Medellin Cartel Research Paper

In 1976, the Republic of Colombia saw the rise of the Medellín Cartel, an organization that not only drastically transformed cocaine production but also redefined the standard of a successful narco-trafficking group. Formed by the Ochoa Vázquez brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio, jointly with Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, Carlos Lehder and most famous of all Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, the Medellin Cartel reigned as the kings of cocaine until 1993. Taking the name of the city where the group of prominent criminals united, the Medellin Cartel's prominence in the drug trade came to characterize an era in narcotics trafficking that has since influenced succeeding drug organizations. This paper will provide a detailed look at the formation

Escobar then smuggled the coca paste from the neighboring nations into Colombia inside produce trucks and established small kitchens in Medellin to transform the paste into powder cocaine. As demand continued to grow, Escobar was driven to establish his very first jungle cocaine laboratories in Colombia so that he may control the entire cocaine-producing process. Moreover, by opening his laboratories under the cover of the Colombian rainforest, Escobar dramatically expanded his production capabilities completely undetected. With the massive increase in cocaine production came the demand for new markets. Therefore, Escobar began smuggling heavily to the United States by hiding cocaine in almost any kind of Colombian export. However, as demand for cocaine continued to grow, smuggling solely through exports proved to be insufficient. Thus in 1976, Pablo Escobar transformed drug trafficking by establishing the first exclusive narco routes from Colombia to the United States . Partnering with Carlos Lehder, a former marijuana smuggler who used a small fleet of airplanes to transport drugs into America, Escobar was soon able to transport thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, drastically increasing his

Before the Medellin drug kingpin's united, they were members of different organizations. Most notable of the organizations was the Ochoa cartel, a family operation run by the Ochoa brothers, Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio. The Ochoa's were a prominent cartel as they had established a strong presence in Florida, New York, and California. Moreover, Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, also known as "El Mexicano" was part of a drug trafficking organization along with Veronica Rivera de Vargas, known to most as the "queen of cocaine". Already enjoying great wealth and power, these men's fortunes and status were soon to continue to grow with the help of Pablo Escobar. Uniting these men into forming the Medellin Cartel was M-19's kidnapping of Martha Nieves Ochoa, a sister of the Ochoa brothers . A Colombian radical-left wing guerrilla group, the M-19 demanded a several million-dollar ransom in return for Martha Nieves, however instead they received an all-out war with the most dangerous men in the country. Formed in 1982, the powerful kingpins became not only partners in narco-trafficking, but also in the fight against kidnapping. The drug lords realized that due to their great wealth, they too were vulnerable to such type of extortion. Therefore, together they each donated about $7.5 million dollars to the formation of Muerte a Secuestradores (MAS)