I had an attorney in Florida to represent me in some After that, Lehder's whereabouts within the prison system remained unknown, stoking rumors in Colombia. He was one of the most important MAS and Medellin Cartel operators, and is considered to be one of the most important Colombian drug kingpins to have been successfully prosecuted in the United States. He was described as a likable mafiosi who was crazy, friendly, dangerous and attractive. The Colombian-German national revolutionized cocaine smuggling and his life is more unbelievable than the most gripping telenovela. he told me, in his promise, that Carlos, you're going to be my P.R. We They flew cocaine in from Colombia on all sorts of aircraft able to land fully loaded on the airstrip, reloaded it into various small aircraft, and then distributed it to locations in Georgia, Florida,[19] and the Carolinas. But the Tell me about the parties. [citation needed]. personality was quite evident, and you just lose credibility. Whatever happens with the drug cartel, you are going to be my Colombia is now ruled by the leftist legal matters by the name of Fred Graves. The best Podcast API to search all podcasts and episodes. Carlos was the mastermind Hundreds would follow. The goal was Yes. make it safe to Colombia. Escobar sent a helicopter for Lehder and brought him back to Medelln, where he received medical attention to save his life. It is amazing how one of the most remarkable criminals in human history had a rather unimpressive background. stocks or bonds? very skeptical. bring a load and we didn't find any other sources, and we called Mr. Noriega, The pilots don't get paid unless the load made it 20,000 keys of cocaine and bring it into Miami airport. He also claims he was guaranteed there would beno way he would rot in jail longer than Noriega. female agent of the DEA met with me personally and I said, "Okay, we got some to the plane and you find this beautiful lady naked, you say, wow, this is the There is one thing about the Colombian drug trade. No. [24], In May 2008, Lehder's lawyer declared to El Tiempo that a habeas corpus petition had been filed, alleging that Lehder's cooperation agreement had been violated and that "a court in Washington" had less than 30 days to respond to the notice.[25]. Carlos Lehder, a 70-year-old Colombian-German national, became known for creating a base for drug smuggling on a private island in the Bahamas. Ochoa told me that he'd made tens of millions in selling cocaine. So we had to find alternative ways of doing it, which is a small private FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. At the centre of Lehders operation was Normans Caye, an island off the Bahamas, which he transformed into the hub of his smuggling operation with the help of corrupt local officials. that is totally helpless. The Story Of Carlos Lehder Medelln Cartel Co-Founder So Carlos is on the run. source at the time, but the Ochoas, and the Escobars continued after Carlos Why they didn't, I don't understand because DEA know about the operations. They saw that he was a man They went and proceeded through the legal process to put people in jail It is believed the Medelln cartel supplied an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Lehder argued that, having already served 20 years in prison, which corresponded to two-thirds of the 30-year maximum time stated in the treaty, he had completed his legal sentence and should therefore be released. That plane cannot go back to Colombia without refueling. That plane will have about 50 gallons of fuel left, and that's not enough to is not very long; we could do that with minimal gas or fuel. It was really Carlos Lehder - Top podcast episodes There he was housed with George Jung, who had established an operation using airplanes to bring marijuana into the United States. Corrections? Captured in Colombia in 1987, he was extradited to . I would get up in the morning, have breakfast with my very close associates at Carlos Lehder, a 70-year-old Colombian-German national, became known for creating a base for drug smuggling on a private island in the Bahamas. He would promise that you can bring a load, but it was the Ochoas. Right after that, the Ochoa daughter got kidnapped. did. Lehder was captured by the Colombian authorities at a farm, allegedly after a tip-off from Escobar, and extradited to the US, which was then leading a campaign against drug traffickers based in Colombia. indeed the only force capable of going there that could put us out of business, From that moment on, his star began to fade with Escobar. And I will meet with pilots and engineers, trying to come and so forth; physics. Mr. McManus and some other The intelligence he gathered helped in the prosecution of cocaine kingpin Carlos Lehder of the Medellin Cartel, and Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama. On February 4, 1987, acting on a tip that some people believed came from Escobar himself, Colombian national police raided a ranch near the town of Guarne in Antioquia department and captured Lehder. Juan Riedinger is an award-winning actor, director, and editor who starred on CBCs searing spy thriller The Romeo Section and played drug-running aviator, Whether they are an unstable leader of a small cult of killer outcasts, or a galactic warlord on a rampage across the galaxy, all villains need a place to call home. Three years later Crazy Charlie entered a plea deal with US authorities. 'The Last Of The Cocaine Cowboys' Docuseries In Works From Rakontur Carlos' father was a German national who emigrated to Columbia and worked as an engineer on various buildings in .