The 21 Richest Drug Lords In History
Here is a list, which we'll update in another ten years, that reflects some of the biggest cartels and drug lords who have operated their illicit organizations in the last 100 years.
Many of the names on this list have been iconized in movies and television, some familiar names might include, George Jung, who was portrayed by Johnny Deep in Blow, Frank Lucas, who was played by Denzel Washington in American Gangster, and Pablo Escobar, who has been played by multiple people over the years.
1.
Frank Lucas, Net Worth: $52 Million. Frank Lucas was portrayed by actor Denzel Washington in the 2007 movie American Gangster. Lucas was a heroin dealer in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
2.
Jose Figueroa Agosto, Net Worth: $100 million. The Puerto Rican kingpin was the Caribbean's biggest drug lord up until his arrest in 2010. He was arrested in 1999 for murder and sentenced to 209 years in prison, but managed to escape, fleeing to the Dominican Republic. Agosto then lived on the run for 10 years while he still continued trafficking drugs into the United States.
3.
George Jung, Net Worth: $100 million. Played by Johnny Depp in the film Blow, George Jung aka "Boston George", practically owned the United States cocaine market in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was responsible for 89 percent of the cocaine smuggled in the U.S.
4.
Nicky Barnes, Net Worth: $105 Million. Leroy "Nicky" Barnes led the notorious African-American organization named The Council in Harlem, controlling the heroin trade. During his time in prison, he later became an informant, helping to indict 44 traffickers after learning that his assets were not being taken care of and that one of his Council members was sleeping with his wife/mistress.
5.
Paul Lir Alexander, Net Worth: $170 Million. Known as "The Baron of Cocaine," Alexander was a former Brazilian drug smuggler who used his connections with the CIA and DEA, to take down his enemies while boosting his own net worth.
6.
Zhenli Ye Gon, Net Worth: $300 million. Born in China, Ye Gon resided and became a citizen of Mexico, where he was known for trafficking pseudoephedrine or ephedrine precursor chemicals from Asia to Mexico. During a police raid of his house, they found 7 million stacked in a back room, which was seized along with seven cars, jewels and a war chest of automatic guns.
7.
Joseph Kennedy, Net Worth: $400 million. The father of President John F. Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy was said to be an illegal liquor bootlegger. During times of the Prohibition, Kennedy smuggled a huge amount of illegal alcohol into the U.S., adding to his already vast fortune.
8.
"Freeway" Ricky Ross, Net Worth: $600 million. Ross was the most powerful drug lord Los Angeles during the 1980s, claiming he had drug operations across the country and that he sold upwards of a million dollars of cocaine per day. Ross was released from prison in 2009.
9.
Rafael Caro Quintero, Net Worth: $650 Million. Quintero founded the now-defunct Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico in the 1970s. After being released in 2013, the Mexican Federal Court issued a warrant against Quintero. He is now wanted in Mexico, U.S., and other countries.
10.
Joaquin Loera aka Chapo Guzman, Net Worth: $1 Billion. Until his arrest in 2014, Loera was considered the most powerful drug trafficker in the world by the United States Department of Treasury. He was the leader of the most powerful cartel in the world today; the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. Forbes Magazine listed Lorea as one of the 50 richest and most powerful people in the world. And recently Loera escaped from a maximum security prison by mean of a tunnel. Loera has since not been found.
11.
Al Capone, Net Worth: $1.3 Billion. In the 1920s, Al Capone controlled a vast criminal empire that consisted of drug smuggling, prostitution rings and gambling outfits in the United States. He is one of the most popularized American gangsters of all time.
12.
Griselda Blanco, Net Worth: $2 Billion. In the 1970s and 1980s, Blanco was the queen of Miami drug trafficking. She was a drug lord of the Medellin Cartel in Colombia and was a mentor of Pablo Escobar.
13.
Carlos Lehder, Net Worth: $2.7 Billion. Leder was the co-founder of the Medellin Cartel in Colombia. He ran a cocaine transport empire on Norman's Cay, an island in the Bahamas that he bought.
14.
The Orejuela Brothers, Net Worth: $3 Billion. Gilberto and Miguel Orejuela founded the Cali Cartel in Colombia. They began trafficking marijuana, but then shifted to cocaine because of the ease of transportation and how much more money it was worth. The cartel is known for innovation in trafficking and production, and was known for being less violent and more professional than their Medellin rivals.
15.
Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, Net Worth: $5 Billion. Known by the nickname El Mexicano, Gacha was one of the leaders of the Medellin Cartel along with Pablo Escobar. During the height of his career in the late 1970s, Gacha was acknowledged as one of the most successful drug dealers.
16.
Khun Sa, Net Worth: $5 Billion. "The Opium King," Khun Sa was the world’s largest opium producer in Thailand. He formed what was called The Golden Triangle, where he had about 10,000 men cultivating the drug. He was also known for supplying 75 percent of the world's heroin in the 1970s and 1980s. He was never arrested, living a life of luxury.
17.
The Ochoa Brothers, Net Worth: $6 Billion. The brothers Jorge, Juan David and Fabio were responsible for the founding of the Medellin Cartel along with Pablo Escobar, Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha and Carlos Lehder. The three brothers ended up controlling 30 percent of the cartel's cocaine trade. Once they were arrested, the brothers lost their entire fortune.
18.
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, Net Worth: $6.7 Billion. Leader of the Indian crime organization D-Company, Kaskar headed a vast illegal empire and allegedly organized the 1993 Mumbai bombings. He is India's most wanted man.
19.
Amado Carrillo Fuentes, Net Worth: $25 Billion. Fuentes was a Mexican drug lord who seized control of the Juarez Cartel. He was known as "Lord of the Skies" because of the fleet jets he used to transport drugs. He died in Mexico after an extensive plastic surgery procedure to alter his appearance went wrong.
20.
Pablo Escobar, Net Worth: $30 Billion. Escobar was the ruthless leader of the Medellin Cartel in Colombia. Leading the world's largest cocaine organization, Escobar owned soccer teams, and built hospitals along with housing projects in Colombia. After escaping prison, he was gunned down in 1993 on a roof.
21.
Fabio Ochoa, Net Worth: Unknown. Father of the Ochoa brothers, who were responsible for founding the Medellin Cartel, Fabio is assumed to have not taken part to the drug trafficking. Yet, he is said to be the real drug lord of Colombia.
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