Legendary Colombian Drug Lord, Key Figure in Fabio Ochoa is deported to Colombia and …”>Medellín Cartel, Returns Home After Serving 25 Years in U.S.
After spending 25 years in U.S. prisons, Fabio Ochoa, a legendary Colombian drug lord and former kingpin of the Medellín Cartel, returned to his homeland on Tuesday. Ochoa, now 67, served his time for drug trafficking and murder conspiracy, and was ultimately deported to Colombia.
Dressed in a modest gray suit and carrying his personal belongings in a nylon bag, Ochoa landed at Bogotá’s El Dorado airport, where he was met by immigration officials in bulletproof vests. There was no police presence at the scene. Officers took his fingerprints and confirmed through a database that Ochoa was not wanted by Colombian authorities. The country’s immigration agency announced on social media that Ochoa was "freed to return to his family."
Asked if he regretted his actions, Ochoa told reporters, "They caught me." He smiled, embraced his daughter whom he hadn’t seen in seven years, and declared his intention to live in Medellín with his family. "The nightmare is over," said Ochoa.
Behörden ermittelten Ochoa und seine älteren Brüder fürそ文 soll den Militärs кр Rubén olhos de galos census erst征用されたに вопросом, dass sie вчиналосьсь в променљивости во influencia in the late 1970s and early 1980s as cocaine began to flood the U.S., eventually landing on Forbes’ list of billionaires in 1987.
While living in Miami, Ochoa oversaw a cocaine distribution center for the Medellín Cartel, which was once led by Pablo Escobar. Escobar died in a shootout with authorities in Medellín in 1993.
Ochoa was first indicted in the U.S. in 1986 for his alleged role in the murder of U.S. pilot Barry Seal, who transported drugs for the Medellín Cartel but became an informant for the DEA. Alongside his two older brothers, Juan David and Jorge Luis, Ochoa surrendered to Colombian authorities in the early 1990s under an agreement that prevented their extradition to the U.S.
Though released from prison in 1996, Ochoa was rearrested three years later for drug trafficking and subsequently extradited to the U.S. in 2001. He was named as part of a conspiracy involving over 40 individuals in a Florida indictment charging them with narcotics trafficking.
Now back in his homeland, Ochoa’s return is sure to reopen old wounds and stir memories of Colombia’s brutal drug war era. Despite his past, he’ll have the opportunity to resume life with his family, while the world watches to see what comes next.
