According to foreign media, a Colombian drug lord has been released from prison after 25 years in prison. The man was sentenced to 30 years, so he was released before the end of his sentence. Fabio Ochoa Vásquez was a key operator of the Medellin cocaine cartel. He was released on December 3. According to the Associated Press, he will most likely be deported to his country of birth.
The drug lord was released. His story was described in the TV series “Narcos”
Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, 67, also known by the nicknames “Julio” and “Pepe,” and his older brothers amassed a fortune in the 1970s and early 1980s, when cocaine began to flood the United States. The man's story was even featured in series Netflix's “Narcos”, where he was the youngest son of an elite family from Medellin that dealt with ranches and horse breeding. Ochoa lived for a time in Miami, where he managed a distribution center for a drug cartel previously headed by Pablo Escobar. He made a huge fortune from drug dealing. In 1987, he was even included on the prestigious Forbes magazine's billionaires list. Ochoa was equally high on another, less glorious list. Once upon a time he was one of the ten most wanted Colombian drug lords.
He was first charged in the US for his alleged role in the 1986 murder of Barry Seal. Seal was an American pilot who worked for the Medellin cartel and smuggled drugs for them. His story was popularized in movie “Barry Seal, King of Smuggling”, where he played his role Tom Cruise. He was arrested again in 2001 and extradited to the US. The indictment named him along with 40 other people who were allegedly linked to drug smuggling. He was the only one who decided to go to trial, which ended with the above-mentioned 30-year sentence.
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Does the legendary Colombian drug lord still have a lot of wealth? “He won't retire poor.”
In an interview with the Associated Press, Richard Gregorie, a retired assistant US attorney, was on the prosecution team that convicted Fabio Ochoa Vásquez. He said it was impossible to seize all of his illegal earnings, so he certainly wouldn't be poor when he got out of prison. “He's definitely not going to retire poor.” – he emphasized. The press contacted Vásquez's lawyer asking for any comment, but he did not comment in any way on the information that circulated in the media. Interestingly, the drug trade in Colombia is doing quite well. It remains the world's largest cocaine exporter.
Where to look for help?
If you are struggling with addiction or want to find out how you can help a loved one, you can contact the specialists on duty at these numbers:
- National Addiction Helpline (daily from 4-9 p.m.): 800-199-990
- Behavioral Addictions Trust Telephone (daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 800-889-880
- Orange line for parents of children drinking alcohol (Monday to Friday, 2-8 p.m.): 801-140-068
- National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence Blue Line (24 hours a day): 800-120-002
More information can be found on the websites National Center for Addiction Prevention.