Cali Cartel

Cali Cartel
FoundedCali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Years active1975–1995[1][2]
TerritorySouth America, Central America, Miami, New York City, Spain
EthnicityColombians
Membership2,500 - 6,000[3][4]
Leader(s)
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, bribery, money laundering, racketeering
Allies
Rivals
Cali Cartel
Leadership
Gilberto Rodríguez Orejueladeceased
Miguel Rodríguez Orejuelacaptured
José Santacruz Londoñokilled
Hélmer Herrera Buitragokilled
Associates
Henry Loaiza Ceballoscaptured
Juan Carlos Ortiz Escobarkilled
Jorge Salcedo Cabrerainformant
Mery Valencia de Ortizreleased
Phanor Arizabaleta Arzayusdeceased
Victor Patiño Fomequereleased

The Cali Cartel (Spanish: Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela and José Santacruz Londoño. They broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellín associates in 1988, when Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera joined what became a four-man executive board that ran the cartel.[5]

At the height of the Cali Cartel's reign from 1993 to 1995, they were cited as having control of over 80% of the world's cocaine market and were said to be directly responsible for the growth of the cocaine market in Europe, controlling 80% of the market there as well.[6] By the mid-1990s, the leaders of the Cali Cartel were a criminal empire operating billions per year. The Cartel was considered by law enforcement to be the most powerful criminal organization in the world.

  1. ^ "Cali Cartel Leaders Plead Guilty to Drug and Money Laundering Conspiracy Charges". United States Department of Justice. 26 September 2006.
  2. ^ "Thirty Years of America's Drug War: A Chronology". PBS.
  3. ^ "STRUCTURE OF INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS: Hearings Before The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs United States Senate One Hundred First Congress: First Session" (PDF). www.ojp.gov. 13 September 1989. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  4. ^ Rosen, Jonathan (2014). The Losing War: Plan Colombia and Beyond. United States: SUNY Press. p. 15. ISBN 9781438452999. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  5. ^ Rempel, William (2011). At The Devil's Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel. Random House.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference king was invoked but never defined (see the help page).