figueroa Agosto", "Junior Capsula" and "the Don Pablo Escobar of

904-622: A June 2024 interview on the Joe Rogan Experience Ross stated he owns a marijuana dispensary. Journalist and author Cathy Scott co-wrote Ross's autobiography with him. The memoir, Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography , was released at a book launch with author Scott at the Eso Won Bookstore in Los Angeles on June 17, 2014 to a standing-room only crowd. KCET TV in its review wrote, "(The book)

1017-465: A ballad extolling his life on the run. In July 2015, Guzman escaped a second time from a maximum-security prison through a hole in a shower floor that led to a mile-long tunnel, ending at a nearby house. A large-scale manhunt ensued. On 8 January 2016, Guzmán was captured by the Mexican Marines . Osiel Cárdenas Guillén (born 18 May 1967) is a former Mexican drug lord who was the leader of

1130-442: A bed, flowers, and paintings. For some crime lords, a short jail or prison sentence, serves as a way to avoid further persecution. In Mexico, after the arrest of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo , there was a rise in the rate of violence. Félix was particularly known for his use of non-violence to keep his business running smooth and had bribed many political authorities for protecting himself and his business. He divided his territory and

1243-575: A blind eye towards the criminal activities of the drug lords and leak confidential information to them about police operations in exchange for bribes. It is crucial for drug lords to gain access to confidential information about police operations, so they are able to: know when and where the police carry out patrols; identify witnesses , informants , and undercover police ; detect the presence of wiretaps , bugs , and other forms of police surveillance; receive advance notice of criminal investigations , police raids , sting operations , and manhunts ; know

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1356-517: A decade, Panamanian Manuel Noriega was a highly paid CIA asset and collaborator, despite knowledge by U.S. drug authorities as early as 1971 that the general was heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Noriega facilitated "guns-for-drugs" flights for the Nicaraguan Contras , whom the U.S. were heavily supporting: providing protection and pilots, safe havens for drug cartel officials, and discreet banking facilities. He

1469-594: A federal agent in a sting operation. Later that year, a series of articles by journalist Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News revealed a connection between one of Ross's cocaine sources, Danilo Blandón , and the CIA as part of the Iran–Contra affair . Having learned to read at the age of 28, during his first stint in prison, Ross spent much of his time behind bars studying the law. He eventually discovered

1582-505: A fifty-fifty split of the profit. Eventually, Corrales lost his appetite for the cocaine business and retired, at which point Ross became a direct customer of Blandón. Through his connection to Blandón, and Blandón's supplier Norwin Meneses Cantarero, Ross was able to purchase Nicaraguan cocaine at significantly reduced rates. Ross began selling cocaine at $ 10,000 per kilo, a price well below average, while also distributing it to

1695-617: A jailhouse interview with reporter Gary Webb, Ross said, "We were hiding our money from our mothers." He invested a portion of the proceeds from his drug dealing activities in Anita Baker 's first album. With thousands of employees, Ross has said he operated drug sales not only in Los Angeles but in places across the country including St. Louis , New Orleans , Texas , Kansas City , Oklahoma , Indiana , Cincinnati , North Carolina , South Carolina , Baltimore , Cleveland , and Seattle . He has said that his most lucrative sales came from

1808-472: A legal loophole that would lead to his release. Ross's case was brought to a federal court of appeals which found that the three-strikes law had been erroneously applied and ordered that he be resentenced. His sentence was reduced to 20 years; he was released from Federal Correctional Institution, Texarkana on September 29, 2009. Ross was arrested in October 2015 on suspicion of possessing cash related to

1921-493: A loosely structured association of smaller street gangs, known as "sets", that have a common gang culture. Each set has its own leader and generally operates independently from the others. Most Bloods members are African-American males, although some sets have recruited female members as well as members from other races and ethnic backgrounds. Members range in age from early teens to mid-20s, but some hold leadership positions into their late twenties and occasionally thirties. There

2034-508: A medium-security prison in Guadalajara (State of Jalisco), due to his declining health. He still strongly denies any involvement in the murder of Enrique Camarena. He was particularly known for using less violence and many even attribute the current bloodshed due to the turf war between rival cartels to the fall of Félix Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) was a Colombian drug overlord. Often referred to as

2147-788: A membership of between approximately 15,000 and 20,000 active in 123 cities and in 33 U.S. states, primarily on the West Coast and, to a lesser extent, the Great Lakes region and the Southeast . Gangs including Bloods have been documented in the U.S. military , in both U.S. and overseas bases. Blood sets also operate in the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto . Bloods members identify themselves through various indicators, such as colors, clothing, symbols, tattoos, jewelry, graffiti, language, and hand signs. The Bloods' gang color

2260-445: A person has been involved with a particular set. The ranks do not signify leadership or dominance over the set; they merely signify respect for those who have been in the set longer and have survived the longest. Those with a higher rank do not have a position of authority over those of lower rank. Bloods members commonly call themselves CKs (Crip Killer), MOBs (Member of Bloods), dawgs, or ballers (meaning drug dealers). The gang has

2373-538: A primarily African-American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles , California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips . It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols , including distinctive hand signs. The Bloods comprise various subgroups known as " sets ", among which significant differences exist, such as colors, clothing, operations, and political ideas that may be in open conflict with each other. Since

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2486-532: A result of the efforts of his attorneys, Manuel J. Retureta and A. Eduardo Balarezo. Michael Christopher Coke (born 13 March 1969), a.k.a. Dudus, is a Jamaican drug lord and the leader of the Shower Posse gang . He is the youngest son of drug lord Lester Lloyd Coke whose extradition had also, prior to his 1992 death in a Jamaican prison cell, been requested by the U.S. Until the younger Coke's handover to U.S. forces on 24 June 2010, "Dudus" served as

2599-610: A series of articles by journalist Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News revealed a connection between Ross's main cocaine source, Danilo Blandon , and the CIA as part of the Iran–Contra affair . Ross's case went before the federal court of appeals and his sentence was reduced to 20 years. He was later moved to a halfway house in March 2009 and released from custody on September 29, 2009. In June 2014, Ross released his book, Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography , co-written by crime-writer Cathy Scott . For more than

2712-540: A strong sense of commitment to their set and are extremely dangerous because of their willingness to use violence both to obtain the respect of gang members and to respond to any person who "disrespects" the set. "Associates" are not full members, but identify with the gang and take part in various criminal activities. To the extent that women belong to the gang, they are usually associates and tend to be used by their male counterparts to carry weapons, hold drugs, or prostitute themselves to make money for their set. Recruitment

2825-403: A tennis scholarship for college. He began spending time with an upholstery teacher at a Los Angeles community college who revealed he dealt cocaine and offered Ross a small amount to sell. Ross used his profit to purchase more cocaine to sell, expanding his small operation. Ross eventually began to ask for quantities to sell that exceeded what the teacher was willing to procure, so he turned to find

2938-763: Is also common for drug lords to intimidate, threaten, blackmail, or assassinate political candidates, who reject their political donations and/or bribes. Drug lords also take advantage of police corruption , judicial corruption , prosecutorial corruption , and military corruption , through bribery, especially if the drug lords already possess a certain level of impunity, granted by corrupt politicians. They can influence legal proceedings, obstruct investigations, and avoid facing charges or indictments for their crimes, through bribing prosecutors . Drug lords can bribe judges and jurors, to influence court decisions, secure favorable rulings, and avoid conviction or receive lenient sentences for their offenses. Corrupt police officers can turn

3051-814: Is also common for drug lords to use violence or intimidation, as an additional tool for controlling or influencing members of law-enforcement agencies . For example, Pablo Escobar was known for using a carrot-and-stick approach, by offering "lead or silver" to Colombian police officers, judges, prosecutors, and military personnel. A drug lord with strong ties to corrupt politicians in office, is also more likely to be able to get away with committing such acts of violence. In some cases, corrupt politicians in office, may collude with drug lords to commit acts of violence or intimidation against members of law-enforcement agencies, who investigate or prosecute political corruption, to prevent said politicians in office from being charged, prosecuted, arrested, and/or convicted for corruption. One of

3164-454: Is denied by his South Asian associate, Leslie "Ike" Atkinson . His career was dramatized in the 2007 feature film American Gangster starring Denzel Washington . Leroy Antonio "Nicky" Barnes (born October 15, 1933) was a former drug lord and crime boss of the notorious African-American crime organization known as The Council , which controlled the heroin trade in Harlem, New York during

3277-523: Is difficult for drug lords to operate in developed countries, such as the United States or Canada, in modern times. However, it is still relatively common for drug lords and drug cartels to operate with certain levels of impunity in developing countries, especially Latin American countries, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico, in modern times. Another trend that has been emerging in

3390-472: Is fascinating for its unsentimental, inside look at his career on the streets of South Central, which started for Ross with car theft and quickly shifted to drugs and the big time." The memoir was nominated for ForeWord Review ' s IndiFab Best Book of the Year Award 2014 in the true crime category. In June 2015, winners were announced, with the book named as a Foreword Reviews' 2014 INDIEFAB Book of

3503-619: Is featured in the 2015 two-part documentary Freeway: Crack in the System , which details various levels of the drug trade, the Iran–Contra affair, and mass incarceration. In 2016, the documentary was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism: Long Form. In the 2014 film Kill the Messenger , Ross is portrayed by Michael K. Williams . Ross claims his lifestyle and cocaine business, as well as his suspected involvement in

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3616-557: Is meant as an insult to the rival group and its symbols. Bloods members also have a distinctive slang. They greet each other using the word "Blood" and often avoid using words with the letter "C". Bloods use hand signs to communicate with one another. Hand signs may be a singular movement, like the American Sign Language letter "B", or a series of movements using one or both hands for more complex phrases. United Blood Nation (UBN) or East Coast Bloods initiates often receive

3729-631: Is no known national leader of the Bloods but individual Blood sets have a hierarchical leadership structure with identifiable levels of membership. These levels of membership indicate status within a gang. A leader, typically an older member with a more extensive criminal background, runs each set. A set leader is not elected but rather asserts himself by developing and managing the gang's criminal enterprises through his reputation for violence and ruthlessness and his charisma. The majority of set members are called "soldiers", who are typically 16 to 22. Soldiers have

3842-485: Is not allied with the drug lord, and to appoint a new one, who is allied. This simple appointment facilitates the drug lord's ability, to bribe and influence the ranks of a police force, from top to bottom. A drug lord who has enough influence over a corrupt police force, can utilize the police to target his rivals in the drug trade. This practice is common in Mexico, where drug cartels de facto control different regions of

3955-953: Is not as common as it was in the past. For example, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada held de facto control over the Mexican state of Durango , by contributing donations to political campaigns during gubernatorial elections, along with assassinating political candidates who rejected his donations, and through bribing and intimidating the Durango State Police . As of early 2023, he had never been arrested or incarcerated. He was, however, arrested in 2024. In developed countries , drug lords seldom control local and regional governments; they also have less influence over their surroundings, and their ability to continue to run their businesses, upon being arrested and incarcerated. Unlike developing countries, developed countries have stronger rule of law and do not suffer from nearly as much corruption. Hence, it

4068-487: Is notorious for its use of violence, for its numerous confrontations with police officers and because of their violent conflicts over territory control and the control of drug trafficking against another powerful Brazilian criminal organization, the Comando Vermelho (or CV), a powerful crime syndicate based in the city of Rio de Janeiro . Griselda Blanco (1943–2012), known as the "Godmother of Cocaine",

4181-432: Is often influenced by a recruit's environment. Bloods recruit heavily among school-age youth in poor African-American communities. Gang membership offers youth a sense of belonging and protection. It also offers immediate gratification to economically disadvantaged youth who desire the trappings of gang life, such as gold jewelry, cash, and expensive sports clothing. Blood sets have a loose structure of ranks based on how long

4294-497: Is present or rife, and rule of law is missing or lacking. In narco-states , corrupt politicians and drug lords have symbiotic relationships. Drug lords can benefit from political corruption and patronage , by contributing donations to political candidates, and/or by colluding with political candidates to rig elections in their favor, through vote buying and/or voter intimidation, in exchange for political favors. After such candidates are elected, they use their power to reward

4407-471: Is red. They like to wear sports clothing, including jackets that show their gang color. The most commonly used Bloods symbols include the number "5", the five-pointed star, and the five-pointed crown. These symbols are meant to show the Bloods' affiliation with the People Nation , a large coalition of affiliates created to protect alliance members in federal and state prison. These symbols may be seen in

4520-423: The de facto leader of Tivoli Gardens in the city of Kingston ; prior to his 2010 capture Jamaican police were unable to enter this neighborhood without community consent. The son of a prominent drug lord, Coke grew up wealthy, going to school with children of the country's political elite. Ruling the gang where his father left off, he became a leader in the community of Tivoli Gardens, distributing money to

4633-457: The Bloods and Crips street gangs. By 1982, Ross had received his moniker of "Freeway Ricky" and claimed to have sold up to US$ 3 million worth of cocaine per day, purchasing 1,000 pounds (454 kilos) of cocaine a week. Ross initially invested most of his profits in houses and businesses, because he feared his mother would catch on to what he was doing if he started spending lavishly on himself. In

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4746-728: The Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas . Originally a mechanic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas , Guillén eventually became involved in the illegal drug trade the Gulf Cartel before becoming its leader in 1997 by assassinating drug lord Salvador Gómez Herrera . Guillén recruited over 30 deserters from the Mexican Army 's special forces unit, the Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales , to form the cartel's armed wing; this group would go on to be among

4859-702: The Iran-Contra Affair , heavily influenced the fictional character Franklin Saint, the protagonist of the FX crime drama television series Snowfall . Ross says he and the show's creator, John Singleton , "partnered up to make a movie", but that Singleton "disappeared" before going on to make Snowfall . Singleton died in 2019 and never confirmed Ross' claims. Drug lord Such lords are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly in possession of something illegal but are insulated from

4972-633: The Juarez Cartel . In the months before his death, the DEA described Carrillo as the most-powerful drug trafficker of his era, and many analysts claimed profits neared $ 25 billion. Guzman is the most notorious drug lord of all time, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In the 1980s, he was a member of the Guadalajara Cartel and used to work for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo . After Félix's arrest in 1989, Guzmán formed

5085-629: The Latin Kings and Ñetas who were targeting African-American gang members. UBN is a loose confederation of predominantly African-American street gangs. Once released from prison, UBN leaders went back to their New York neighborhoods, where they retained the Bloods name and started recruiting members. UBN has between 7,000 and 15,000 members in the Eastern US. It makes its income through various criminal activities, including distribution of crack cocaine and smuggling drugs into prison. Bloods are

5198-559: The Ohio area. He made similar claims in a 1996 PBS interview. Federal prosecutors estimated that between 1982 and 1989 Ross bought and resold several metric tons of cocaine. In 1980 dollars, his gross earnings were said to be in excess of $ 900 million – with a profit of nearly $ 300 million. As his distribution empire grew to include forty-two cities, the price he paid per kilo of powder cocaine dropped from as much as $ 60,000 to as low as $ 10,000." Much of Ross's success at evading law enforcement

5311-640: The Sinaloa Cartel along with Ismael Zambada García and Héctor Luis Palma Salazar . He is well known for his use of sophisticated tunnels—similar to the one located in Douglas, Arizona —to smuggle cocaine from Mexico into the United States in the early 1990s. In 1993, a 7.3-ton shipment of his cocaine , concealed in cans of chili peppers and destined for the United States, was seized in Tecate , Baja California . That same year he barely escaped an ambush by

5424-650: The Tijuana Cartel led by Ramon Arellano Felix and his gunmen. After being captured in Guatemala, he was jailed in 1993 and in 1995 he was moved to the maximum-security prison called Puente Grande, but paid his way out of prison and hid in a laundry van as it drove through the gates. On 22 February 2014, Guzmán was arrested again. He is considered a folk hero in the narcotics world, celebrated by musicians who write and perform narcocorridos (drug ballads) extolling his exploits. For example, Los Traviezos recorded

5537-530: The drive-by motorcycle shooting execution method. It was estimated that she was responsible for the homicides of 200 people in Colombia, Florida, New York, and California. Arrested in 1985 for drug-trafficking charges, she was subsequently convicted and spent almost 20 years in a U.S. prison. She was killed by motorcycle hitmen in Colombia on 3 September 2012 as she was coming out of a butcher's shop. Pablo Escobar started to buy cocaine from Roberto Suárez in

5650-425: The radio frequencies used by police radios ; etc. For example, a corrupt police commander helps a drug lord evade capture, by alerting him to an upcoming police raid in his mansion 1 hour in advance. Hence, the police fail to find the drug lord in his mansion during the raid, because he dodged them. A drug lord can cover up his criminal activities and obstruct criminal investigations, by: destroying or concealing

5763-478: The remaining members of his organization formed other cartels . He kept in contact with the drug lords and remained as one of Mexico's major traffickers until he was transferred to Altiplano maximum security prison. Eventually, the cartels fought each other for territory and lead to brutal Drug Wars which caused thousands of deaths. In developing countries , it is still common for drug lords to control local and regional governments, although this phenomenon

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5876-488: The "World's Greatest Outlaw", Escobar was perhaps the most elusive cocaine trafficker to have ever existed. He is considered the 'King of Cocaine' and is known as the lord of all drug lords. In 1989, Forbes magazine declared Escobar as the seventh-richest man in the world, with an estimated personal fortune of US$ 30 billion. In 1986, he attempted to enter Colombian politics. It is said that Pablo Escobar once burnt two million dollars in cash to keep his daughter warm while on

5989-696: The 1970s when he had just created the Medellín cartel . Suárez started building cocaine laboratories in the middle of the Bolivian Amazon jungle and in the zone of "Los Yungas" in the end of the 1960s and created the first cocaine cartel in Bolivia called "La Corporación". At first, the Medellin cartel bought cocaine at $ 8,000 per kilogram ($ 3,600/lb). La Corporación then sold cocaine-based paste to Colombian cartels, and they finished and distributed it in

6102-438: The 1970s. In 2007 he released a book, Mr Untouchable , written with Tom Folsom, and a documentary DVD of the same name, about his life. In the 2007 film American Gangster , Barnes is portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. Zhenli Ye Gon (traditional Chinese: 葉真理; born January 31, 1963, Shanghai, People's Republic of China) is a Mexican businessman of Chinese origin accused of trafficking pseudoephedrine into Mexico from Asia . At

6215-549: The Bureau of Prisons, Rodriguez was released in 2012. Born on April 13, 1968, in Osasco (a city located in the state of São Paulo , Brazil ), Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, known as " Marcola " is one of the founders and the current leader of Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), the largest and the most powerful Brazilian criminal organization . A Brazilian with Bolivian origins , Marcola (whose criminal career began when he

6328-553: The Cali Cartel. Within six years he had amassed a fortune exceeding over US$ 300 million by shipping drugs from Colombia to nearly every state in the U.S. He was one of the most ruthless international drug lords unknown to law enforcement or governments. During that time, the murder rate and cocaine-related hospital emergencies in the United States doubled. He was arrested on July 6, 1990, in Tallahassee, Florida and sentenced to

6441-649: The Caribbean", is a Puerto Rican drug trafficker. As the head of a major drug trafficking organization that made 90% of cocaine in Puerto Rico, Figueroa Agosto is considered to be one of the most dangerous drug lords of Puerto Rico. He was the most wanted fugitive in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic . Jari Seppo Aarnio (born 5 September 1957) is the former chief investigator and head of Helsinki 's anti-drugs police , who spent 30 years in

6554-642: The Pacific coast operations, with Ismael Zambada García joining them soon after and thus becoming the Sinaloa Cartel , who was not yet a party to the 1989 pact. Félix Gallardo still planned to oversee national operations and remained one of Mexico's major traffickers, maintaining his organization via mobile phone until he was transferred in the 1990s to the Altiplano maximum security prison and lost all remaining contacts with other drug lords. On 18 December 2014, federal authorities approved his request to transfer to

6667-475: The Pirus to create a new federation of non-Crips neighborhoods. This alliance became the Bloods. The Pirus are therefore considered the founders of the Bloods. By 1978, there were 15 Blood sets. Crips still outnumbered Bloods 3 to 1. To assert their power, the Bloods became increasingly violent. During the 1980s, Bloods began distributing crack cocaine in Los Angeles. Blood membership soon rose dramatically as did

6780-550: The U.S. in 2006. However, extradition may be prohibited if the person faces either the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Nevertheless, such efforts have failed to curb the rise of new drug lords because of widespread corruption in foreign countries, especially Latin American countries. Today, there are also many drug lords in Latin America, who have never been extradited, and continue to operate with impunity. Bloods The Bloods are

6893-477: The U.S. than any other trafficker, building a fortune of over $ 25 billion. He was called El Señor de Los Cielos ("The Lord of the Skies") for his use of over 22 private 727 jet airliners to transport Colombian cocaine to municipal airports and dirt airstrips around Mexico, including Juárez. He was a member of the Guadalajara Cartel and worked for Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo . After Félix was arrested, Amado formed

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7006-526: The US from South America . He was also allegedly the leader of the infamous "Phantom Squad," a death squad that was active in Guyana between 2002 and 2006. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Following the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993, significant changes occurred in the structure of the drug trade, departing from massive cartels such as Juan David Ochoa 's Medellín cartel . Drug lords have begun breaking

7119-548: The Year Award Finalist, True Crime. Ross was a key figure in filmmaker Kevin Booth 's documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope . The second episode of the first season of BET 's American Gangster documentary series was focused on the story of Ricky Ross and his connection to the Iran–Contra scandal. Ross was a guest interview on VH1 's Planet Rock History of Crack and Hip Hop Documentary. Ross

7232-402: The actual trade in drugs by several layers of staff. The prosecution of drug lords is therefore usually the result of carefully planned infiltration into their networks, often using informants from within the organizations. When a group of independent drug lords collude with each other, in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade , they form an organization called

7345-513: The anti-drugs force in Finland . He has been sentenced to jail for drug crimes and other offences. Known as "The Dapper Don" , Christy Kinahan (born 1958) is a notorious Irish drug lord from Dublin, Ireland and the head of Kinahan Cartel , a powerful Irish crime syndicate with territories in several countries around the world, such as Spain ( Costa del Sol ), United Arab Emirates ( Dubai ), The Netherlands , among others. Under

7458-455: The area's poor, creating employment, and setting up community centers. In 2009, the U.S. began requesting his extradition , and in May 2010, a recalcitrant Government of Jamaica issued a warrant. That same month the government took steps to capture Coke. In a run-up to Coke's arrest, more than 70 people–all but one of them civilians–died in a 24 May 2010 raid of Tivoli Gardens. He was arrested at

7571-523: The border into the United States. He is known as the first and currently the only drug lord to be executed by the United States federal government under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 . He was executed for three murders he committed in Texas, but was also found to be responsible for five other murders, four of which were committed in Mexico. Liu Zhaohua (March 5, 1965 – September 15, 2009)

7684-407: The business, but was not enthusiastic about the trade and had failed to make any connections of his own to suppliers. A Nicaraguan exile and cocaine distributor named Danilo Blandón was acquainted with Arguellas and Corrales, and although he did not know him personally, was impressed with the amount of cocaine that Ross was moving. Blandón offered to supply cocaine to Corrales to sell to Ross, for

7797-677: The case with the State of California, while appealing his federal case. A federal appeals upheld the dismissal in 2012. The state case was filed in 2011 in California. Ross refiled in Los Angeles Superior Court with publicity rights claims. Trial was set for early May 2012. The case was dismissed by a judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The California State case was updated with a motion in Freeway Rick Ross's favor as to Warner Bros. Records and their use of

7910-496: The command of Christy Kinahan, the Kinahan Cartel became responsible for a large part of drug smuggling (such as heroin , ecstasy and methamphetamine ) and arms smuggling to many places in the world. According to Gardai (the national police of Ireland ), Kinahan has connections with other powerful Irish mobsters like George Mitchell (Known as "The Penguin" ) (a notorious gangster from Ballyfermot and cousin of

8023-580: The country, including the municipal and state police forces of said regions, and often use them as weapons for targeting rival drug cartels. Some drug lords and drug cartels have so much influence over certain police forces, that they are able to gain access to police badges, uniforms, equipment, and vehicles, so they can impersonate police officers . In some cases, drug lords also hire corrupt police officers as bodyguards , hitmen , or kidnappers . Corrupt politicians in office, can also appoint corruptible judges , prosecutors , and military officers , whom

8136-419: The course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross transported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, and made more than $ 600 million in the process." In 1998, Ross was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of purchasing more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from a federal agent during a sting operation. Ross became the subject of controversy later that year when

8249-438: The drug lords can also bribe and influence. A drug lord who has enough influence over a corrupt judiciary or a corrupt military unit , can also utilize them as weapons for targeting rivals in the drug trade. For example, some corrupt prosecutors and judges collude with a drug lord, by filing criminal charges and issuing arrest warrants on his rivals in the drug trade, while said drug lord operates with total impunity. It

8362-400: The drug lords, who supported them. The rewards might include: impunity , import/export licenses, and/or favorable decisions, such as banning extradition , softening laws against drug-trafficking, etc. For example, Juan Orlando Hernández protected drug cartels, who contributed donations to his presidential campaign, from criminal investigations, prosecutions, arrests, and convictions, after he

8475-418: The east of the United States. The finished cocaine was sold directly to Mexican cartels for distribution in the west of the United States. Suárez received untold amounts of money, but as detectives and journalists discovered the corruption between Bolivia and the U.S., the empire Suárez built began to fall. Suárez was arrested by the DEA in 1988, and Escobar took over of the production and distribution of 80% of

8588-509: The evidence of said activities; intimidating witnesses , to prevent them from testifying against them; and murdering informants, who provide information to the police about his criminal activities. Although, drug lords do not need to bribe every police officer in a police force, they must be able to bribe some high-ranking and mid-ranking cops, in addition to some low-rankings ones, in order to achieve long-term impunity, because high-ranking and mid-ranking cops oversee police operations and have

8701-600: The first "Bloods" gang. Owens subsequently established the West Piru gang. The Bloods was initially formed to provide members protection from the Crips. Many of the non-Crip gangs used to call one another "blood". On March 21, 1972, shortly after a concert featuring Wilson Pickett and Curtis Mayfield , 20 youths belonging to the Crips attacked and robbed Robert Ballou Jr. outside the Hollywood Palladium . Ballou

8814-401: The founding members of Los Zetas, another Mexican drug cartel. In 1999, Guillén and a group of Gulf Cartel gunmen threatened two U.S. federal agents at gunpoint , which triggered a massive combined effort from American and Mexican law enforcement agencies to crack down on the leadership structure of the Gulf Cartel and led to Guillén becoming one of the most wanted criminals in the world. Guillén

8927-548: The fugitive has become more powerful as his fellow kingpins have fallen, including one who was allegedly killed on Zambada's orders. Klaas Bruinsma (1953–1991) was a major Dutch drug lord, shot to death by mafia member and former police officer Martin Hoogland. Bruinsma was known as "De Lange" ("the tall one") and as "De Dominee" ("the preacher") because of his black clothing and his habit of lecturing others. Marcos Arturo Beltrán Leyva (September 27, 1961 – December 16, 2009)

9040-534: The gang's creation, it has branched throughout the United States. The Bloods gang was formed initially to compete against the influence of the Crips in Los Angeles. The rivalry originated in the late 1960s when Raymond Washington and other Crips attacked Sylvester Scott and Benson Owens, two students at Centennial High School in Compton, California . As a result, Scott formed the Piru Street Boys ,

9153-556: The governments of the locations they operate in, through bribery , corruption , obstruction of justice , intimidation , contract killings , and narco-terrorism . They may also control or influence civilian populations through violence, and/or by winning hearts and minds . Drug lords like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo, are both known for controlling or influencing the civilian populations of their territories through using both methods. This phenomenon takes place in developing countries with weak and/or corrupt governments, where impunity

9266-546: The height of his drug dealing, Ross was said to have sold "$ 3 million in one day." According to the Oakland Tribune , "In the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of cocaine to New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and made more than $ 500 million between 1983 and 1984." In 1996, Ross was sentenced to life imprisonment under the three-strikes law after being convicted for purchasing more than 100  kilograms of cocaine from

9379-588: The large cartels into much smaller organizations. In so doing, they decreased the number of people involved and shrank their role as targets—most likely in an attempt to avoid the fate of their predecessors. With newer technology, drug lords are able to manage their operations more effectively from behind the scenes, keeping themselves out of the spotlight and off the FBI and DEA wanted lists. These smaller cartels are slowly proving to be safer and more profitable for those involved. Drug lords often have de facto control over

9492-443: The last decade is a willingness of local authorities to cooperate with foreign nations, most notably the U.S., in an effort to apprehend and incarcerate drug lords. Recently, especially in the last five years, countries have been more willing to extradite their drug lords to face charges in other countries, an act that not only benefits them directly but also gives them favor with foreign governments. Mexico extradited 63 drug dealers to

9605-461: The most access to confidential information. Hence, drug lords, who only bribe low-ranking cops, can achieve short-term impunity, but not long-term impunity. In some cases, drug lords also have to bribe corrupt police officers, to retrieve drugs or weapons, that were confiscated from them during searches and seizures . In other cases, corrupt police officers might sell weapons or drugs to drug lords, that were confiscated from other criminals. For example,

9718-498: The most-notorious examples of the treatment given to drug lords is the incarceration of Escobar. Although Escobar was, after turning himself in, jailed for his participation in drug trafficking in Colombia, the "jail" in which he was captive, was a million-dollar palace built with his own funds and guarded by his own private army . Another famous crime lord who enjoyed lightened jail life was Al Capone , who continued to run his business from his jail cell, which contained tables, chairs,

9831-646: The name and image Rick Ross in July 2012. A trial was set for August 27, 2013 in Freeway Rick Ross versus Rick Ross and Warner Music Group . The California trial court ruled in favor of the rapper Rick Ross, allowing him to keep the name. In December 2013, a state appeals court upheld the ruling on First Amendment grounds. In January 2022 it was reported that Ross had established a boxing management company, Team Freeway Boxing , with four professional boxers under contract. Ross will also be acting in an advisory role for light welterweight contender Anthony Peterson . In

9944-604: The nation's top drug narcos in 1989 at a house in the resort of Acapulco where he designated the plazas (turfs) or territories. The Tijuana route would go to his nephews, the Arellano Felix brothers . The Ciudad Juárez route would go to the Carrillo Fuentes family and to Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. Miguel Caro Quintero would run the Sonora corridor . Joaquín Guzmán Loera and Héctor Luis Palma Salazar were left

10057-654: The number of states in which they were present. These increases were primarily driven by profits from crack cocaine distribution. The huge profits allowed members to relocate to other cities and states. "Bloods" is a universal term used to refer to West Coast Bloods and United Blood Nation (UBN, also known as the East Coast Bloods). These two groups are traditionally distinct, but both call themselves "Bloods". UBN started in 1993 in Rikers Island 's George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC) to form protection from

10170-505: The ones who rejected his bribes, came to be known as "silver or lead" or "money or bullets". When the Colombian government launched a manhunt for Escobar, it needed assistance from the DEA , the CIA , the Cali Cartel, and Los Pepes . On December 2, Search Bloc killed Escobar on a rooftop. As a top drug lord in Mexico, Amado Carrillo (1956–1997) was transporting four times more cocaine to

10283-706: The politicians Gay Mitchell and Jim Mitchell ). The Kinahan Cartel is notorious for its bloody feud against another powerful Irish crime syndicate, the Hutch gang (led by Gerry Hutch ), in a gang war that became known as the Hutch–Kinahan feud (whose conflict started after the murder of Gary Hutch, Gerry Hutch's nephew and the Shooting of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin whose main target

10396-563: The run. Escobar was the boss of the famous Medellín Cartel , the most powerful drug empire to exist and is said to have had over twice the power and money of their rivals , the Cali Cartel . Pablo was known as Paisa Robin Hood , for his contributions to the poor, but was also known for murdering anyone who got in his way. His carrot-and-stick strategy of bribing public officials in the Colombian government, and sending hitmen to murder

10509-418: The sales of illegal drugs when police discovered $ 100,000 in his possession during a traffic stop. Ross later alleged that he had been racially profiled and stated that he was carrying a large amount of cash for the purchase of a home. Charges were ultimately dropped, and Ross explained he had earned the cash from book sales and speaking fees. Ross began cocaine after his illiteracy prevented him from earning

10622-453: The tattoos, jewelry, and clothing gang members wear as well as the gang graffiti with which Bloods mark their territory. Such graffiti can include gang names, nicknames, declaration of loyalty, threats against rival gangs, or descriptions of criminal acts in which the gang has been involved. Bloods graffiti can include rival gang symbols (especially those of the Crips) drawn upside down. This

10735-822: The tennis team but was unable to get the college tennis scholarship he aspired to because he was illiterate. Ross has said that when he first saw crack cocaine as a teenager in 1979, he did not immediately believe it was a drug because it looked different from other drugs he had seen. The nickname Freeway came from Ross owning properties along Los Angeles' Interstate 110, also known as the Harbor Freeway . According to an October 2013 Esquire magazine article, "Between 1982 and 1989, federal prosecutors estimated, Ross bought and resold several metric tons of cocaine," with Ross' gross revenue claimed to be more than $ 900 million (equivalent to $ 2.7 billion in 2023) and profits of almost $ 300 million ($ 1.109 billion in 2023). During

10848-559: The time of his arrest, he had $ 207 million in cash and 18 million Mexican pesos in his house. He claimed that he was forced by Javier Lozano Alarcón , putatively identified as the Secretary of Labor, to keep it at his home and that this money would be used during Felipe Calderón 's presidential campaign in 2006. He is the legal representative of Unimed Pharm Chem México. The charges against him were dismissed with prejudice in August 2009 as

10961-640: The undisputed leaders of the Tijuana Cartel and developed an intense rivalry with Joaquin Guzman Loera 's Sinaloa Cartel . The war between both organizations lasted more than 10 years until Ramón was killed in Mazatlán on February 10, 2002, by policemen allegedly on the payroll of the rival , Sinaloa Cártel. Ismael Zambada García is a drug smuggler in Mexico and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel . Mexico's top anti-drug prosecutor, José Santiago Vasconcelos , called Zambada "drug dealer No. 1" and said

11074-489: The world's cocaine. Rick Ross (born January 28, 1960), a.k.a. "Freeway" Ricky Ross, is a convicted drug-trafficker best known for the drug empire he presided over in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. The nickname "Freeway" came from Ross growing up next to the 110 Harbor Freeway . During the height of his drug dealing, Ross was said to have made "$ 2 million in one day." According to the Oakland Tribune , "In

11187-717: Was Daniel Kinahan, Christy's oldest son and also a head in the Kinahan Cartel, but ended up taking the life of another important member of the cartel, David Byrne (the son of James Byrne , the brother of Liam Byrne (a notorious lieutenant for Christy Kinahan), the cousin of Freddie Thompson and brother-in-law of Thomas Kavanagh (known as "bomber" ), a senior member in the Kinahan Cartel). Juan Raul Garza (November 18, 1956 – June 19, 2001) ran his own marijuana trafficking ring in Texas , Louisiana , Michigan , and Mexico , exporting thousands of kilograms of marijuana across

11300-470: Was a Chinese Drug Lord known for producing and trafficking over 18 tonnes of Methamphetamine. The amount Liu made was worth more than US$ 5 billion. He was arrested on March 5, 2005, sentenced to death on June 26, 2006, and executed on September 15, 2009. Shaheed " Roger " Khan (born 13 January 1972) is a Guyanese drug lord who is known for his money-laundering activities as well as his distribution and importation of substantial amounts of cocaine into

11413-670: Was a child, at the age of nine and currently serving a sentence of 234 years in prison for murder, drug trafficking and other crimes) is the current leader of PCC and commands this powerful crime syndicate from inside the Taubaté Prison , one of the most infamous prisons in Brazil. Under the command of Marcola, the PCC expanded its influence outside Brazil, to having a presence in Bolivia , Ecuador , Venezuela , Paraguay and Peru . The PCC

11526-468: Was a drug lady who operated between Miami and Colombia during the 1970s and 1980s. During the height of her operation, she smuggled nearly 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb) of cocaine into the U.S. every month through a network in south Florida. She was noted for her ruthlessness and use of extreme violence, employing tactics such as publicly assassinating people in broad daylight, bayoneting a rival trafficker inside Miami International Airport , and inventing

11639-585: Was arrested in 1990. Ramón Arellano Félix was a Mexican drug lord who was a founding member of the Tijuana drug cartel (a.k.a. the Arellano-Félix Organization) alongside his brothers. Arellano Félix was allegedly one of the most ruthless enforcers in the organization and was a suspect in various murders. He had been linked by Mexican police to the 1997 massacre of twelve members of a family outside of Ensenada, Baja California . The family

11752-477: Was arrested in Mexico in 2003 and deported to the U.S. in 2007, where he remains incarcerated to this day. Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, also known as Don Cholito, is a notorious Argentine-born, Puerto Rican and Colombian mixed drug lord from New York, who headed the 400 criminal organization, a dismantled secret cell of the Cali Cartel . Pulled into the drug trade at age 12, he left home at age 14 to begin working for his Father, Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela , who headed

11865-509: Was beaten to death after refusing to give up his leather jacket. The sensational media coverage of the crime and the continued assaults by the Crips increased their notoriety. Several non-Crips gangs formed during this period were no match for the Crips and became concerned with the escalating Crip attacks. The Pirus , Black P. Stones , Athens Park Boys and other gangs not aligned with the Crips often clashed with them. On June 5, 1972, three months after Ballou's murder, Fredrick "Lil Country" Garret

11978-564: Was born in 1946, and is the founder and former leader of the Guadalajara Cartel , the first Mexican Cartel ever established. He had strong ties with the Cali Cartel and Escobar's Medellin Cartel as he distributed drugs for them. He controlled almost all of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico–United States border in 1970s and the 80s. Until the end of the 1980s, Guadalajara Cartel headed by Félix Gallardo

12091-571: Was connected with the assassinations of numerous Mexican law-enforcement officials. Frank Lucas was a former heroin dealer and organized crime boss who operated in Harlem , New York during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle . Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen, but this claim

12204-567: Was due to his ring's possession of police scanners and voice scramblers. Furthermore, journalist Gary Webb alleged that the CIA was sponsoring the operation as part of its effort to finance Contras , giving Ross another level of protection, although this claim has since been disputed. Following one drug bust, a Los Angeles County sheriff remarked that Ross's men had "better equipment than we have." On June 18, 2010, Ross sued rapper Rick Ross (real name William Leonard Roberts II) for using his name, filing

12317-517: Was elected as the President of Honduras . While in office, the aforementioned politicians, may make corrupt appointments as quid pro quos. For example, a corrupt governor appoints a new police chief in a state police force , whom a drug lord can bribe, as a quid pro quo for helping him win a gubernatorial election. In some cases, corrupt politicians in office, who lack any previous ties to the drug lords, may also solicit or accept bribes from them. It

12430-412: Was murdered by a Westside Crip. This marked the first Crips murder against another gang member and motivated non-Crip gangs to align with each other. The Brims struck back on August 4, 1972, by murdering Thomas Ellis, an original Westside Crip. By late 1972, the Pirus held a meeting in their neighborhood to discuss growing Crip pressure and intimidation. Several gangs that felt victimized by the Crips joined

12543-530: Was one of the most powerful cartels in the world. He had a huge political involvement and bribed political authorities to protect himself and his business. After his capture in 1989 for the alleged murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena , Félix and allegedly the Mexican Government decided to divide up the trade he controlled as it would be more efficient and less likely to be brought down by law enforcement. Félix Gallardo instructed his lawyer to convene

12656-738: Was related to a drug dealer that had an unpaid debt to the Arellano Félix Cartel. On September 18, 1997, Arellano Félix was placed on the FBI's ten most-wanted list . In a sealed indictment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California , he was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and marijuana. . Ramon and his brothers, primarily Benjamin Arellano Felix were

12769-790: Was the leader of the Mexican drug-trafficking organization known as the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel , which is headed by the Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos , Alfredo and Héctor . The cartel was engaged in cocaine, marijuana , heroin , and methamphetamine production, transportation, and wholesaling. It controlled numerous drug-trafficking corridors into the United States. and was also responsible for human smuggling , money laundering , extortion , kidnapping , murder , contract killing , torture , gun-running , and other acts of violence in Mexico. The organization

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