After a quarter-century behind bars, a notorious figure from Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel has stepped out of a U.S. prison, ready to return home.
Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, once a major player in the Medellin cocaine cartel, was released from prison on Tuesday, as shown by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons records. He had been serving a 30-year sentence but was freed after 25 years. Now, at 67, Ochoa is expected to be deported back to Colombia.
Ochoa, along with his older brothers, made a name and fortune in the 1970s and 1980s, as the cocaine boom took over the U.S. For a time, their wealth was so vast that in 1987, Forbes Magazine listed them among the world’s billionaires. Ochoa made a significant impact while living in Miami, running a major distribution center for a cartel once led by the infamous Pablo Escobar.
Despite fading from the spotlight when the focus of the drug trade shifted from Colombia to Mexico, Ochoa’s past was revived through the popular Netflix series “Narcos.” He was portrayed as the youngest son of an elite family involved in ranching and horse breeding—a stark contrast to Escobar’s humble beginnings.
Ochoa’s first clash with U.S. justice came with his indictment for involvement in the 1986 killing of DEA informant Barry Seal, whose story concluded in the 2017 film “American Made” starring Tom Cruise. Initially arrested in Colombia in 1990, Ochoa benefitted from a policy that prevented extradition to the United States.
However, the tide changed, and in 2001, Ochoa found himself extradited to the U.S. following a significant indictment in Miami. This charge painted him and over 40 others as participants in a drug smuggling conspiracy. Interestingly, Ochoa chose trial over a plea, leading to his conviction and hefty sentence. His co-defendants, meanwhile, received lesser sentences due to their cooperation with authorities.
Richard Gregorie, a retired assistant U.S. attorney involved in Ochoa’s prosecution, remarked that not all of the Ochoa family’s illegal earnings were confiscated by authorities. He predicts that Ochoa’s return to Colombia will be anything but destitute. “He won’t be retiring a poor man, that’s for sure,” Gregorie noted.
Although Ochoa’s Miami-based attorney, Richard Klugh, has refrained from commenting, his past legal efforts argued for an early release, claiming the penalty was disproportionate to the cocaine volume linked to Ochoa. However, these arguments did not succeed.
As Fabio Ochoa Vásquez prepares to leave the United States, his story serves as a reminder of a turbulent era in drug trafficking history. His release marks another chapter in the enduring saga of the Medellin cartel—a tale of crime, wealth, and the relentless pursuit of justice.
Source: Apnews
