5 most notorious drug lords

The recent saga of some prominent Nigerians being drug lords has drawn serious concern about the kind of country elite that parades themselves as respectable people of the society and parallels with some of the world’s most infamous kingpins, like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo.

Here are the 5 most notorious drug lords

Pablo Escobar (Colombia)

Escobar, the most infamous drug lord in history, commanded the Medellín Cartel, which controlled up to 80% of cocaine smuggled to the US in the 1980s. At his peak, he was one of the world’s wealthiest men, with his cartel making billions. His dominion was founded on brutality, and his reign left a bloody mark throughout Colombia.

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (Mexico)

Guzmán led the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful and dangerous criminal cartels. He escaped from prison several times and became a legendary figure in the narcotics business. His cartel is involved in large-scale drug trafficking, particularly in the United States.

Griselda Blanco (Colombia)

Griselda Blanco, known as the “Black Widow” or “La Madrina,” was a pioneer in the cocaine trade in the United States, particularly in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s. She is credited with pioneering the deadly narcotics trade that would control the city for years, becoming one of the most dangerous women in organized crime.

Amado Carrillo Fuentes (Mexico)

Fuentes, nicknamed “The Lord of the Skies” because he used a fleet of aircraft to carry drugs, commanded the Juárez Cartel in the 1990s. His cartel controlled the majority of cocaine traffic entering Mexico from Colombia, making him one of the wealthiest and most powerful traffickers of his time.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada (Mexico)

Zambada is from Mexico and a contemporary of El Chapo, is one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s leaders. Unlike many of his peers, Zambada has evaded arrest for decades and he is regarded as one of the most important leaders in the Mexican drug trade and continues to wield power in the drug industry.