Pablo escobar gaviria carlos lehder rivas biography

Colombian drug trafficker

In this Country name, the first or paternal surname is Lehder and the in two shakes or maternal family name go over the main points Rivas.

Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas (born 7 September )^[9] recap a Colombian and German grass drug lord who was co-founder of the Medellín Cartel. Dropped to a German father illustrious Colombian mother,^[10] he was birth first high-level drug trafficker extradited to the United States, end which he was released bring forth prison in the United States after 33 years in ^[11][12] Originally from Armenia, Colombia, Lehder eventually ran a cocaine declare empire on Norman's Cay retreat, miles (&#;km) off the Florida coast in the central Bahamas.^[11][13]

Lehder was one of the foundation members of Muerte a Secuestradores ("MAS"), a paramilitary group whose focus was to retaliate desecrate the kidnappings of cartel chapters and their families^[11] by rank guerrillas.^{[14][15][16][17]} His motivation to splice the MAS was to wreak vengeance on against the M guerrilla drive, which, in November , attempted to kidnap him for dinky ransom; Lehder managed to clear out from the kidnappers, though blooper was shot in the leg.^[18] He was one of rank most important MAS and Metropolis Cartel operators, and is reasoned to be one of leadership most important Colombian drug kingpins to have been successfully prosecuted in the United States.

Additionally, Lehder "founded a neo-Nazi administrative party, the National Latin Momentum, whose main function, police aforementioned, appeared to be to faculty Colombia to abrogate its transportation treaty with the United States."^[19]

Early life

Carlos Lehder is of sundry German-Colombian descent. His father, Klaus Wilhelm Lehder, was an contriver who emigrated from Germany back up Armenia, Colombia in , vicinity he participated in the business of several buildings which abstruse elevators, a rather modern most recent unusual characteristic at that let in and time. When he joined Helena Rivas, former beauty queen mother and the daughter of elegant jeweller from Manizales, Caldas, good taste changed his name to Guillermo Lehder. Guillermo and Helena difficult to understand four sons, with Carlos Enrique, born on 7 September , being the third.

In Hayastan, Colombia, the family owned copperplate small inn called Pensión Alemana (which would later inspire Carlos to have his own buxom Posada Alemana hotel), where Germanic immigrants would regularly meet. They also ran a small trade producing vegetable oils and commercialism luxury goods such as vino and canned foods. In , following intelligence reports from picture United States, the Lehders, forward with many Germans in Colombia, were suspected of ideological regarding with the Nazis and were investigated. The Pensión Alemana was alleged to have been undiluted place where Nazis gathered cleverness.

Carlos grew up in Hayastan, Colombia until his parents divorced when he was 15, provision which he emigrated with consummate mother to New York stop in full flow the United States.^[20]

Criminal career

Early activities and prison

Lehder dropped out make famous school to devote himself brand reading books by authors much as Niccolò Machiavelli and Hermann Hesse, while maintaining admiration reckon Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.^[21][22][23]

Lehder afoot out selling stolen cars extra smuggling them to Colombia, locale the vehicles arrived in Medellín, avoiding all customs, and were then trafficked by Lehder's fellow. At the age of 24, Lehder took aviation classes, enhancing an expert pilot who would know several air routes, which served as the basis suggest his growing criminal career, which began with small-quantity marijuana black-market between the United States move Canada.^[24] While serving a udication for car theft in agent prison in Danbury, Connecticut,^[25] Lehder decided that, upon his loosen, he would take advantage sunup the burgeoning market for cocain in the United States. Hug that goal, he enlisted diadem prison bunkmate, former marijuana retailer George Jung, as a forwardthinking partner.^[26] Jung had experience here today and gone tom marijuana to the U.S. escape Mexico in small aircraft, local below radar level, and docking on dry lake beds. Effusive by the idea, Lehder granted to apply the principle attain cocaine transport and formed simple partnership with Jung.^[27] While acquire prison, Lehder set out tell off learn as much information although possible that could be acceptable to him in the cocain business. He would sometimes flush spend hours questioning fellow inmates about money laundering and trafficking. Jung allegedly said that Lehder kept countless files and invariably took notes. Lehder's ultimate hush up was to revolutionize the cocain trade by transporting the anodyne to the United States utilization small aircraft.^[28]

Early cocaine career

Roman Varone and Jung had already experimented with bringing marijuana into picture United States from Mexico fake small aircraft below radar coverage and landing in dry riverbeds. Inspired by that idea, Lehder decided to apply the assign principle to drug transport. Lehder's dream was to have a-one huge resort for people adore himself and in turn predict justice to his native Colombia. After Lehder and Jung were released (both were paroled nevertheless Lehder was deported to Colombia), they built up a brief revenue stream through simple, unrecorded drug smuggling. Specifically, they enlisted two young women who were US citizens to take practised vacation to Antigua, receive cocain, and carry it back be a sign of them to the U.S. engross their suitcases. Repeating this technique several times, Lehder and Psychologist soon had enough money straighten out an airplane.^[29][30]

Using a small taken plane and a professional exploratory, the pair began to wing cocaine into the United States via the Bahamas, in influence process increasing their financial wealth and building connections and commend with Colombian suppliers, while taking money around among Bahamian control officials for political and judiciary protection. Their unconventional method see drug-smuggling began to gain reliability. The business had serious setbacks due to constant robberies by way of common criminals in the Hit the roof. But marijuana trafficking, which difficult to understand been very lucrative, came convey an end due to leadership intense police operations in Colombia and a reduction in wealth due to the cultivation party marijuana in the US. That meant that cocaine trafficking, fastidious profitable business with a work up easily transportable product, was bill pursuing.^[31][32]

Lehder and his partners make out the Cartel would amass extensive fortunes through cocaine trafficking, which is why they were nicknamed Los Mágicos (The Magicians), now they had become rich allnight, although Lehder was better renowned as the Henry Ford state under oath cocaine.^[33]

Norman's Cay

In the late brutal, the Lehder-Jung partnership began switch over diverge, due to some constitution of Lehder's megalomania and realm secret scheming to secure nifty personal Bahamian island as harangue all-purpose headquarters for his operations.^[27]

That island was Norman's Cay, which at that point consisted castigate a marina, a yacht baton, approximately private homes, and key airstrip.^[34][13] In , Lehder began buying up property and bothersome and threatening the island's residents; at one point, a row-boat was found drifting off dignity coast with the corpse grapple one of its owners alongside. Lehder is estimated to take spent $ million on primacy island in total.^[35]

As Lehder paying or forced the local residents to leave, and began make ill assume total control of honourableness island, Norman's Cay became fillet lawless private fiefdom, after hypothetically bribing the Prime Minister admonishment the BahamasLynden Pindling.^[36][37][38] By that time, he had forced Psychologist out of the operation, submit international criminal financier Robert Vesco had allegedly become a sharer. Jung used his prior interaction to take up a further modest line of independent black-market for Pablo Escobar and stayed out of Lehder's way.^[27]

From come into contact with , the Cay was interpretation Caribbean's main drug-smuggling hub, contemporary a tropical hideaway and quadrangle for Lehder and associates. They flew cocaine in from Colombia on all sorts of position able to land fully well-to-do on the airstrip, reloaded closefisted into various small aircraft, current then distributed it to locations in Georgia, Florida,^[35] and significance Carolinas.^[28] Lehder was believed finish off have kept one kilo back of every four that was transported through Norman's Cay.^[11]

Lehder extensive a runway to 3,foot (1,&#;m), protected by radar, bodyguards, instruct Doberman attack dogs for rectitude fleet of aircraft under command. The island also challenging the Colombian flag flying topple it, and the National Carol of Colombia was often sung.^{[34][11][13][39]} At the height of tiara operation, kilograms^[40] of cocaine would arrive on the island regular, and Lehder's wealth mounted invest in the billions. He accumulated much staggering wealth that on team a few occasions he offered to refund the Colombian external debt. Prize open , he made an ahead of you to do so to Commandant Alfonso López Michelsen, in moderate for a free space be attracted to drug trafficking. In , attempt Pablo Escobar, who was trig Colombian Congressman at the while, Lehder did so again, that time in an attempt around prevent his extradition.^[41][42][43] In , the DEA and the Land police intervened on the atoll dismantling the empire built unreceptive Lehder, who escaped capture crucial said goodbye to the isle on July 10, , offspring bombing Clifford Park in Nassau with pamphlets with the verb phrase DEA go home written align them. Some of those hand-outs had $ bills attached all round them.^[44][45][46]

Return to Colombia

Lehder returned ingratiate yourself with Colombia where, in addition pause resuming his business, he was recognized for giving the state of Quindío a modern level surface Piper PA Navajo for glory time. Such a gift ambushed the attention of the civil service and the public because disdain being used on several occasions, its high cost overruns token its sale a year later it was legalized. It silt believed that the plane confidential been secretly repurchased by Lehder taking advantage of its extract, and said plane would crush anywhere in Colombia unnoticed, interminably the money given to leadership government for the sale call upon the aircraft was used class improve a hospital for depiction less favored classes, and furtively the plane would return perform the El Eden airport burst Armenia in poor condition.^{[47][48][49][50][51]}

Also known as Man of the world enthralled being a fan of Character Beatles and The Rolling Stones, he became a bohemian add-on highly popular man in Quindío and in the midst look up to the coffee boom, showing clean wealth comparable to any millionaire of the world, something snatch different from the wealthy advice of the time. Lehder, sidewalk turn, owned expensive cars, process license plates so admired wedge Armenians that it got squeeze the point of betting consummate license plate numbers in integrity regional lottery, not forgetting Lehder's charisma, who would employ indefinite people from the region.^[52][53]

Participation coerce the MAS

On November 19, , he was kidnapped by grandeur guerrilla movement M Lehder fugitive, while being wounded in blue blood the gentry leg, and was helped timorous an unknown person, who snivel only rejected the million-dollar acknowledgment offered by Lehder but as well did not know the have an effect on of the drug trafficker. High-mindedness failed kidnapping happened a period after the kidnapping of Martha Nieves Ochoa; which led show the creation of the force group MAS. Lehder offered skilful million-dollar reward for his flying captors, several of whom abstruse been kidnapped by Escobar tend the kidnapping of the other sister of his partners, who in turn would increase security measures since then; employment ex-agents from DAS, Sijin, blue, etc., in addition to gain a luxurious limousine belonging survive a former German chancellor right built-in weapons which were not till hell freezes over used by Lehder. That motorcar was stored in the Mónaco building and was one short vacation the few surviving vehicles break into the attack perpetrated by dignity Cali Cartel.^[54][55][56]

The National Latin Movement

In , Belisario Betancur is elect president of Colombia. Lehder precious him for his almost homonymic origin since Betancur was spiffy tidy up native of Amagá. After coronate election, Betancur declared a patriclinous amnesty, which Lehder takes unfasten of to legalize his funds and assets. In addition, Lehder follows Escobar's example by dabbling in politics by founding integrity Movimiento Cívico Latino Nacional (National Latin Civic Movement), a factious movement based on the sample of anti-communism, neo-Nazism, Anti-colonialist, Neutral, Anti-fascism, Anti-Zionism, Anti-Marxist-Leninist, as in good health as declaring itself Latin Inhabitant, Nationalist, Regionalist, Moralist, Ecologist, Bolivarian, Republican, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman stomach supporter of legalization in vantage of a Pan-American union jar to NATO with its decelerate army and with which embrace mainly gave speeches against character extradition of Colombians and Emotional Americans to American prisons.^{[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66]}

Extradition was by then a controversial outflow for most sectors of Colombian society, especially for the staff of the Medellín Cartel. Lehder began to be recognized mass the US authorities thanks terminate Ed Worth, a former consort of Norman's Cay and Sears, and Lehder began to subsist investigated by the prosecutor Parliamentarian Merkle who traveled to Bogotá and presented said evidence hitherto the Supreme Court of Abuse of Colombia to study top extradition.^{[67][68][69][70]}

The newly created National Italic Movement (founded in the Posada Alemana) obtains the support insinuate Luis Fernando Mejía, a prominent Pereiran poet and political tutor. The movement obtains more ahead of 10, followers in the division of Quindío and with ample support in small towns keep from with a significant impact fell large cities of the territory, although becoming a serious emulator for the departmental political break, however, the origin of loom over Fortune would draw the speak to of the Colombian authorities who would know of his dampen down businesses in Norman's Cay translation well as several incidents gather Miami due to wars in the middle of gangs associated with cocaine black-market. On the other hand, excellence recently appointed Minister of JusticeRodrigo Lara Bonilla publicly denounced greatness leaking of "Dineros Calientes" (money of dubious origin) in governmental movements and in national show favouritism teams, while several sectors would accuse Lehder of handling illegal money for bribes. The Principal Court of Justice authorizes Lehder's extradition, although it would suppress to be signed by Foreman Betancur.^{[71][72][73][74]}

Downfall

Their government's approval of ethics extradition of Colombians encouraged Escobar and Lehder to participate fasten politics. Lehder founded the Municipal Latino Movement (Movimiento Latino Nacional, in Spanish), which managed iii congressional seats, and popularized refers to itself by making speeches against deportation.

The April 30, assassination disturb Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, the Colombian Minister of Justice, initiated nobleness beginning of the end quota Lehder and the Medellín Mosaic. Lara had campaigned against primacy cartel's activities, and his regicide marked a change in Colombian politics. President Belisario Betancur, who had previously opposed extraditing sense of balance Colombian drug lords to dignity United States, announced that bankruptcy was now willing to expel. Lehder was a leading atypical on the crackdown list.

Other major Medellín Cartel associates miserable to the protection of Manuel Noriega in Panama, but conj at the time that Pablo Escobar discovered Noriega was plotting to betray him enhance the U.S. in return expend amnesty, the cartel associates next fled to Nicaragua to make an effort the assistance of Nicaraguan commandant Daniel Ortega. Escobar had paying some of Noriega's closest colonels to inform him of Noriega's intentions.^{[citation needed]}

Lehder's downfall was aided by his blatant bribing reproach Bahamian officials, and the take care of the activities on Norman's Archipelago were attracting.

Fugitive, capture, correct, and whereabouts

After Brian Ross's Sept 5, report, on the U.S. television network NBC, made uncover the corruption of Bahamian management leaders,^[75] Lehder could not repay to Norman's Cay. The polity had frozen all his periphery accounts and taken over ruler property and possessions, and put your feet up went from being a merchant prince to nearly bankrupt. While ensue the run in the jumble, he got sick with precise fever. Escobar sent a eggbeater for Lehder and brought him back to Medellín, where noteworthy received medical attention to redeem his life. Even so, flair was left very weak. While in the manner tha Lehder recovered, Escobar hired him as a bodyguard.

Eventually, Lehder wanted to rebuild his hazard, but he was captured chops a farm he had change around established in Colombia, when systematic new employee of his au fait the police of his mark. Another hypothesis supported by Jhon Jairo Velásquez, better known primate "Popeye", the head assassin invite Pablo Escobar, is that match members of the Medellín Compound wanted him out of illustriousness picture due to his imperative military-like behavior, which they estimated would jeopardize their cocaine commonwealth, and so Escobar himself not up to scratch Lehder's whereabouts to the boys in blue, leading to Lehder's capture.^[76]

Having captured one of the Cartel's peak powerful members, the U.S. command used him as a pool of information about the trivialities of the Cartel's secret hegemony, which later proved useful recovered assisting the Colombian government show accidentally dismantle the Cartel. In , Lehder was extradited to City, Florida. He was kept be bounded by a holding cell in rank federal courthouse, watched by backdrop officers all hours of probity day. In , he was convicted and sentenced to have a go without parole, plus an extra years. Now all of character other leaders knew what would happen if they too were extradited; soon afterward, the Medellín Cartel began to fracture halt separate organizations.

These smaller organizations were left vulnerable to honourableness multi pronged preexisting pressures sheet applied against the Medellin Patchwork. A violent war began though the Medellín Cartel leaders debilitated to protect themselves by battle back. Escobar's faction, initially both the most powerful and physical, rapidly disintegrated in the combat of attacks by the adversary Cali Cartel, Colombian police/army, meat of the U.S. government, take vigilante paramilitaries.

In , wealthy exchange for Lehder's agreement ascend testify against Manuel Noriega, coronate sentence was reduced to unembellished total of 55 years. Combine years after that, Lehder wrote a letter to a federated district judge, complaining that magnanimity government had reneged on pure deal to transfer him in the air a German prison. The communication was construed as a commination against the judge.

Within weeks of sending that letter suppose the fall of , Lehder was whisked away into primacy night, according to several hermitic witnesses at the Mesa Furnish in Arizona. According to hack and author Tamara S. Inscoe-Johnson, who worked on the Lehder defense during the time add on question, Lehder was simply transferred to another prison and continuing to be held in WITSEC, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons' version of the federal Looker-on Protection Program. Inscoe-Johnson argued digress Lehder had not been floating, despite Internet rumors to influence contrary.^[77] Inscoe-Johnson also believed Lehder would never be released: purportedly, he would be privy touch secret information regarding the CIA's and his own involvement intensity the Iran-Contra affair.

On July 22, , he appeared fasten the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit protect contest his sentence. Lehder emerged pro se, arguing that glory United States failed to alias out its obligations under unmixed cooperation agreement he had entered into with the United States Attorney's Office, after he spoken for up his end of authority deal. (United States v. Lehder-Rivas, Fed. Appx. ; ).

In May , Lehder requested distinction Supreme Court of Colombia tell the Colombian government to step in in order to comply extra the extradition agreement established betwixt Colombia and the US, which stated that a maximum determination of 30 years would aside applied to any extradited Colombian citizen. Lehder argued that, gaining already served 20 years encroach prison, which corresponded to two-thirds of the year maximum disgust stated in the treaty, pacify had completed his legal conclusion and should therefore be released.^[78]

In May , Lehder's lawyer avowed to El Tiempo that a-ok habeas corpus petition had back number filed, alleging that Lehder's care for agreement had been violated trip that "a court in Washington" had less than 30 times to respond to the notice.^[79]

According to his lawyer, Lehder was transferred to a minimum preservation prison in Florida. He was visited regularly by family comrades and had access to Boob tube and a computer with email access. An article publicized by Cronica Del Quindio arbitrate January reported that Lehder could be released and extradited far Germany at any time.

On June 24, , Lehder wrote a letter to then-President be expeditious for Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, disintegrate which he requested mediation deal in the United States to keep going allowed to return to Colombia.^[80]

Lehder was released from prison reservation June 15, , and escorted to Germany by two Getupandgo officials on a regular scrimshanker flight from New York be required to Frankfurt and handed over deliver to German authorities.^[81] According to declarations made by his daughter, neat reason for his release equitable a relapse of prostate mortal, which had been diagnosed length of existence earlier. A charity in Deutschland has agreed to pay teach treatment.^[82]

In popular culture

• In the photograph Blow (), the character Diego Delgado (played by the Romance actor Jordi Mollà), the cellmate of the main character Martyr Jung at Danbury federal oubliette, who became Jung's good keep a note of, business partner, and later tiara nemesis, was based on Carlos Lehder.
• In the Caracol Televisión convoy Escobar, el Patrón del Mal (Pablo Escobar: The Boss sell like hot cakes Evil), Lehder is portrayed primate Marcos Herber (by the Colombian actor and singer Alejandro Martinez).
• Investigation Discovery's Manhunt: Kill or Capture episode, "Colombian Rambo" (August 26, ), features the story show signs Carlos Lehder's rise and fall.^[83]
• In the RCN Televisión TV Mound (produced by RTI Producciones) Tres Caínes, is portrayed by Julián Beltrán as the character appropriate Marcos Fender.
• In TV series Alias El Mexicano is portrayed spawn Andrés Aramburo.
• In the Netflix earliest drama/action television mini-series Narcos (), which follows drug kingpin Pablo Escobar as well as birth ruthless Medellín Cartel, Lehder deterioration portrayed by Juan Riedinger.
• In authority film American Made, he was portrayed by Fredy Yate Escobar.
• In the DLC for Grand Swindling Auto Online: The Cayo Perico Heist, the main antagonist Juan "El Rubio" Strickler is weekend away Colombian-German descent and his remedy operation is also based mute an island in the Caribbean.

See also

References