Fabio Ochoa, one of Colombia’s most notorious drug lords and a key player in the infamous Medellín Cartel, has been released after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States. Upon his deportation to Colombia on Monday, Ochoa, now 67, walked free after immigration officials confirmed he was not wanted by Colombian authorities.
Ochoa’s release marks the end of a long and turbulent journey for the former cartel boss, who, along with his brothers, rose to prominence in the cocaine trade during the late 1970s and 1980s. At their peak, the Ochoa brothers were featured in Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires in 1987, having amassed a significant fortune through their involvement in smuggling cocaine to the U.S.
After serving his time for drug trafficking and conspiracy, Ochoa arrived at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport wearing a gray sweatshirt and carrying his personal belongings in a plastic bag. He was greeted by Colombian immigration officials in bulletproof vests, but there were no police on hand to detain him. According to Colombia’s national immigration agency, Ochoa was freed to reunite with his family after his fingerprint records were checked and found clear of outstanding warrants in Colombia.
Ochoa’s criminal activities have long been notorious. He was indicted in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in the 1986 murder of American pilot Barry Seal, who had been a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel but turned informant for the DEA. In the early 1990s, Ochoa and his brothers turned themselves into Colombian authorities as part of a deal to avoid extradition to the U.S. However, after being briefly released, Ochoa was arrested again and extradited to the U.S. in 2001, where he was convicted in a Miami court for his role in a vast drug smuggling operation.
Though his name may have faded from the public eye with the rise of Mexican drug cartels, Ochoa was recently portrayed in Netflix’s Griselda and Narcos, where his early rivalry and later alliance with the notorious Griselda Blanco were depicted.
Richard Gregorie, a retired assistant U.S. attorney involved in Ochoa’s conviction, stated that while much of the Ochoa family’s illicit wealth was never recovered, Ochoa would likely return home as a wealthy man. “He won’t be retiring a poor man, that’s for sure,” Gregorie remarked.
As the former cartel boss returns to Colombia, it remains unclear what his future holds, but the legacy of his criminal activities continues to echo in the history of the global drug trade.
