Bloody History of the Most Powerful Drug Kingpins in Latin America

By Joshua Summers First Posted: Feb 09, 2021 08:43 PM EST

(Photo : Jeff J Mitchell)
Drug users prepare cocaine before injecting, inside of a safe consumption van set up by Peter Krykant on November 6,2020 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The history of illegal drug usage and pushing rings out in Latin America and around the world. Most countries have their version of drug syndicates that are hunted down by the authorities.

In addition, the media has its representation of drug lords that depicts power, control, and bloodshed.

Thus, people can't help but think that illegal drugs are banned because of its representation and the effects it shows based on the recent updates.

But did you know that there are drug kingpins in Latin America (just diminish the authorities' cinematic actions and the drug syndicates) that can cause harm and are monitored by the Latin American government? To give you an idea, here are the most notorious drug lords of Latin America.

Pablo Escobar

This man might be the definition of a drug kingpin in Latin America. According to Biography, Escobar's brutal tactic ensured a stable supply of cocaine into America while running the Medellín Cartel out of Columbia during the 70s and 80s.

They add that some sources could estimate that 80 percent of the cocaine imported in the country was from Escobar's enterprise, with 15 tons per day as its peak.

He fostered corruption in the Columbian government, and those who do not concur meet their demise. They also emphasize that Escobar is responsible for about 4,000 mortality.

Griselda Blanco

If you think that the illegal drug industry is an all-male industry, you are wrong because a woman could play a man's forte. In a report by Crime Museum,

Griselda Blanco was one of the pioneers of the cocaine trade industry who was a pickpocket, prostitute, and gang member in her youth.

They add that she began pushing cocaine from Colombia and the United States when she married Alberto Bravo. Crime Museum emphasized that Blanco was arrested by the FDA and tried to leave behind her past. However, she was gunned down when she was 690.

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán

Biography shares that this man is the kingpin of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is the source of the most significant percentage of drugs imported in the United States every year.

The law has been chasing Guzmán from 1993 to 2001, and he was arrested; however, he made himself comfortable through bribing and intimidating people, then he escaped.

In 2015, Biography adds that he was arrested again; however, he also fled. The United States Department of Justice reports that Guzmán was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

Frank Lucas

Biography shares that by utilizing military connections from overseas, Lucas established a distribution network directly from South East Asia.

They add that the purity of heroin with his violent tactics against his competitors and the corrupt New York City Police Force in the early 70s assured him millions of dollars per month. They emphasized that Lucas died in May 2019.

Osiel Cáardenas Guillén

Britannica shares that this man was running for leadership in the Gulf Cartel, an organized crime group that controlled a noteworthy portion of Mexico's drug trade.

The biography also notes that the U.S. Border Security Handbook labels the Gulf to be violent and expanded under Cárdena's leadership. They further that he was arrested in 20013 and is still residing in Texas prison.

The history of drug lords somehow reflects how the media portray them in certain dramas and spectacle. Knowing that authorities are eyeing them puts us the assurance that we are safe and their protection will outlast.

WATCH: Mexico's Cartels Are Deadlier Than Ever Despite the Pandemic from VICE News