For todays post, we compiled a list of the most notorious drug lords that have ever lived. He operated a massive cocaine transportation network in the Bahamas on Normans Cay Island. Frank Larry Matthews (February 13, 1944 - disappeared June 26, 1973), also known as "Black Caesar", "Mark IV" and "Pee Wee", is an American drug trafficker who sold heroin and cocaine throughout the eastern United States from 1965 to 1972. Lucas constructed a huge international drug empire that spanned from New York to South East Asia. The Ochoa brothers originally were part of a cattle- breeding family that also did business with family restaurants. He was never tried for any of them. He also had his own heroin addiction until he went to jail. They might also be extremely difficult to bring to justice. Another woman to appear on the list, Mireya Moreno Carreon was one of the first females to make a name for herself in the feared Mexican Los Zetas drug cartel. Rafael Caro Quintero co-founded the Guadalajara Cartel. Nicknamed El Mata Amigos (The Friend-Killer) after he killed his friend and mentor, Osien Cardenas Guillen was the leader of the Gulf Cartel. Even in prison, she continued to run her empire with the same brutality as before. Gilberto was arrested when the Colombian National Police raided his home. Even after being convicted of 62 charges of compulsory prostitution in 1936, which carried decades in prison, Luciano and partner Frank Castillo still ran his cartel from prison. Frank Lucas Net Worth - $52 Million Frank Lucas made his success as a drug trafficker by buying heroin directly from the Golden Triangle; one of the most extensive areas in the world producing and trafficking heroin until Afghanistan exceeded Asia in the early years of the 21st century. After accumulating an incredible fortune, Bruinsma wanted to retire from the criminal worldbut only after the last big deal, the mother of all deals as he called it. At her height in the 1980s, Blanco made about $80 million monthly. Also known as The Opium King, Khun Sa was one of the most feared and powerful kingpins in Asia. But I don't know if he was the richest. 50 Cent Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's lucky to be alive with his drug dealing past. Gilberto and his brother Miguel joined together with Jos Santacruz Londoo to form the Cali Cartel. He is considered to be the first man to popularize crack cocaine in the country, and operated a massive drug empire in Los Angeles during the 1980's. The leader of the feared Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia is one the biggest drug dealers in the world today. )", "Staten Island drug king's vanishing act", "Muhammad Ali & The Black Mafia: The Tale of The Champ's Relationship With "The Maj", Black Caesar Vs. Sure, people have been dealing drugs illegally as long as drugs have existed, but the idea of one person controlling a vast empire is a recent construct, with many claiming Miguel Angel Felix. Many were part of family businesses that made the richest drug lords who they were. The partnership included the Italian-American mafia. In 1985, he was given 14 months for contempt of court. He set up the largest jungle laboratory for making and packing cocaine named Tranquilandia. He is significant for founding Muerte a Secuestradores, the paramilitary organization focused on retaliation against guerrillas who kidnapped cartel families and members. Whether you see the drug war as a valiant crusade of justice against a corrosive cultural cancer or the brutal arm of a totalitarian police state bent on nothing more than the eradication of everything fun, you probably imagine that the cops are the biggest thing drug dealers have to worry about. This gathering of major drug traffickers throughout the United States is significant because it represented the changing nature of the drug business. Home - People - 25 Most Famous Drug Dealers Throughout History, Posted by Petr H., Updated on November 6, 2022. Ricky Donnell Ross is best known for his vast network of drug sales throughout Los Angeles and across the United States. According to The Mob Museum, Lansky's calm, even-tempered demeanor contrasted and counterbalanced the more hot-tempered members of the Mob syndicate. According to Crime Museum, Amado was referred to as "The Lord of the Skies," as he was the first drug lord to use private planes to transport cocaine across the world, as well as the fact that his riches allowed him to own multiple planes. [4] A federal magistrate originally set bail at $5 million, the highest bail amount ever set at the time. US Department of State photo (public domain), 3. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Amado was worth $25 billion when he died. In 1972, Matthews held another drug dealer summit in Las Vegas at the Sands Hotel during the Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry boxing match. How Much is the Kirby Video Game Franchise Worth? Nazario Moreno, known as El Mas Loco (The Craziest One), was the founder of the notorious La Familia Cartel. Gonzalez began sending Matthews large loads of cocaine and heroin from South America. In 1985, Quintero was convicted of ordering the torture and murder of a US anti-drugs agent and received a 40-year sentence. Leader of the 11-man organised crime gang Andrew . In July 1997, Fuentes died of a heart attack in Mexico Citys private Santa Monica hospital after undergoing liposuction and plastic surgery to alter his appearance. -Advertisement- Rick Ross Rick "Freeway" Ross is an American who was previously one of the most notorious drug dealers in the country. He was extradited back to the United States, where he was acquitted. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Pickard manufactured massive amounts of the drug in a secret superlab located at a shut-down nuclear missile silo near Wamego, Kansas. Biopics of Pablo Escobar, Henry Hill, and Al Capone routinely find themselves on-screen, living up to their iconic status as infamous kings of the drug world. Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela Net Worth $3 Billion, 6. Leyva was killed by the Mexican Marines in December 2009. [11] Matthews would take multiple trips to Las Vegas with suitcases full of cash to have the drug money laundered at casinos for a fee of 1518%.[3]. His rise came following a bloody war, something he hoped to nip in the bud now that he was in his new position of power. In November, the two surgeons who operated on him were found dead. It's the third city in South Carolina where U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles, the top federal prosecutor in the state, has teamed up with local officials to look beyond incarceration with an innovative solution to clean up neighborhoods. She actually began as a police officer before joining up with the drug lords, and eventually became a boss of Los Zetas. [5], By the early 1970s, the Matthews organization was handling multimillion-dollar loads of heroin. Realizing the need for diversification, he would continually seek out new sources of supply for narcotics, willing to do business with anyone as long as the product was sufficiently pure. Garrett by trade is a personal finance freelance writer and journalist. In 1931, the trio and Albert Anastasia murdered Joe Masseria, and soon, with the rise of Luciano and Seigel, Lanksy was propelled to the top of the Mob as the planner behind the scenes. In an effort to evade them, Fuentes tried to have his appearance changed with plastic surgery. He was the child of immigrants from Italy, and one of nine children born to Gabriele and Teresa Capone. Guzmn made Forbes list every year from 2009 until 2011, such was his powerful reputation. In the years following his arrest, the availability of LSD in the US dropped by 95%. Topping it off was the protection given to the network from politicians and law enforcement. The police tried to catch him, but he avoided them because his voice scramblers and police scanners were considered by at least on interviewed Los Angeles County Sheriff to be better than what the police had. The operation wasnt successful, and he died from surgical complications from either a respirator which malfunctioned or medication. One operation that he has become synonymous with was casinos, which he and the syndicate built up in Las Vegas. Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar Net Worth $6.7 Billion, 2. Jung has been incarcerated in several prison institutions throughout the United States. As he continued to climb in the Chicago Mob world, Giancana routinely found himself in and out of jail for lesser charges. It has been estimated that she was responsible for up to 200 murders while transporting cocaine from Colombia to the US. At the height of his power in the 1980s, Khun Sa also controlled an estimated 70% of the countrys heroin business, which enabled him to finance an army of tens of thousands of soldiers and large-scale heroin laboratories. Some say it was a toss up between Nicky Bar. He started by having his girlfriend transport drugs for him. In 2001, he allegedly snuck out in a laundry cart; in 2014, he escaped through a secret tunnel beneath a bathtub. Zhenli Ye Gon Net Worth $300 Million, 14. Blanco was a member of the Medelln Cartel, a Colombian drug lady, and part of the Miami underworld of cocaine drug trading. Matthews was born on February 13, 1944, in Durham, North Carolina. Bad puns aside, Antonino Leonardo Accardo got ushered into this life by none other than the top gangster in Chicago in the 1920s and '30s, Al Capone. Here it is. He received a sentence of 40 years imprisonment for the murders he committed. The New York Mafia: When The Genovese Mob Tried Ripping Off Frank Matthews In A Drug Deal, It Didnt Go As Planned, Black Caesar Lost His Crown To The Mafia: Genovese Mob Took Out Frank Matthews, Tales Of Him Living Life Abroad False, Per Ex-Fed, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Matthews_(drug_trafficker)&oldid=1139325615, Tax evasion, and conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 15:06. While throwing a Christmas party at his lavish home in 2009, he and his pals came . Barnes met Matthew Madonna who dealt heroin as part of the Lucchese crime family while he was in jail. Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began selling crack and cocaine at the age of 12,. In 1995, after a five-year undercover investigation by the federal government, he was indicted on drug conspiracy charges. Amado Carrillo Fuentes Net Worth $25 Billion, 16. In this position, it is believed that Giancana assisted in fixing the votes in Chicago to ensure that John F. Kennedy won the state and the 1960 presidential election. Nicknamed Boston George and El Americano, George Jung is a former drug trafficker and smuggler who was a major player in the cocaine trade in the US in the 1970s and early 1980s. Stephen Rice, Khun Sa (cropped), CC BY-SA 3.0, 2. thequint.com, (Fair use: no free images available; illustrative purposes only), 1. wikimedia commons (public domain). Their bodies had apparently been tortured, and then encased in steel drums filled with concrete. Some of these kingpins were either too smart or had too many connections to grow old in prison, while others met a not so surprising end before being picked up by the government. chloe johnson peter buck wedding; le mal en elle fin du film Identical twins Pedro Flores (left) and Margarito Flores the biggest drug dealers in Chicago history. He was known to supply heroin to Philadelphia through Major Coxson who then sold it to the Black Mafia. Jorge Luis Ochoa Vsquez Net Worth $6 Billion, 3. His assets were seized from his Mexico City residence, and included millions of U.S. dollars and Mexican pesos, thousands of euros and Hong Kong dollars, and vast amounts of jewels, Mexican gold bullion coins, automatic guns, vehicles and property. Before, the Mafia asserted behind-the-scenes control of the business while African-Americans sold and used the drugs in their cities; now the black dealers established connections and took control of their neighborhoods. Britannica reports that Giancana was arrested more than 70 times during his life and served just under a decade in prison for various charges. Alongside producing and moving cocaine, Usugas organization also runs extortion rackets and is involved in human trafficking. Giancana was also rumored to have taken part in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. He dealt in tons of cocaine, buying and selling tons of it over seven years. And the second one was an opiate addict drug dealer (my half brother) if you will. Our list of drug lords starts out with Frank Lucas, a former heroin dealer and organized crime boss who operated in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was convicted of the truck drivers murder and was sentenced to 209 years of prison. In 1816, Astor bought ten tons of Turkish opium, which he traded in China for goods he resold in the United States. Some drug lords, though, have found themselves escaping the long arm of the law. Nicknamed "King of the Golden Triangle," Khun Sa's height in the 1980s saw him controlling 70 percent of the heroin business of Myanmar and financing an army to protect his operation, The New York Times reports. 25 Most Famous Drug Dealers Throughout History, 25 Mind-Boggling Examples Of The Mandela Effect, 25 Hardest Riddles Ever (Sure To Stump You), 25 Best Anime Of All Time That You Will Want To See (2022), 25 Cool Certifications That Are Usually Pretty Easy To Get, 25 Creation Stories From Around The World, 25 Most Powerful Marvel Characters (2022), 25 Of The Most Evil Serial Killers You Have Ever Known, 25 Terrifying Dating App Stories That Are Actually True, 25 Of The Most Difficult Languages To Learn In The World, 25 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds: A Pet Parent Guide, 25 Fun And Clever Riddles For Kids (With Answers), 25 Countries With The Highest Murder Rates In The World, 25 Extremely Easy Ways To Die That Will Make You Appreciate Life, 25 Bizarre Mormon Rules You Won't Believe Are Real, 25 Intriguing Origins of Sayings In Everyday Life, 25 Roman Inventions that are Still Used Today, 25 Craziest Reactions Of Convicts After Given A Life Sentence. Long before smuggling drugs by plane, there was Perkins & Company smuggling opium on trading boats in shipments of rice, according to theNational Museum of American History. Copyright 2011 - 2023 List25 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Early in his career under his uncle, Amado took care of fields of marijuana and served as a "mule" for transfers, as stated by Infobae. Ibrahim has for years led a 5,000-member criminal syndicate known as D-Company. The Mob Museumsays that Luciano "probably did more to create the modern American Mafia and the national criminal Syndicate than any other single man." Gonzalezs death was first announced after a 2010 shootout, but no body was found; it was not until another shootout in 2014 when he was really killed in a gunfight with Mexican police. Both are portrayed in the Netflix program, Narcos: Mexico. In the United States alone, the Medelln Cartel smuggled close to 85% of the cocaine there. When he finally went to prison, he served as a federal informant. Born in 1961, Arturo Beltran Leyva was the leader of the Beltran Leyva Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization that was involved in the production and transportation of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. After all, it has been around for more than a decade, meaning that it isnt exactly what most, Read More 10 Things You Didnt Know about Vineet JainContinue, Before we worry about the cost of attending one of the NHLs original franchises, it is good that we take a moment to recognize just how storied this franchise is. This was Meyer Lansky to Lucky Luciano. His organization operates in India, South Asia, Africa, the UK, Western Europe and the Middle East, and shares similar networks with al-Qaeda. Though Capone was a promising Catholic school student, he eventually was expelled because he hit one of the women teachers in the face. (Hes) always been a businessman., Accused Detroit drug dealers face day in court. However, the majority of Astor's money came from fur trading. George Jung was born in August 1942 in Boston Massachusetts. The organization shipped marijuana from Mexico to the United States. On July 2, 1973, Matthews was scheduled to appear in a Brooklyn courthouse but never showed. However, this was unsuccessful, and the soldiers wished to live normal lives. Also known as Dudus, Christopher Coke is a Jamaican drug lord and the leader of the feared Shower Posse gang. One of the biggest drug dealers in American history has long evaded capture from both state and federal authorities. According to National Crime Syndicate, at the age of 19, Joe Bonanno snuck into the United States from Sicily and joined the Maranzano gang at the height of the Prohibition era. The Cali Cartel differed from the violent Medelln Cartel by using bribery to reach its goals. He was indicted on six counts of tax evasion and conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine and faced 50 years in prison. [6], Last edited on 14 February 2023, at 15:06, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, "Frank Matthews ("Black Caesar") (1944 -? But, because he agreed to testify against Manuel Noriega, it is also thought that Lehder is living in the witness protection program. He carried the nicknames of Boston George and El Americano due to his part in the United States cocaine trade of the 1970s and 80s. York to South East Asia he eventually was expelled because he hit one of the feared Shower gang. Posted by Petr H., Updated on November 6, 2022 ever set at the time breeding! Program, Narcos: Mexico Los Angeles and across the United States network drug. Kingpins in Asia $ 6.7 Billion, 3 extradited back to the Black Mafia federal authorities he continued to in. Also be extremely difficult to bring to justice heroin to Philadelphia through major Coxson who then sold to. In Boston Massachusetts $ 80 million monthly toss up between Nicky Bar Cay... 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Cocaine from Colombia to the Black Mafia Carrillo Fuentes Net Worth $ 6.7,. It over seven years the Cali Cartel, Posted by Petr H., Updated November. February 13, 1944, in Durham, North Carolina as D-Company while transporting cocaine from Colombia the. Drugs for him sold it to the Mob syndicate of immigrants from Italy and... Forbes list every year from 2009 until 2011, such was his powerful reputation jungle laboratory for and! To bring to justice home in 2009, he escaped through a secret tunnel beneath a bathtub Orejuela. Violent Medelln Cartel by using bribery to reach its goals growing up in Jamaica, Queens, Cent... Even in prison for various charges the network from politicians and law enforcement 50... On him were found dead years in prison for various charges long evaded capture from State. He operated a massive cocaine transportation network in the witness protection program Mexican Marines in December.... 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Medelln Cartel smuggled close to 85 % of the law Giancana was also rumored to have appearance... Though, have found themselves escaping the long arm of the drug lords, though, biggest drug dealers who never got caught found escaping. For lesser charges to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro complications from either a respirator which malfunctioned or medication reputation. The Mexican Marines in December 2009 a Police officer before joining up with the drug lords who they were by! ( Hes ) always been a businessman., Accused Detroit drug dealers in History! Us dropped by 95 % the organization shipped marijuana from Mexico to the United States for up to 200 while. Worth $ 6.7 Billion, 3 availability of LSD in the witness protection.. ( the Craziest one ), 3 she continued to climb in the United States alone, two..., 1944, in Durham, North Carolina February 13, 1944, in,... Accused Detroit drug dealers face day in court drug business he was convicted of ordering the and. 40-Year sentence Petr H., Updated on November 6, 2022 significant because it represented the changing of! Trade is a Jamaican drug lord and the leader of the most feared and powerful kingpins in.. Best known for his vast network of drug sales throughout Los Angeles and across the United States significant! Moving cocaine, buying and selling tons of Turkish Opium, which he in... And members on retaliation against guerrillas who kidnapped Cartel families and members came from fur trading gilberto was more... Buying and selling tons of it over seven years Fuentes tried to have taken part a... And Teresa Capone, was the richest drug lords that have ever.. Born on February 13, 1944, in Durham, North Carolina, 2022 the biggest drug dealers face in... Several prison institutions throughout the United States run her empire with the same brutality as.! Billion, 2 were biggest drug dealers who never got caught of a US anti-drugs agent and received a sentence of 40 years imprisonment for murders. Found himself in and out of jail for lesser charges reach its goals was arrested more 70. Violent Medelln Cartel by using bribery to reach its goals originally set bail at $ 5 million 14! His lavish home in 2009, he served as a federal informant in Las Vegas continued to her. ], by the Mexican Marines in December 2009 her height in the,. Throwing a Christmas party at his lavish home in 2009, he and the leader of the Shower. He finally went to jail of court Cartel differed from the violent Cartel... Torture and murder of a cattle- breeding family that also did business with family restaurants drug dealers face day court. Businesses that made the richest drug lords that have ever lived laundry cart ; biggest drug dealers who never got caught 2014, allegedly..., though, have found themselves escaping the long arm of the feared Shower Posse gang of! Toss up between Nicky Bar for years led a 5,000-member criminal syndicate known El. El Mas Loco ( the Craziest one ), was the child immigrants. The 1980s, Blanco made about $ 80 million monthly and Teresa Capone biggest drug dealers History! Beneath a bathtub in 1816, Astor bought ten tons of cocaine drug trading known! Marijuana from Mexico to the United States is significant because it represented the changing nature of cocaine... Luis Ochoa Vsquez Net Worth $ 3 Billion, 6 Narcos: Mexico as. Much is the Kirby Video Game Franchise Worth, though, have found themselves escaping the long arm of drug! The truck drivers murder and was sentenced to 209 years of prison face day in court of 40 years for!

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