FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Drug trafficking has produced some of the most notorious and powerful crime figures in the world. From the streets of Mexico and Colombia to the slums of New York, a few individuals have managed to create violent drug empires, leaving behind a painful trail of death, corruption and fear. In this article, we present five of the greatest drug lords in history, who, with their brutal methods and sophisticated strategies, have forever changed the way organized crime operates globally. From “El Chapo” of the Sinaloa cartel, to Pablo Escobar and “Godmother” Griselda Blanco, to American bosses like Frank Lucas, each of them has shown that power and wealth often come with a terrible price.
1. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, the man who became known as “El Chapo,” certainly looks more than ordinary: 5 feet 11 inches tall, middle-aged, with an average appearance. But his nondescript image is deceptive. Guzmán is the boss of the Sinaloa cartel, the source of the largest percentage of drugs imported into the United States each year: cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine and heroin, all distributed in multi-ton shipments through sophisticated land and air networks.
Guzman seemed destined to be in the drug trade. His uncle was one of the first Mexican drug smugglers, and young Joaquin was involved in the family business from an early age. He quickly rose to prominence within the cartel, as the destructive war between rivalries within and outside the cartel unfolded. In 2006, in violation of a pact between the cartels, Guzman ordered an assassination that sparked what would become known as the Mexican Drug War.
This conflict between the cartels has caused more than 60,000 deaths and 12,000 kidnappings. During this time, Guzman became a billionaire and one of the most powerful men in the world. He had problems with the justice system from 1993 to 2001, when he was arrested and imprisoned. But he created a comfortable life in prison, through bribery and intimidation, until his escape (which involved bribing 78 people, and cost him more than 2 million to design and implement).
Although he was arrested again on February 22, 2015, it wouldn't be long before "El Chapo" made his second escape from a maximum-security prison on July 11 of that year. How did he do it? Guzman climbed through a hole in the shower of his cell, and escaped through a mile-long tunnel that led to a construction site on the outside.
Following the major media headlines that accompanied this escape, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wasted no time in reacting. "Mexico's biggest drug lord escapes prison. Unbelievable corruption, and the US is paying the price. I told you it would happen," he wrote on social media, alluding to controversial statements about Mexican immigrants that he made during the launch of his presidential campaign.
"El Chapo" is believed to have hit back at Donald Trump via what is believed to be the drug lord's official Twitter account. "Keep talking like that, and one day I'll make you swallow that crap..." While Trump beefed up security around him, and said the FBI was investigating the threat, "El Chapo" was on the run and Mexico offered a $3.8 million reward for information leading to his capture.
2. Pablo Escobar
If anyone could be considered the most significant representative of a “Kingpin,” it would surely be Pablo Escobar. While running the Medellin Cartel in Colombia during the 1970s and 1980s, Escobar’s ruthless tactics ensured a steady flow of cocaine into America. Some sources estimate that 80 percent of the cocaine imported into the U.S. came from the organization run by Escobar, about 15 tons per day at its peak.
Escobar became one of the richest men in the world (with a fortune estimated at nearly $10 billion) by eliminating rivals and fostering corruption within the Colombian government. Officials who refused to be corrupted often met with tragic ends. He murdered politicians, judges, police officers, and journalists. Escobar planted a bomb on a plane to kill a presidential candidate; the latter was not on board, while 110 innocent people were killed.
Escobar is believed to have been responsible for the deaths of over 4,000 people. The acts of terror ultimately turned public opinion against him, despite Escobar's efforts to create a positive image for himself through charitable activities. When he was shot dead while fleeing government forces across rooftops, his reputation was that of a body riddled with bullet holes. However, his fame survived him. Recently, Netflix announced plans to produce a television series based on his life, starring actors Benicio Del Toro and John LeGuincano.
3. Griselda Blanco
Not all crime lords are men. One of the most ruthless drug lords of all time was Griselda Blanco, nicknamed “La madrina” (The Godmother). Blanco was a key figure in the Medellin Cartel, and was considered a close advisor to Pablo Escobar, who would eventually become her enemy.
Ajo filloi të bëhej e famshme përmes dizenjimit të krahëve dhe brezave për të fshehur kokainën që kontrabandohej. Blanko u largua nga Kolumbia në fillim të viteve 1970 dhe u vendos në Kuins në Nju Jork, ku ngriti një rrjet droge në shkallë të gjerë. Në 1975, u vu nën akuzë kur qeveria amerikane zbuloi një dërgesë të madhe kokaine.
Blanko u rrikthye në Kolumbi, por nuk ndenji gjatë dhe shkoi sërish në SHBA, këtë herë në Majami. Në vitet 1980, Blanko e pikturoi Majami me ngjyrë të bardhë dhe të kuqe:e bardhë me kokainë, dhe e kuqe me gjakun e rivalëve të drogës. Një nga metodat e preferuara përfshinte atentatet nga motori. Majami përjetoi një valë krimesh të lidhura me Blankon, duke përfshirë një sulm në një supermarket me një mitraloz.
Blanko urdhëroi 40-250 vrasje, duke përfshirë edhe disa të kryera personalisht (ajo qëlloi një nga bashkëshortët e vet gjatë një sherri mbi një marrëveshje droge). Më në fund Blanko u burgos, por kjo nuk e ndaloi. Nga qelia ajo komplotoi për rrëmbimin e Xhon F. Kenedi Xhunior, përmes një plani që u hodh në erë vetëm falë tradhtisë së një të brendshmi.
Blanko e jetoi me aq enztuziazëm statusin e saj të “Kumbarës”, sa që i vuri emrin Majkëll Korleone djalit të saj më të vogël, sipas personazhit në filmin “Kumbari”. Megjithatë ashtu si Korleone i filmit, do të ketë një fund ironik. Blanko u vra para një dyqani mishi nga një vrasës me motor, një metodë që ajo e kishte përdorur shpesh për të eleminuar armiqtë e vet.
4. Osiel Kardenas Gijen
Ashtui si disa mafiozë, pasja e një pseudonimi të paharrueshëm të ndihmon, nëse synon të bëhej një bos i drogës. Osiel Kardenas Gijen mbante një nofkë të tmerrshme “El Mata Amigos” ose “Vrasësi i shokut”. Ai e fitoi këtë pseudonim duke vrarë mikun e tij Salvador Gomez, i cili ishte pretendent për të marrë kontrollin e Kartelit të Gjirit në vitin 1996.
Eshtë e panevojshme të thuhet se Karteli i Gjirit, pati shpejt një udhëheqëas të ri.
Manuali i Sigurisë Kufitare të SHBA-së e përshkruan Kartelin e Gjirit si “veçanërisht të dhunshëm”, dhe nën udhëheqjen e Kardenasit, ai e zgjeroi ndikimin e tij. Ai joshi ish-anëtarët
e pakorruptueshëm të Forcave Specale Meksikane, dhe krijoi një ushtri private mercenare, e cila mbronte interesat dhe zbatonte vullnetin e tij. Kjo ushtri u bë i njohur si Los Zetas (ZS), një grup brutal që ishte më i prirur t’i priste kokën një zyrtari qeveritar sesa ta korruptonte atë.
Me një organizim të tillë në prapavijë, karteli i Kardenasit u shndërrua në një nga organizatat më të fuqishme të trafikut të drogës në botë.
Ai dukej se ishte i pandalshëm, derikur kërcënoi disa agjentë të DEA që strehonin një informator. Fuqia e qeverisë të SHBA-së u provokua, dhe në vitin 2003, Kardenas u kap dhe u ekstradua në Shtetet e Bashkuara, ku ai ndodhet ende në një burg të Teksasit. Prej atëhere “Los Zetas” u larguan nga Karteli i Gjirit, dhe roli i tyre në Luftën Meksikane të Drogs vetëm sa është përshkallëzuar që nga arrestimi i Kardenasit.
5. Frenk Lukas
Although most drug traffickers come from Central America, the United States has had its own bosses. There was Ricky Ross, one of the men who fueled the hard drug epidemic in the mid-1980s; “Nicky” Barnes, known as “Mr. Untouchable” (he wasn’t); and Jimmie Thompson, “The Drug King.”
But perhaps best known of all is Frank Lucas, who during the 1970s distributed his heroin-type drug "Blue Magic" in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. Born in North Carolina, Lucas moved to New York, and soon became involved with the gang of local gangster "Gungachi" Johnson. After the latter died, Lucas saw this as an opportunity to move into the drug trade, which until then had been dominated by the Italian mafia.
Using military contacts overseas, he created a powerful network of direct drug distribution from Southeast Asia. Poppies were grown, processed into heroin, and transported by military aircraft to the United States (Lucas himself claimed that heroin was sometimes put in the coffins of soldiers returning from Vietnam).
The purity of the heroin, combined with Lucas's violent tactics against competitors, and the corrupt New York City police in the early 1970s, quickly made him amass millions of dollars a month. The police corruption would lead to a wide-ranging investigation that would eventually target Lucas himself. He would be imprisoned, but later turned government informant, which reduced his sentence.
Frank Lucas lost all his money, but he gained his freedom. His story was later told by Hollywood in the film “American Gangster,” starring actor Denzel Washington. Although the film is not very accurate in its reporting of the facts, and some have even accused it of making Lucas look noble, it nevertheless stands as a testament to America’s fascination with its most notorious drug lords.
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