Drug Lords

Last updated
Drug Lords
Genre Documentary
StarringQuinn Dalton
Jordan Lawson
Razor Rocco Rizzotti
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerMike Welsh
Running time42-47 min.
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJanuary 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)

Drug Lords is a 2018 American docu-series exploring real-life drug-dealing cartels and kingpins such as Pablo Escobar, El Chapo, the Cali Cartel, Frank Lucas and the Pettingill family. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Premise

Drug Lords explores real-life drug-dealing cartels and kingpins such as Pablo Escobar, El Chapo, the Cali Cartel, Frank Lucas and the Pettingill Clan by interviews from officers, gang members and journalists as well as dramatized re-enactments of certain events. [1] [2] [3]

Cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
1 4January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)
2 4July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10)

Season 1 (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
11"Pablo Escobar"January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar leads a horrific war against his own country until a team of politicians and police end his reign of terror.
22"The Cali Cartel"January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)
Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela use violence and guile to turn the Cali Cartel into a $7 billion-per-year criminal operation.
33"Frank Lucas & The Country Boys: Heroin Kings of New York"January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)
Frank Lucas does whatever it takes to become – and remain – the heroin king of New York. Meanwhile, three dedicated cops vow to bring him down.
44"The Pettingill Clan: Australia’s Heroin Dynasty"January 19, 2018 (2018-01-19)
A mother and her sadistic boys rule the Australian underworld until the eldest son's addiction hastens the family's downfall.

Season 2 (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
51"El Chapo"July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10)
After idolizing drug lords as a child, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán becomes one of history's most notorious kingpins, known for his audacious escapes.
62"Jemeker Thompson: Crack Queen of L.A"July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10)
Once the undisputed crack queen of LA, Jemeker Thompson speaks about her unorthodox reign and how her maternal instinct led to her downfall.
73"Christopher Coke: Jamaica’s Narco Prince"July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10)
Driven by an all-consuming desire for power, Jamaica's Christopher Coke considers himself a modern-day Robin Hood -- until authorities take him down.
84"Klaas Bruinsma: Europe’s Hash King"July 10, 2018 (2018-07-10)
Thought by many to be a pushover due to his boyish looks and wealthy upbringing, Klaas Bruinsma proves himself a sadistic and sinister drug lord.

Release

The series was released on January 19, 2018 on Netflix streaming. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pablo Escobar</span> Colombian drug lord (1949–1993)

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician, who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthiest criminals in history, having amassed an estimated net worth of US$30 billion by the time of his death—equivalent to $70 billion as of 2022—while his drug cartel monopolized the cocaine trade into the United States in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cali Cartel</span> Former Colombian drug cartel

The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela and José Santacruz Londoño. They broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellín associates in 1988, when Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera joined what became a four-man executive board that ran the cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela</span> Colombian drug lord (1939-2022)

Gilberto José Rodríguez Orejuela was a Colombian drug lord and one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel. Orejuela formed the cartel with his brother, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, José Santacruz Londoño, and Hélmer Herrera. The cartel emerged to prominence in the early 1990s, and was estimated to control about 80 and 90 percent of the American and European cocaine markets respectively in the mid-1990s. Rodríguez Orejuela was captured after a 1995 police campaign by Colombian authorities and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He obtained early release in 2002, and was re-arrested in 2003, after which he was extradited to the United States. There, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, where he died in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amado Carrillo Fuentes</span> Mexican drug lord (1956-1997)

Amado Carrillo Fuentes was a Mexican drug lord. He seized control of the Juárez Cartel after assassinating his boss Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. Amado Carrillo became known as "El Señor de Los Cielos", because of the large fleet of jets he used to transport drugs. He was also known for laundering money via Colombia, to finance this fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán</span> Mexican drug lord incarcerated in a US federal prison (born 1957)

Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, commonly known as "El Chapo" and "JGL", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate. He is considered to have been one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela</span> Colombian drug lord

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Orejuela is a convicted Colombian drug lord, formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali. He is the younger brother of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela. He married Miss Colombia 1974, Marta Lucía Echeverry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha</span> Colombian drug lord (1947-1989)

José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, also known by the nicknames 'Don Sombrero' and El Mexicano, was a Colombian drug lord who was one of the leaders of the 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 successful drug dealers. In 1988, Forbes magazine included him in their annual list of the world's billionaires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabio Ochoa Vásquez</span> Colombian drug trafficker

Fabio Ochoa Vásquez is a former leading member of the Medellín cocaine trafficking cartel, along with his older brothers Juan David and Jorge Luis. His role briefly made him a billionaire. After serving a brief prison term in Colombia, he was arrested and extradited to the US in 1999 and is serving a 30-year term in US federal prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía</span> Colombian drug trafficker

Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía is a drug trafficker who, until his capture, was one of the leaders of the North Valley Cartel, who was wanted on drug smuggling, murder and RICO charges in the United States of America. In addition to the trafficking of cocaine, it is believed Ramírez also participated in money laundering and trafficking of heroin. Through Ramírez’ illegal enterprise, he has amassed a fortune estimated at $1.8 billion by the US Department of State. He has been cited as "... one of the most powerful and most elusive drug traffickers in Colombia" by Adam J. Szubin, Director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hélmer Herrera</span> Colombian drug trafficker (1951-1998)

Francisco Hélmer Herrera Buitrago also known as "Pacho" and "H7", was a Colombian drug trafficker, fourth in command in the Cali Cartel, and believed to be the son of Benjamín Herrera Zuleta.

A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, lord of drugs, or narcotrafficker is a type of crime boss, who is in charge of a drug-trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamín Arellano Félix</span> Mexican drug trafficker

Benjamín Arellano Félix is a Mexican former drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel or "Arellano-Félix Organization” until his arrest in March 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drug barons of Colombia</span> Colombian crime bosses

Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of the most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia. Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar, were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence. "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas, became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country.

<i>Narcos</i> American crime drama series

Narcos is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are based on the story of Colombian narcoterrorist and drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who is the leader of the Medellin Cartel and became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine. The series also focuses on Escobar's interactions with drug lords, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, and various opposition entities. Season 3 picks up after the fall of Escobar and continues to follow the DEA as they try to shut down the rise of the infamous Cali Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Escobar</span> Brother of Pablo Escobar

Roberto de Jesús Escobar Gaviria, nicknamed El Osito, is the brother of deceased drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar, and the former accountant and co-founder of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for up to 80 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States.

<i>Narcos</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Narcos, an American crime thriller drama web television series produced and created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, follows the story of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, while also focusing on Escobar's interactions with other drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition entities.

<i>Narcos</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of Narcos, an American crime thriller drama web television series produced and created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, follows the story of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, while also focusing on Escobar's interactions with drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition entities.

<i>El Chapo</i> (TV series) Spanish crime television series

El Chapo is a crime television series, co-produced by Netflix and Univision, about the life of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. The series premiered on April 23, 2017 on Univision before airing on Netflix worldwide. It stars Marco de la O as the title character.

<i>Narcos: Mexico</i> Crime drama television series

Narcos: Mexico is an American crime drama streaming television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro that premiered on Netflix on November 16, 2018. It was originally intended to be the fourth season of the Netflix series Narcos, but it was ultimately developed as a companion series. It focuses on the development of Mexico's illegal drug trade, whereas the parent series centered on the establishment of Colombia's illegal drug trade. The series' second season premiered on February 13, 2020. On October 28, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season but announced that actor Diego Luna would not be returning to reprise his role as Félix Gallardo. The third and final season premiered on November 5, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Chepesiuk</span> Canadian academic and writer

Ronald Joseph Chepesiuk is a former academic and full university professor. He is currently an author, publisher, radio host, film producer and screenwriter.

References

  1. 1 2 "Netflix's 'Drug Lords' Is A Cheat Sheet To Some Of The Worst Criminals In Modern History". Decider. 22 January 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "'Drug Lords' tells the true-crime tales behind iconic movies". The Daily Dot. February 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Review - Netflix's Drug Lords - "A Compelling Documentary Series."". Ready Steady Cut. 20 January 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  4. Drug Lords. Netflix.