167
Fabio Ochoa, a key figure in the
Medellín Cartel, is escorted by two
police officers at Bogotá’s airport on
13 October 1999. He was extradited
to the US in 2001.See also: The Triads 146–49 ■ Hells Angels 160–63 ■ “Freeway” Rick Ross 168–71ORGANIZED CRIME
state” – worked with the American
Drug Enforcement Agency to oust
Escobar from politics and proceed
with criminal prosecutions against
the cartel. Lara, however, was
assassinated in 1984 on Escobar’s
orders. This was not the first or the
last time that Escobar ordered
the murder of a political opponent.
A particularly sensitive issue,
which motivated Escobar and
Lehder’s decision to enter politics,
was the government’s support of
extradition. Both men shrewdly
employed anticolonialist rhetoric to
oppose extradition legislation.
Lehder founded the Movimiento
Latino Nacional, which stirred up
popular support by condemning
US involvement in Latin America.
He even claimed that cocaine was
a means of liberation.Police breakthrough
The dismantling of the Medellín
Cartel came by way of intense
collaborative efforts by the
Colombian and American
governments. The first kingpin to
fall was Carlos Lehder, who was
forced to abandon his base in
Norman’s Cay in 1983, when the
Bahamian government seized hisproperty and froze his bank
accounts, causing Lehder to flee
through the jungle. Escobar later
brought Lehder back to Medellín
by helicopter. Shortly after, he was
captured at his farm by Colombian
police, reportedly acting on a tip by
one of Lehder’s employees.
Lehder was extradited to the
US in 1987 where he was sentenced
to life without parole plus 135 years,
a term that sent a strong message
to the other cartel members. He
then turned snitch in 1992 and
agreed to testify against General
Manuel Noriega of Panama, who
had helped harbour cartel
members. Lehder received a
reduced sentence of 55 years.
Jose Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
and Pablo Escobar refused to go
peacefully. Gacha, his son Fredy, a
bodyguard, and high-ranking cartel
member Gilberto Rendón were
killed in a firefight with Colombian
military helicopters in 1989. Three
years later, on 2 December 1993,
Escobar was famously killed in a
shootout with police in the
backstreets of Medellín. ■War on drugs
In 1971, President Richard Nixon
declared drug abuse “Public
Enemy Number 1”, and that to
fight and defeat this enemy, an
all-out offensive was required.
This speech marked the start of
the so-called “War on Drugs”.
By the 1980s, the American
demand for cocaine was so high
that an estimated 68,000 kg
(75 tons) was being smuggled
into the country every month. In
the years since, breakthroughs
have been made, from the
destruction of the MedellínCartel to statistics indicating a
46 per cent decrease in cocaine
use by young adults from
2006–11. However, leaders from
Colombia, Mexico, and
Guatemala have expressed their
desire for a new antidrug
strategy, noting the toll military
intervention has taken on their
countries. In recent years, the
Portuguese model of drug
control, which decriminalizes
the possession of moderate
amounts of narcotics and
focuses on treatment rather than
incarceration, has arisen as a
viable alternative.166-167_Medellin_Cartel.indd 167 13/01/2017 15:18