Drug lord

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A drug lord or drug baron is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from the actual trade in drugs by several layers of underlings. The prosecution of drug lords is therefore usually the result of carefully planned infiltrations of their networks, often using informants from within the network.

Contents 1 Geography of the drug lords around the world 2 Some famous drug lords from around the world 2.1 Pablo Escobar 2.2 Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela and Jose Santacruz-Londono 2.3 Manuel Noriega 2.4 Ismael Zambada García 2.5 Amado Carrillo Fuentes 2.6 Klaas Bruinsma 3 Current trends in the world of the drug lord 4 In fiction 5 References

[edit] Geography of the drug lords around the world

When examining the known drug lords of the past and present, there are three distinct factors that stand out; geography, control of labor, and major monopoly on the supply of a drug.

Geography is probably the single most dominant factor that has contributed to the rise of regional drug lords. Historically, Central and South America has been the largest petri dish for drug lords. The climate of the area allows for optimum growth of a base product which in Central and South America's case is the coca plant that is processed into cocaine. The third world status of the local governments allows for easy access to government officials ripe for bribery and corruption. The third world economy of a prime location gives the drug lord plenty of cheap and replaceable labor. Often when faced with the prospect of starvation, locals are more than willing to work either in the fields or the processing plants. Two other examples of prime location for a drug lord are the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, and the Opium fields of Eastern China's coastal region.

Drug lords necessarily have access to large quantities of a particular drug, and an organization that allows them to exercise control of that supply. In the case of the well known Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the supply necessary was the coca plant. Another factor that separates drug lords from lesser deviants is the manner in which they exercise their organization. Drug lords are frequently characterized in evaluations by media and law enforcement for having utter ruthlessness of character, and single-mindedness of purpose. Having a monopoly on a drug gives the drug lord access to vast amounts of money and political power to be used for the protection and expansion of his empire.

[edit] Some famous drug lords from around the world

[edit] Pablo Escobar

Main article: Pablo Escobar

The most notorious and murderous drug lord of the Medellín Cartel, was killed by the CNP on a Colombian rooftop in 1993, the cartel had already been severely damaged. But there would be no rest, because waiting to emerge on the world scene was the Cali cartel, which over the years had been less visible, but no less formidable than its Medellín counterpart.^[1]

[edit] Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela and Jose Santacruz-Londono

Main article: Cali Cartel

The Cali Cartel had been formed in the early 1970s by Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela and Jose Santacruz-Londono, and rose quietly alongside its violent rival, the Medellín Cartel. But while the Medellín Cartel gained an international reputation for brutality and murder, the Cali traffickers posed as legitimate businessmen. This unique criminal enterprise initially involved itself in counterfeiting and kidnapping, but gradually expanded into smuggling cocaine base from Peru and Bolivia to Colombia for conversion into powder cocaine. ^[2]

[edit] Manuel Noriega

Main article: Manuel Noriega

For more than 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 contras, providing protection and pilots, as well as safe havens for drug cartel officials, and discreet banking facilities. ^[3]

[edit] Ismael Zambada García

Main article: Ismael Zambada García

Zambada is hardly a household name, yet he has become the most wanted drug smuggler in Mexico and is expected to be added soon to the FBI's Top 10 Most-Wanted Fugitives list, U.S. and Mexican drug agents told AP. Mexico's top anti-drug prosecutor, Jose Santiago Vasconcelos, called Zambada "drug dealer No. 1" and said the fugitive has become more powerful as his fellow kingpins have fallen, including one who was allegedly killed on Zambada's orders.^[4]

[edit] Amado Carrillo Fuentes

Main article: Amado Carrillo Fuentes

As the top drug trafficker in Mexico, Carrillo was transporting four times more cocaine to the U.S. than any other trafficker in the world, building a fortune of over US$25 billion. He was called El Señor de los Cielos ("The Lord of the Skies") for his pioneering use of over 22 private 727 jet airliners to transport Colombian cocaine to municipal airports, and dirt airstrips around Mexico, including Juárez. In the months before his death,The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration described Carrillo as the most powerful drug trafficker of his era, and many analysts claimed profits neared $25 billion, making him one of the world's wealthiest men.[1]

[edit] Klaas Bruinsma

Main article: Klaas Bruinsma

Klaas Bruinsma was a major Dutch drug lord, shot to death by mafia member and former police officer Martin Hoogland. He was known as "De Lange" ("the tall one") and also as "De Dominee" ("the minister") because of his black clothing and his habit of lecturing others.

[edit] Current trends in the world of the drug lord

After the assassination of Pablo Escobar in 1993, the world of the drug lord had taken a major turn in its departing from massive cartels such as Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. More recently, drug lords are breaking up the large cartels of the past into much smaller organizations of the future. In doing so, they not only decrease the number of people involved but also put a much smaller target on themselves -- most likely in an attempt to avoid the fate bestowed upon previous drug lords such as Pablo Escobar. 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 of the FBI’s most wanted lists. These smaller cartels are slowly proving to be not only more profitable for those involved but also much safer. ^[5]

Up until the demise of Pablo Escobar, in many instances drug lords essentially ran the governments of the locations they controlled (through bribery and assassinations), and everything associated with them. However, as the years press forward, this way of controlling their operations is becoming less prevalent. One of the most notorious examples of the treatment given to drug lords is in 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. Another famous Crime lord that enjoyed lightened jail life was Al Capone. Capone continued to run his business from his jail cell, a cell that contained tables, chairs, a bed, flowers and paintings. To drug lords of the past jail was simply a way to avoid further persecution. In recent times, this has also changed -- no longer are drug lords in control of local and regional governments. This causes them to give up some of their control over their surroundings and also their ability to continue to run their businesses from behind bars.^{[6] [7]}

Another trend that has been emerging in the last decade is the willingness of authorities to cooperate with countries, most notably the United States, in an effort to apprehend and punish the drug lords. Recently (especially in the last five years), countries have been more and 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. "In 2006 Mexico extradited 63 drug dealers to the US," a record number for them. The only issue here is the worst criminals are often never extradited as Mexico and other countries refuse to send people who would be facing the death penalty at their destination, as it is not legal in those countries.^{[8] [9]}

[edit] In fiction

Drug lords are a popular choice for the lead villain in many action movies and television shows, having been featured for such purposes in the Lethal Weapon series and in TV series such as Miami Vice, Homicide: Life on the Street, and The Shield. A drug lord was prominent in the 1989 miniseries Traffik. Perhaps the most famous fictitious movie drug lords were Tony Montana, who was played by Al Pacino, and Alejandro Sosa, who was played by Paul Shenar, both in the movie Scarface.

Some popular portrayals of drug lords have been fictionalized accounts of real persons. A noted example of this is the film American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington as drug lord Frank Lucas.

Other notable fictional drug lords include most notably the unspecified Latin American Franz Sanchez, who was played by Robert Davi in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill, and the Colombian Orlando Calderone, played by Miguel Pinero who was the foil in the Miami Vice TV series.

Drug Lords are also featured in several videogames, most notably the Grand Theft Auto series,specially Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in which Vice City is controlled by the drug lord Ricardo Diaz.

[edit] References