Bosses |
Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas (1974-1987) |
The importance of Carlos Lehder to the Medellin Cartel lay in his ability to move mass quantities of cocaine from Columbia to the United States using a fleet of small aircraft, boats and any other means available. With an eccentric personality, this son of a Columbian born mother and a German father who was said to have been a member of the German SS. Carlos spent a good deal of his childhood in the U.S. where he began engaging in criminal activities which ranged from stealing cars to moving small amounts of marijauna. Sentenced to serve a five year term in federal prison after authorities caught him with 200 lbs of marijauna in 1973, Lehder spent the next two years plotting with his cellmate to move large amounts of cocaine by plane. Following his release, Lehder moved quickly and setup an aireal distribution network which brought him to the attention of Jorge Ochoa Vasquez then an unknown quantity in the U.S. but nonetheless a major player in the Columbian drug industry. Lehder contracted with Ochoa to move 250 kilos of cocaine with a promise of more to come should the Lehderer group prove themselves capable of handling large shipments. The success of this initial trip led to bigger and better deals bringing Carlos Lehder into the big leagues. So successful was Lehder's transportation business that he purchased the Bahamian Island Norman Cay and set it up as a way station for his shipments headed to the U.S. Lehder initially refused to indulge in the pleasures of the coca plant but succumbed to the call of the wild and developed a serious addiction to the drug. Already egotistical and difficult to get along with when sober, Lehder became almost unbearable when high. As paranoia set in, Carlos surrounded himself with a team of German born bodyguards. Lehder's penchant for talking to much brought him into conflict with Pablo Escobar the Medellin Cartels most prominent member leading for a time to a split between Lehder and the largest supplier of cocaine in the world. The group did eventually settle their differences and continued to work together. Lehder was finally brought down in February of 1987 when 36 members of the Columbian police broke into his jungle hideout and quickly extradited him to Miami. Lehder was found quilty of importing 3.3 tons of cocaine into the U.S. and received a sentence of 135 years to life in prison. Lehder agreed to provide information which led to the fall of Panamanian dictator Manuel Norriega in exchange for a reduced sentence. |
