Jorge Luis Ochoa Vázquez
Encyclopedia
Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez was a Colombia
n drug trafficker who helped found the notorious Medellín Cartel
in the late 1970s. The cartel's key members were Pablo Escobar
, Carlos Lehder
, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
, Jorge Ochoa and his brothers Juan David and Fabio
.
whose family was in the cattle-breeding and family restaurant businesses until they began trafficking narcotics during the mid 1970s. In 1976, Ochoa assumed leadership of what was basically an Ochoa
family operation. Starting at least in 1978, his Miami contact was Rafael Cardona Salazar. Between 1981 and 1982 an alliance between the Ochoa family, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, and Rodríguez Gacha strengthened into what eventually became known as the Medellín Cartel
. The traffickers cooperated in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of their cocaine. In 1981, the kidnapping of Ochoa’s sister, Martha Nieves Ochoa Vasquez, by the Colombian guerrilla organization M-19
, which had previously kidnapped a son of Severo Abelardo Ortega consolidated their alliance. The traffickers formed a group known as Muerte a Secuestradores
(MAS
), ("Death to Kidnappers") announcing the imminent execution of any guerrilla kidnappers. After being threatened with reprisals, Martha Nieves was released by M-19 unharmed several months later.
Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
, who had crusaded against the Medellín cartel, was assassinated by a gang of motorcycle thugs. President Belisario Betancur
who had previously opposed extradition of drug traffickers to the United States, announces "We will extradite Colombians." Carlos Lehder was the first to be put on the list. The crackdown forced Jorge Ochoa, Escobar and Rodriguez Gacha to flee to Panama for several months. While in Panama
, Ochoa and Pablo Escobar met with former Colombian president Alfonso Lopez Michelson and offered their fortunes to avoid extradition. President Belisario Betancur
refused, and a few months later, Escobar was indicted for Lara Bonilla's murder while the Ochoa brothers and Rodriguez Gacha are named as material witnesses.
On July 17, 1984, The Washington Times
ran a story which details DEA
informant Barry Seal
's successful infiltration into the Medellín cartel's operations in Panama. The story was leaked by Oliver North
to show the Nicaraguan
Sandinista involvement in the illegal drug trade
. Ten days later, Carlos Lehder, Pablo Escobar, Jorge Ochoa and Rodriguez Gacha were indicted by a Miami federal grand jury based on evidence obtained by Seal (On February 19, 1986, Seal was assassinated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
by gunmen hired by the cartel). On November 15, 1984, Jorge Ochoa was arrested by Spanish
police in Madrid
, on a U.S. warrant
and both the U.S. and Colombia apply for his extradition. Soon after the Medellín cartel publicly threatened to murder ten Colombian Judges for every Colombian extradition.
Ochoa was responsible for coordinating operations in the United States
and Western Europe
on behalf of the Medellín cartel. He claimed he shipped an average of 6 MT HCL per month during the early 1980s (until his 1984 arrest). Ochoa had also invested in major properties at Repelon, Atlántico Department
, and Acandi in Uruba, Chocó Department
, from where drugs were shipped to the United States. He was also part owner of the ill-fated Banco Ganadero (Gandero Bank) where he was represented on the board of directors
by Federico Molina. Molina was also his surrogate on the board of Fedegan, the Antioquia livestock federation, and the state-owned company Vecol.
in cooperation with Federico Vaughan, an aid to Nicaragua’s interior minister
Tomás Borge. He was also an unindicted coconspirator in the murder of Barry Seal
.
On July 14, 1986, a Spanish court decided to extradite Ochoa to stand trial in Colombia. On August 17, 1986, despite extradition requests from the U.S., Ochoa vanished after receiving a suspended sentence on charges of falsifying documents for importing fighting bulls from Spain.
On November 21, 1987, Jorge Ochoa was held in prison on the bull-smuggling charge for which he was extradited from Spain. Twenty-four hours later a gang of thugs arrived at the house of Juan Gómez Martínez, the editor of Medellín's daily newspaper El Colombiano
. They presented Martínez with a communique signed by "The Extraditables," which threatened execution of Colombian political leaders if Jorge Ochoa was extradited. On December 30, 1987 Ochoa was released from prison under dubious legal circumstances.
In 1987, Forbes Magazine listed Ochoa among the world's twenty richest men with an estimated worth near $3 billion dollars. In early 1988 an unknown entity calling itself the "Anti-Mafia Command of Carlos Mauro Hoyos", claimed it was going after the ranking Medellín cartel members headed by the Ochoa’s. Included in the list were José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
, Jario Mejia, Elkin Cano, Mara Ospina, Gustavo Gaviria, and the Cardenas brothers. In January 1988, the murder of Colombian Attorney General Carlos Mauro Hoyos was claimed by the Extraditables.
During September 1990, Colombian President César Gaviria Trujillo offered drug traffickers reduced prison sentences to be served in Colombia, in order to entice them to surrender. Jorge Luis surrendered to the Colombian police during January 1991. In July 1996, Jorge Luis was released after serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence for drug trafficking.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n drug trafficker who helped found the notorious Medellín Cartel
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
in the late 1970s. The cartel's key members were Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
, Carlos Lehder
Carlos Lehder
Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas or simply Carlos Lehder is a German-Colombian drug dealer currently imprisoned in the United States, having been co-founder of the Medellín Cartel....
, José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha , also known by the nickname El Mexicano, was a Colombian drug lord who was one of the leaders of the notorious Medellín Cartel along with the Ochoa brothers and Pablo Escobar. At the height of his criminal career Rodríguez was acknowledged as one of the world's most...
, Jorge Ochoa and his brothers Juan David and Fabio
Fabio Ochoa Vázquez
Fabio Ochoa Vásquez was a ranking member of the notorious Medellín Cartel, which was one of the top Colombian cocaine trafficking groups. The youngest of the three Ochoa brothers, he lived in Miami, Florida during the 1970s...
.
Early years and the founding of the Medellín Cartel
Jorge Luis Ochoa Vázquez was the son of Fabio Ochoa RestrepoFabio Ochoa Restrepo
Fabio Ochoa Restrepo was a Paso Fino enthusiast, rancher, businessman, and patriarch of a notorious Colombian crime family associated with the Medellín drug cartel of Pablo Escobar....
whose family was in the cattle-breeding and family restaurant businesses until they began trafficking narcotics during the mid 1970s. In 1976, Ochoa assumed leadership of what was basically an Ochoa
Ochoa
-Surname origins:Ochoa was originally a given name in medieval Spain. It originated in the Basque Country and means 'wolf' . There was also a female given name Ochanda -Surname origins:Ochoa was originally a given name in medieval Spain. It originated in the Basque Country and means 'wolf' (spelled...
family operation. Starting at least in 1978, his Miami contact was Rafael Cardona Salazar. Between 1981 and 1982 an alliance between the Ochoa family, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, and Rodríguez Gacha strengthened into what eventually became known as the Medellín Cartel
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
. The traffickers cooperated in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of their cocaine. In 1981, the kidnapping of Ochoa’s sister, Martha Nieves Ochoa Vasquez, by the Colombian guerrilla organization M-19
19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance , or AD/M-19.The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970...
, which had previously kidnapped a son of Severo Abelardo Ortega consolidated their alliance. The traffickers formed a group known as Muerte a Secuestradores
Muerte a Secuestradores
Muerte a Secuestradores or MAS, was a Colombian paramilitary group supported by drug cartels, U.S. corporations, Colombian politicians, and wealthy landowners during the 1980s, in order to protect their economic interests, assassinate political opponents and community organizers, and wage...
(MAS
Mas
Mas or Más may refer to:* Mas , a surnameIn arts:* Más , an album by Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz* "Más", a song by Kinky from their 2002 album Kinky...
), ("Death to Kidnappers") announcing the imminent execution of any guerrilla kidnappers. After being threatened with reprisals, Martha Nieves was released by M-19 unharmed several months later.
1984 - 1986
On April 30, 1984, ColombianColombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who served as Minister of Justice under President Belisario Betancur, and was assassinated by orders of Pablo Escobar because of his work as Minister in prosecuting cocaine traffickers mainly belonging to the Medellín Cartel.Lara's death...
, who had crusaded against the Medellín cartel, was assassinated by a gang of motorcycle thugs. President Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...
who had previously opposed extradition of drug traffickers to the United States, announces "We will extradite Colombians." Carlos Lehder was the first to be put on the list. The crackdown forced Jorge Ochoa, Escobar and Rodriguez Gacha to flee to Panama for several months. While in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Ochoa and Pablo Escobar met with former Colombian president Alfonso Lopez Michelson and offered their fortunes to avoid extradition. President Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...
refused, and a few months later, Escobar was indicted for Lara Bonilla's murder while the Ochoa brothers and Rodriguez Gacha are named as material witnesses.
On July 17, 1984, The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
ran a story which details DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
informant Barry Seal
Barry Seal
Adler Berriman Seal , better known as Barry Seal, was a United States drug smuggler and aircraft pilot who flew covert flights for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Medellín Cartel.-Early life:...
's successful infiltration into the Medellín cartel's operations in Panama. The story was leaked by Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
to show the Nicaraguan
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
Sandinista involvement in the illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
. Ten days later, Carlos Lehder, Pablo Escobar, Jorge Ochoa and Rodriguez Gacha were indicted by a Miami federal grand jury based on evidence obtained by Seal (On February 19, 1986, Seal was assassinated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
by gunmen hired by the cartel). On November 15, 1984, Jorge Ochoa was arrested by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
police in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, on a U.S. warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
and both the U.S. and Colombia apply for his extradition. Soon after the Medellín cartel publicly threatened to murder ten Colombian Judges for every Colombian extradition.
Ochoa was responsible for coordinating operations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
on behalf of the Medellín cartel. He claimed he shipped an average of 6 MT HCL per month during the early 1980s (until his 1984 arrest). Ochoa had also invested in major properties at Repelon, Atlántico Department
Atlántico Department
Atlántico is a department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its south, and the Magdalena Department to its east separated by the Magdalena River...
, and Acandi in Uruba, Chocó Department
Chocó Department
Chocó is a department of Colombia known for its large Afro-Colombian population. It is in the west of the country, and is the only Colombian department to have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It also has all of Colombia's border with Panama. Its capital is...
, from where drugs were shipped to the United States. He was also part owner of the ill-fated Banco Ganadero (Gandero Bank) where he was represented on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
by Federico Molina. Molina was also his surrogate on the board of Fedegan, the Antioquia livestock federation, and the state-owned company Vecol.
After 1986
On November 18, 1986, a Miami grand jury accused Ochoa of conspiracy to import HCL (1,452 pounds of cocaine) through NicaraguaNicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in cooperation with Federico Vaughan, an aid to Nicaragua’s interior minister
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
Tomás Borge. He was also an unindicted coconspirator in the murder of Barry Seal
Barry Seal
Adler Berriman Seal , better known as Barry Seal, was a United States drug smuggler and aircraft pilot who flew covert flights for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Medellín Cartel.-Early life:...
.
On July 14, 1986, a Spanish court decided to extradite Ochoa to stand trial in Colombia. On August 17, 1986, despite extradition requests from the U.S., Ochoa vanished after receiving a suspended sentence on charges of falsifying documents for importing fighting bulls from Spain.
On November 21, 1987, Jorge Ochoa was held in prison on the bull-smuggling charge for which he was extradited from Spain. Twenty-four hours later a gang of thugs arrived at the house of Juan Gómez Martínez, the editor of Medellín's daily newspaper El Colombiano
El Colombiano
El Colombiano is the leading newspaper in Antioquia Department in Colombia whose headquarters are located in Medellín.The first edition of this newspaper was published on February 6, 1912 which only had one page, 13 advertisements, but no news articles. In 1976, the first color pictures were added...
. They presented Martínez with a communique signed by "The Extraditables," which threatened execution of Colombian political leaders if Jorge Ochoa was extradited. On December 30, 1987 Ochoa was released from prison under dubious legal circumstances.
In 1987, Forbes Magazine listed Ochoa among the world's twenty richest men with an estimated worth near $3 billion dollars. In early 1988 an unknown entity calling itself the "Anti-Mafia Command of Carlos Mauro Hoyos", claimed it was going after the ranking Medellín cartel members headed by the Ochoa’s. Included in the list were José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha , also known by the nickname El Mexicano, was a Colombian drug lord who was one of the leaders of the notorious Medellín Cartel along with the Ochoa brothers and Pablo Escobar. At the height of his criminal career Rodríguez was acknowledged as one of the world's most...
, Jario Mejia, Elkin Cano, Mara Ospina, Gustavo Gaviria, and the Cardenas brothers. In January 1988, the murder of Colombian Attorney General Carlos Mauro Hoyos was claimed by the Extraditables.
During September 1990, Colombian President César Gaviria Trujillo offered drug traffickers reduced prison sentences to be served in Colombia, in order to entice them to surrender. Jorge Luis surrendered to the Colombian police during January 1991. In July 1996, Jorge Luis was released after serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence for drug trafficking.
See also
- Cocaine CowboysCocaine CowboysCocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine and resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida in the 1970s and...
- Pablo EscobarPablo EscobarPablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
- Medellín CartelMedellín CartelThe Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
- War on DrugsWar on DrugsThe War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
- Barry SealBarry SealAdler Berriman Seal , better known as Barry Seal, was a United States drug smuggler and aircraft pilot who flew covert flights for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Medellín Cartel.-Early life:...