A drug lord or drug baron is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from the actual trade in drugs by several layers of underlings. The prosecution of drug lords is therefore usually the result of carefully planned infiltrations of their networks, often using informants from within the network. These lollipops, above, were found to contain heroin when inspected by the US Drug Enforcement Administration In jurisdictions where legislation restricts or prohibits the sale of certain popular drugs, it is common for an illegal drugs trade to develop. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that regulates governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Geography of the drug lords around the world

When examining the known drug lords of the past and present, there are three distinct factors that stand out; geography, control of labor, and major monopoly on the supply of a drug. This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ...

Geography is probably the single most dominant factor that has contributed to the rise of regional drug lords. Historically, Central America has been the largest petri dish for drug lords. The climate of the area allows for optimum growth of a base product which in Central America's case is the coca plant that is processed into cocaine. The third world status of the local governments allows for easy access to government officials ripe for bribery and corruption. The third world economy of a prime location gives the drug lord plenty of cheap and replaceable labor. Often when faced with the prospect of starvation, locals are more than willing to work either in the fields or the processing plants. Two other examples of prime location for a drug lord are the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, and the Opium fields of Eastern China's coastal region. For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Erythroxylum coca Lam. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... Bribery is a crime implying a sum or gift given alters the behaviour of the person in ways not consistent with the duties of that person. ... The Hindu Kush or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ... This article is about the drug. ... Eastern region of the Peoples Republic of China East China (Simplified Chinese: 华东, Traditional Chinese: 華東; pinyin: Huádōng) is a region of the Peoples Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the municipality of Shanghai and the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian. ...

Drug lords necessarily have access to large quantities of a particular drug, and an organization that allows them to exercise control of that supply. In the case of the well known Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the supply necessary was the coca plant. Another factor that separates drug lords from lesser deviants is the manner in which they control their organization. Drug lords are frequently characterized in evaluations by media and law enforcement for having utter ruthlessness of character, and single-mindedness of purpose. Having a monopoly on a drug gives the drug lord access to vast amounts of money and political power to be used for the protection and expansion of his empire. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria aka El Patrón (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. ...

Some famous drug lords from around the world

Pablo Escobar. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria aka El Patrón (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. ...

Pablo Escobar at the height of power

The most notorious and murderous drug lord of the Medellín Cartel, was killed by the CNP on a Colombian rooftop in 1993, the cartel had already been severely damaged. But there would be no rest, because waiting to emerge on the world scene was the Cali cartel, which over the years had been less visible, but no less formidable than its Medellín counterpart.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Medellín Cartel was a well-organized network of drug smugglers originating in the city of Medellín in Colombia and operating through the 1970s and 1980s. ...

Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela and Jose Santacruz-Londono. Chepe Santacruz Londoño. ...

The Cali Cartel had been formed in the early 1970s by Gilberto Rodriguez-Orejuela and Jose Santacruz-Londono, and rose quietly alongside its violent rival, the Medellín Cartel. But while the Medellín Cartel gained an international reputation for brutality and murder, the Cali traffickers posed as legitimate businessmen. This unique criminal enterprise initially involved itself in counterfeiting and kidnapping, but gradually expanded into smuggling cocaine base from Peru and Bolivia to Colombia for conversion into powder cocaine. ^[2] The Cali Cartel is a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. ...

Manuel Noriega. For other persons named Noriega, see Noriega (disambiguation). ...

Manuel Noriega, following his arrest by U.S. authorities.

For more than a decade, Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega was a highly paid CIA asset and collaborator, despite knowledge by U.S. drug authorities as early as 1971 that the general was heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Noriega facilitated "guns-for-drugs" flights for the contras, providing protection and pilots, as well as safe havens for drug cartel officials, and discreet banking facilities. ^[3] Image File history File links Manuel_Noriega_mug_shot. ... Image File history File links Manuel_Noriega_mug_shot. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

Ismael Zambada García. Ismael Zambada García (born 1948), also known as El Mayo Zambada, is an alleged Mexican drug lord. ...

Zambada is hardly a household name, yet he has become the most wanted drug smuggler in Mexico and is expected to be added soon to the FBI's Top 10 Most-Wanted Fugitives list, U.S. and Mexican drug agents told AP. Mexico's top anti-drug prosecutor, Jose Santiago Vasconcelos, called Zambada "drug dealer No. 1" and said the fugitive has become more powerful as his fellow kingpins have fallen, including one who was allegedly killed on Zambada's orders. ^[4]

Other chiefs of cartels producing cocaine and other illegal drugs: A cartel is a group of formally independent producers whose goal is to increase their collective profits by means of price fixing, limiting supply, or other restrictive practices. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events...

• Javier Arellano-Felix
• Bas Mohammed
• José Manuel Ramos
• Brian Wight

Current trends in the world of the drug lord

After the assassination of Pablo Escobar in 1993, the world of the drug lord had taken a major turn in its departing from massive cartels such as Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. More recently, drug lords are breaking up the large cartels of the past into much smaller organizations of the future. In doing so, they not only decrease the number of people involved but also put a much smaller target on themselves -- most likely in an attempt to avoid the fate bestowed upon previous drug lords such as Pablo Escobar. With newer technology, drug lords are able to manage their operations more effectively from behind the scenes; keeping themselves out of the spotlight and off of the FBI’s most wanted lists. These smaller cartels are slowly proving to be not only more profitable for those involved but also much safer. ^[5] Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria aka El Patrón (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) gained world infamy as a Colombian drug dealer. ...

Up until the demise of Pablo Escobar, in many instances drug lords essentially ran the governments of the locations they controlled (through bribery and assassinations), and everything associated with them. However, as the years press forward, this way of controlling their operations is becoming less prevalent. One of the most notorious examples of the treatment given to drug lords is in the incarceration of Escobar. Although Escobar was, after turning himself in, jailed for his participation in drug trafficking in Colombia, the "jail" in which he was captive was a million-dollar palace built with his own funds. Another famous Crime lord that enjoyed lightened jail life was Al Capone. Capone continued to run his business from his jail cell, a cell that contained tables, chairs, a bed, flowers and paintings. To drug lords of the past jail was simply a way to avoid further persecution. In recent times, this has also changed -- no longer are drug lords in control of local and regional governments. This causes them to give up some of their control over their surroundings and also their ability to continue to run their businesses from behind bars.^{[6] [7]} “Capone” redirects here. ...

Another trend that has been emerging in the last decade is the willingness of authorities to cooperate with countries, most notably the United States, in an effort to apprehend and punish the drug lords. Recently (especially in the last five years), countries have been more and more willing to extradite their drug lords to face charges in other countries, an act that not only benefits them directly but also gives them favor with foreign governments. "In 2006 Mexico extradited 63 drug dealers to the US," a record number for them. The only issue here is the worst criminals are often never extradited as Mexico and other countries refuse to send people who would be facing the death penalty at their destination, as it is not legal in those countries.^{[8] [9]}

In fiction

Drug lords are a popular choice for the lead villain in many action movies and television shows, having been featured for such purposes in the Lethal Weapon series and in TV series such as Miami Vice, Homicide: Life on the Street, and The Shield. A drug lord was prominent in the 1989 miniseries Traffik. Perhaps the most famous fictitious movie drug lord was the Cuban emigré Tony Montana, who was played by Al Pacino in the movie Scarface. “Bad guy” redirects here. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the 2006 movie, see Miami Vice (film). ... Homicide: Life on the Street is an American television drama series chronicling the life of a fictional Baltimore police homicide unit. ... This article is about the TV series. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1989. ... Traffik is a 1989 television miniseries which tells the story of illegal drug trade. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... Alfredo James Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is an Academy, Golden Globe, Tony, BAFTA, Emmy, and SAG award winning American actor who is best known for playing the roles of Tony Montana in the 1983 film Scarface and Michael Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy . ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Other notable fictional drug lords include most notably the unspecified Latin American Franz Sanchez, who was played by Robert Davi in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill, and the Colombian Orlando Calderone, played by Miguel Pinero who was the foil in the Miami Vice TV series. Franz Sanchez is the main villain from the James Bond film Licence to Kill. ... Robert Davi (born June 26, 1954[1]) is an American character actor who tends to play villains. ... “007” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Miguel Piñero (December 19, 1946-June 18, 1988) born in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, was a playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. ... For the 2006 movie, see Miami Vice (film). ...

Drug Lords are also featured is several videogames, most notably the Grand Theft Auto series,specially Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in which Vice City is controlled by the drug lord Ricardo Diaz. Grand Theft Auto may refer to Motor vehicle theft, a crime in many jurisdictions Grand Theft Auto (film), a film directed by Ron Howard Grand Theft Auto (series), a computer and video game series Grand Theft Auto (video game), the first game in this series Category: ... Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released in October 2002) is the fourth video game in the hit Grand Theft Auto series. ... A number of recurring characters appear during the various missions or cutscenes in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. ...

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