10 Infamous Drug Lords: Who Were They and Where Are They Now?

Everybody loves a good crime story, and the success of shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy as well as several others within the last decade are evidence of this. Something about criminal activity especially organized criminal activity, seems to intrigue us.

However, even better than a good crime drama is a good true crime story, and there are a lot of them. Perhaps you’ve binge-watched the Netflix series Narcos (guilty) or have seen every episode of Dateline. If you’ve got a hunger for real-life stories of the criminal underworld and the people behind it, you’re among friends here.

With that in mind, sit right back and prepare to be regaled with stories of ten of the most infamous drug cartels to ever exist.

Frank Lucas

Portrayed by Denzel Washington in the film American Gangster, though not very accurately, Frank Lucas was a New York City drug kingpin that operated until his capture in 1975.

Operating in the late 1960’s and most famously during the early 1970’s, Lucas made millions by shipping heroin into the US from Southeast Asia and selling it on the streets of Harlem. His particular brand, known as “blue magic,” soon became very popular and renowned for its purity.

The advantage Lucas had over many of the other kingpins of his time was contacted within the military. The war in Vietnam meant that Lucas had access to a ready supply of contacts who were not likely to be investigated.

Stories differ on how exactly the heroin was smuggled back into the US, although Lucas himself has stated that it was occasionally hidden in a hidden compartment in the coffins of soldiers.

Lucas was arrested in 1975, but, due to his willingness to inform, was given a lesser sentence. He has been a free man since 1991.

Manuel Noriega

Unlike the other cartels on this list, Noriega controlled more than just a drug empire. He was also the dictator of Panama for much of the 1980’s.

During this time, he played a small part in the Iran-Contra Affair as not only a supporter of the contras but also as a major part of the drug operations.

However, in one of the largest incidences of irony in the history of the world, he was sacked in 1989 by US military forces during an invasion of Panama. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison, making him eligible for release in 2019. Unfortunately for him, Noriega died in 2017.

Osiel Cardenas Guillen

A former leader of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, Cardenas earned the nickname “The friend killer,” after murdering a friend of his named Salvador Gomez. The reason sounds like something out of a Shakespeare play.

Gomez was in line to inherit the cartel, and with him gone, Cardenas was able to take over the cartel for himself. Even so, Cardenas’ biggest contribution to the criminal underworld was the creation of a group called the Zetas.

The Zetas were the result of Cardenas’ efforts to infiltrate the Mexican military, particularly its elite units. With the help of this vicious new force, Cardenas was able to make the Gulf Cartel far more powerful than it had been before.

Cardenas met his downfall after he attempted to intimidate a few DEA agents that had crossed him. The US reacted by stepping up the drug war against him, which led to his arrest in 2003.

To add insult to injury, the Zetas split from the Gulf Cartel and are now one of the most powerful players in the Mexican drug wars.

Rafael Caro Quintero

While not all that well-known among the American populace, Quintero definitely left a legacy, or, more accurately, contributed to somebody else’s.

He was one of the founders of a cartel known as the Guadalajara Cartel. Along with the co-founders of the cartel, he soon became one of the most powerful men in the underworld.

However, what he and the other leaders of the Guadalajara Cartel are most infamous for is their downfall at the hands of the DEA, and the circumstances that led to it.

If you’ve gone to an American school at any time during the past twenty-five years or so, you were probably taught about Red Ribbon Week. This week is in honor of Enrique Camarena Salazar, whose nickname was “Kiki”.

After Kiki was linked to a 1984 operation that saw the destruction of a cartel-run marijuana field that produced roughly 8 billion dollars’ worth yearly, the Guadalajara Cartel ordered his kidnapping. He was kidnapped on February 7th, 1985 and tortured for two days before finally dying.

The United States government took the news about as well as one would expect, and launched a massive investigation into Kiki’s death. Ultimately, the investigation led to the arrests of two of the Guadalajara Cartel’s key leaders, as well as several other members of the cartel and a large number of corrupt police officers that had aided the cartel over the years.

William Leonard Pickard

Another American to make our list, Pickard was known as the “Acid King,” was the biggest producer of LSD in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Though not very well-known, he makes this list for one very simple reason.

When we said he was the biggest producer of LSD for his time, we mean that he was by far the biggest producer for his time, and probably in all of history. After his arrest in 2003, the American supply of LSD fell to 5% of what it had been.

You know you’re a kingpin when your downfall brings basically the whole business down with you.

Larry Hoover

As the leader of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples, Hoover was the biggest drug dealer in the South side of the city. He was arrested and given a life sentence in 1973.

However, his story doesn’t end there. Hoover makes the list because he managed to continue running the gang’s drug business until 1995 when an FBI investigation brought him down for good.

He is now serving multiple life sentences and has no contact with his former gang.

George Jung

With a reign spanning from the 1970’s to a bit of the 1980’s Jung was the American king of the Cocaine trade. He was finally caught in the mid-90’s and served twenty years before being released in 2014.

However, he was arrested again in 2016 for a parole violation. What puts him so high on this list is that, much like Frank Lucas, his story was portrayed in a Hollywood movie, 2001’s Blow.

Dawood Ibrahim

Hailing from Mumbai in India, Ibrahim runs an organization known as D-Company, which is several thousand members strong. And, yes, he’s still out there.

Dawood makes the list not because he is the most famous kingpin, nor the most successful, but because he is the most despicable.

Aside from having an unbelievably punch-able face (seriously, google a picture of him), he is also known to have worked alongside the Al-Qaeda and a similar group in South Asia, namely Pakistan, so he can smuggle more efficiently.

To make matters worse, the latter group organized a series of shootings and bombings in November of 2008 in the city of Mumbai. Let that sink in. This guy worked with a terrorist group who carried out an attack in his hometown.

“El Chapo”

Yes, technically the infamous kingpin’s name is Joaquin Guzman, but nobody knows him by that name. He makes the list not only he’s been in the news within the past few years, but also for why.

Not only was he the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the biggest players in the Mexican drug war, along with its rival the Zetas, but because he escaped prison. Twice. Despite all this, he was taken back into custody in 2016, at least according to the Mexican government. Apparently, the third time really is the charm.

All of this and more is what has earned El Chapo the second-highest spot on the list. However, there is one that surpasses even him, and you’ve all probably heard of him.

Pablo Escobar

At the top of the list is someone who needs no introduction. Escobar ran the most infamous drug cartel in history from his hometown in Medellin, Columbia. He used fear, violence, bribery, and charity to gain the support of the government and the public.

However, his viciousness eventually outran the saintly image he tried to cultivate, and his people turned against him. He was shot to death in 1993 while attempting to escape capture by the Colombian government.

During his reign in the 1970’s and 1980’s, he was responsible for roughly 80% of all cocaine sent into the United States. His total worth was roughly $10 billion dollars, making him the seventh richest person in the world at that time.

However, all that fame and notoriety came at a horrible price and roughly 4,000 people would meet their deaths at the hands of the Medellin cartel.

Drug Lords: The Worst of the Worst

Before we wrap up this list, it should be noted that none of these drug lords are decent men. Not only have they killed countless people to maintain their lifestyles, but they did so by selling a product that kills untold more. If you or someone you know is dealing with addiction, you can learn more about how to get them to help here.

However, you may have read this article for much less serious reasons. Perhaps you just enjoy strange facts, in which case, we have a lot more. Perhaps you want to explore a different part of the criminal underworld and are more interested in the white-collar variety.

Perhaps you’re looking to meet someone new, either as a friend or something a little more. Maybe you’re more of a historian, in which case, here are some odd facts about the Industrial Revolution.

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