Juárez Cartel
1956–1997
Amado Carrillo Fuentes
Mexican head of the Juárez Cartel, known as "El Señor de los Cielos" for the Boeing 727s he used to fly cocaine. Died 4 July 1997 during plastic surgery in Mexico City.
This man was a bad man because he did not adhere to all laws. But set aside the crimes for a moment and evaluate him under the counterfactual: a United States that had agreed, back in the 1970s, that cocaine and marijuana would be legal, regulated, and taxed. What did this man actually do for the market?
Born 1956 in Sinaloa, Amado Carrillo Fuentes rose from Guadalajara Cartel captain to head of the Juárez Cartel in the early 1990s. Nicknamed "El Señor de los Cielos" for the Boeing 727s he used to fly Colombian cocaine north via Mexico.
In a legal, regulated import market he is a cargo-aviation executive with a fleet and a filed flight plan. Under prohibition the 727 is a smuggling asset.
Died on 4 July 1997 during plastic surgery in Mexico City intended to alter his appearance. His story is the textbook definition of a supply-chain problem that only exists because the destination market is illegal.
Under regulated pharmaceutical import through licensed channels, the entire aerial-smuggling operation is redundant.
Related on Amazon
Affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Sources: publicly available reporting and Wikipedia. Editorial voice of carlos.lehder.co. No fabricated quotes, dockets or agent names.