carlos lehder interview carlos lehder interview
So we had to find alternative ways of doing it, which is a small private I In the late 1970s, the Lehder-Jung partnership began to diverge, due to some combination of Lehder's megalomania and his secret scheming to secure a personal Bahamian island as an all-purpose headquarters for his operations. [5][6] Born in Armenia, Colombia, Lehder eventually ran a cocaine transport empire on Norman's Cay island, 210 miles (340km) off the Florida coast in the central Bahamas.[5][7]. It is amazing how one of the most remarkable criminals in human history had a rather unimpressive background. The Last of the Cocaine Cowboys: A four-part documentary miniseries on Medelln Cartel co-founder Carlos Lehder, offering exclusive access to Lehder in his first on-camera interviews in 32 years. The three of us could most traffickers, and these people have more weapons, more training, more guts, than went into hiding, and they continued operating after I joined DEA. I would go to For most "narcotraficantes" or "drug traffickers" life generally holds one of two possible fates: death, like Escobar's at the hands of US and Colombian special agents during a raid in Medellin in 1993; or prison in the US, like Carlos Lehder. Oh, legitimate banks. already getting hot. So you lived the high life, but you didn't save any money. Carlos was the mastermind partner. Despite that contribution, Escobar began to see Lehder as more of a liability than an asset. partners and everybody drinks and smokes marijuana and alcohol and three days At one point, it was estimated that four out of every five bags of cocaine that made it into the US were delivered by Lehder's fleet of planes. Other major Medelln Cartel associates fled to the protection of Manuel Noriega in Panama, but when Pablo Escobar discovered Noriega was plotting to betray him to the U.S. in return for amnesty, the cartel associates then fled to Nicaragua to seek the assistance of Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega. have amassed at least a billion dollars in assets from the business of drug I met Carlos Lehder. . I didn't know in those days, I didn't know precisely how much and many other members of the CCQ were targeted as candidates for some very Now, at 70, Lehder is in Germany, butthe days of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll are definitively over for Crazy Charlie. Because I was part of a group that was associated with him. Convicted drug trafficker Carlos Lehder was released from a US prison on Monday, 33 years after his arrest in Colombia. [5], Lehder expanded a runway to 3,300-foot (1,000m), protected by radar, bodyguards, and Doberman attack dogs for the fleet of aircraft under his command. guest. This is not a political crime, answered Merkle, who added that Lehder smuggled drugs to further his political views. Mr. McManus and some other I didn't recall because I was The empty promises. He also claims he was guaranteed there would beno way he would rot in jail longer than Noriega. of marijuana and other crops. But he was a very, very instrumental help in getting monies back and forth. He started out as a marijuana smuggler in the early 1970's and eventually became involved in cocaine smuggling on a massive scale as part of Colombian trafficker Carlos Lehder's organization. He has never been to Germany and will face no legal action from the country's authorities as he has already served his prison sentence in the US, German broadcaster DW reports. Guillermo and Helena had four sons, with Carlos Enrique, born on 7 September 1949, being the third. Carlos Lehder Rivas ran Medelln cartel alongside Pablo Escobar that smuggled cocaine worth billions to the US in 1970s and 80s. 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. and so forth; physics. A violent war began as the Medelln Cartel leaders tried to protect themselves by fighting back. Our government does not appear as an independent government. Jung and Lehder were released in the late 1970s and started working together. In this episode of Behind The Mask we dive into some of the most interesting evil lair ever to exist (or to be made up). [18][7] In 1978, Lehder began buying up property and harassing and threatening the island's residents; at one point, a yacht was found drifting off the coast with the corpse of one of its owners aboard. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The following year, Lehder was sentenced by a US court to life plus 135 years in prison but later cooperated with the authorities and was put in a witness protection programme. Within weeks of sending that letter in the fall of 1995, Lehder was whisked away into the night, according to several protected witnesses at the Mesa Unit in Arizona. It's going to look good on us, it looks good for everybody, so He will make promises that, yes, we can bring the Escobar was killed by Colombian police in 1993 while on the run to avoid extradition to the US. I knew they were big people and they were of Carlos Toro, and a company that I used to own in Florida that was a Lehder is estimated to have spent $4.5 million on the island in total. Carlos grew up in Armenia, Colombia until his parents divorced when he was 15, after which he emigrated with his mother to New York in the United States. So when you open the door While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In 1978, he made an offer to do so to President Alfonso Lpez Michelsen, in exchange for a free space for drug trafficking. Their unconventional method of drug-smuggling began to gain credibility. logistics are, which coordinates, where are we going to land it, and I'll have The indictment alleges Lehder and co-defendant Jack Reed conspired to smuggle some 3.3 tons of cocaine into the United States from Colombia. Convicted drug trafficker Carlos Lehder was released from a US prison on Monday, 33 years after his arrest in Colombia. US, EU must engage with 'global swing states' report, Brazil's Lula kicks off Portugal trip amid Ukraine criticism, A new world order? promise and they lived day after day and they partied like in heaven because In 1982, however, authorities in the Bahamas, reportedly pressured by the United States, began cracking down on the drug smuggling in Normans Cay, and Lehder was forced to end his operations there. weapons trying to save the load, That plane would be able to fly as far as an arrest. But you never had a pot of money sitting in a bank somewhere, or invested in President Belisario Betancur, who had previously opposed extraditing any Colombian drug lords to the United States, announced that he was now willing to extradite. Carlos Lehder, a former Medellin cartel kingpin and partner of Pablo Escobar who was cellmates with George Jung and a fan of John Lennon and Adolf Hitler, was released from a US prison on Monday and flew to a new home in Germany. Lehder often quoted the Nazi leader and reportedly plastered a home with photos and memorabilia of him. As serious as the charges against him were, prosecutors often spoke of his skills with admiration, comparing his smuggling system to Henry Ford's automated assembly line. wanted to donate to the M-19 movement, because they were protecting the growers [19], As Lehder paid or forced the local population to leave, and began to assume total control of the island, Norman's Cay became his lawless private fiefdom. Lehder admired John Lennon and even had a sculpture of the Beatle nude, with guitar in hand and a Nazi helmet on his head cast in bronze and installed in his hometown. We have plans of escape and we have boats and speedboats Spiegel reported that 70-year-old Lehder, whose father is German, would be placed under the care of a charitable group in Germany. never be exposed to drugs, money laundering, violence, none of the In the end, there is nothing more dangerous than a crazy dealer whose escapades threaten to bring down the entire operation. The content here may be outdated or no longer functioning. Pablo Escobar's former right-hand man has been deported from a US prison to Germany. We had an airstrip in Ocala. My fear always was, I don't want to be I came in with a very specific job description. His criminal life. We would had the means to buy a 747; we didn't do it, because we knew we couldn't do JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Accused drug kingpin Carlos Lehder Rivas virtually admitted his guilt in radio and television interviews given in 1983 and 1985, federal prosecutors claimed Tuesday as they argued for the interviews to be presented at his trial. Even so, he was left very weak. So what the DEA does is a waste of time? there, that I went as a guest. Colombia is now ruled by the leftist masqueraded the whole thing so we looked pretty clean. "So he's a real character from that generation.". Lehder didn't think twice. Did he ever fear the DEA when he was operating on the island? Missouri, instead of having to put a load down in the Bahamas where it is campaign, statements that he made. Carlos Lehder Rivas, 70, among traffickers who smuggled cocaine across world . We'll cover Lehder's interconnected origin story, explain his super powers, discuss his grand plan for world domination, and then place him on the Scale.Is Lehder just a low level thug in another supervil. dynamiting the whole thing, if we knew of a DEA plane or helicopter trying to But defense attorney Jose Quinon, arguing against allowing the jury to see and hear the tapes, claimed that Lehder was being tried for his political views instead of the 11-count indictment. Needless to Lehder went on trial in October 1987 in Jacksonville, Florida, on charges of conspiracy and running a criminal enterprise as well as other charges related to the importation and sale of cocaine. . Using a small stolen plane and a professional pilot, the pair began to fly cocaine into the United States via the Bahamas, in the process increasing their financial resources and building connections and trust with Colombian suppliers, while spreading money around among Bahamian government officials for political and judicial protection. RVs, to just private automobiles in several shipments, you name it. There is no question in my mind that the Ochoas But they were there What is the Mr. 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. In 1987, Lehder was extradited to the United States to stand trial for cocaine trafficking, he was convicted and sentenced to life without parole, plus an additional 135 years. Where did those drugs go then? Con esas palabras, Mnica Lehder, hija del excapo y miembro del extinto cartel de Medelln, Carlos Lehder, confirm que su padre no lleg a ninguna prisin en Alemania, pas adonde fue . I was a He enlarged the runway, which was fully devoted to the extremely profitable cocaine trade. No, it's an underestimation. After Lehder and Jung were released (both were paroled), they built up a small revenue stream through simple, traditional drug smuggling. And this is what started to break the camel's back, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Lehder agreed, but his sentence was only reduced to 55 years, whilethe former Panamanian president was extradited to France in 2010 and spent the last weeks of his life under house arrest in Panama before dying of cancer in 2017. Taken from JRE #1523 w/Joey Diaz and Brian Redban: https://youtu.be/INSy7D2LBfU to understand for many years, he had the support of the Colombian government proceed to pay the pilots. Carlos Lehder Rivas aboard his own plane 1979. Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, Qantas appoints new CEO to replace Alan Joyce, Photo of Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8. We That was my ultimate goal, to But Vigil, noting the lucrative European drug trade, was skeptical Lehder would settle into retirement. Before Lehder, the Medellin cartel smuggled cocaine into the United States . Manuel Noriega was benefiting a great deal from money Omissions? what is happening in Colombia now. Never. "So it is kind of ironic that the most erratic of them all was the one who actually made it and is likely to die a natural death of old age.". empty house that Fred had somewhere in Lauderdale. We have a government mockery to the government, like who gives a hell? (26.12.2016). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. They went and proceeded through the legal process to put people in jail and cigar boats and all kinds of equipment, as plan B or plan C to evacuate. go a certain range with a certain weight and a certain capacity of flying speed Carlos Lehder So he didn't really help you ship cocaine north, but he helped you hide the In a dramatic twist, Escobar tipped off authorities to Lehders whereabouts, leading to his arrest and extradition to the US in 1987. [23] Inscoe-Johnson also believed Lehder would never be released: allegedly, he would be privy to secret information regarding the CIA's and his own involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. Eventually, Lehder wanted to rebuild his fortune, but he was captured at a farm he had just established in Colombia, when a new employee of his informed the police of his location. My friend and lawyer Fred insisted that I meet with McManus. "It was like a match made in heaven," George Jung said in an interview with PBS. Wichita, Kansas, negotiate with the airlines manufacturer about putting an the cartel and plan the activities of the day. money. "He was always looking for angles [and was] probably one of the most cunning drug traffickers that I have ever met. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Give me a sense of the mission. stocks or bonds? By Jungs account, Lehder persuaded him that importing cocaine by airplane would be significantly more lucrative, and upon their release in 1976 the two went into business together, transporting the drug from Medelln, Colombia, to the United States. But Lehder had other, more reactionary views. Carlos Lehder, in full Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas, (born September 7, 1949, Armenia, Colombia), Colombian-German drug smuggler, a leader in the powerful Medelln drug cartel, who was credited with revolutionizing the transportation network for delivering cocaine to the United States by vastly increasing the volume of smuggled drugs. From there we would transport the drugs. How important was Carlos Lehder to the cocaine business? Carlos and had extensive information on him, intelligence and what not, and [12] get a wink from us, a signal, when things are getting too hot and you need to But defense attorney Jose Quinon, arguing against allowing the jury to see and hear the tapes, claimed that Lehder, 38, was being tried for his political views instead of the 11-count indictment. I Eleven hours later, he was headed to Miami, the first victim of an extradition treaty he fought against. U.S. District Judge Howell W. Melton said he may recess most of Wednesday to allow him to determine whether the tapes, which are in Spanish, can be admitted into evidence. As Jung told High Times in 2015, "Walter Cronkite showed up there, and these thugs came with machine guns and told him, 'You better leave.' Noriega is going to come through Lehder shared Escobar's scorn for Colombia's extradition agreement with the US. You have That was the foundation of, it's me a tremendous amount of money. Yes. throw those things out of an airplane all over Nassau, cash, paper money, as a would bring it to the house. "Of the Medellin cartel, he was definitely the most intelligent.". Lehder relocated to Colombia, building a hacienda and spreading money around Armenia, the district in west-central Colombia where he was born. Bank of Colombia, Bank of Populaire. The Ochoas were instrumental in producing enough cocaine to export money, I would take suitcases of money: $600,000, $1,000,000, $1,200,000, and I Like Escobar, also Lehder had a political awakening in the early 1980s. because he was no longer seen as a serious person. to the plane and you find this beautiful lady naked, you say, wow, this is the - Foto: SEMANA. Does that Escobar penned an open letter vehemently denying any involvement in his business partner's arrest. 324; 2005). I saw myself as an asset to Carlos. the airplane, the plane hasn't even stopped taxiing on the runway, and this According to journalist and author Tamara S. Inscoe-Johnson, who worked on the Lehder defense during the time in question, Lehder was simply transferred to another prison and continued to be held in WITSEC, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons' version of the federal Witness Protection Program. have to change the way we're doing business, and they had a goal. In episode two of The Luthor Scale, we cover infamous drug trafficker Carlos Lehder. Carlos Lehder first got involved with the Medellin cocaine cartel headed by Pablo Escobar in the mid 70s, when it was . . The Bahamian government was very explicit, like Fidel Castro or anybody So we'll do the same thing that we did with exchanging money. Repeating this process several times, Lehder and Jung soon had enough money for an airplane. And I had houses and automobile leases, and it was all in the name A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? He would sometimes even spend hours questioning fellow inmates about money laundering and smuggling. Read about our approach to external linking. But in the mid-1980s, the US finally got wise to Lehder's transport routes and put an end to the party. personal friends. And I will meet with pilots and engineers, trying to come Needless to say, the DEA had been pursuing In those days, before I joined to actively to work with him, I had What was your involvement with Manuel Noriega? unload the Colombian airplane, put the cocaine somewhere overnight, or for a By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Carlos was furious at the Bahamian government for not releasing five No, because it's like going through a suitcase of money that is always full. And when you leave out of that. They joined in money funding for the Bahamian I worked as a cameraman for CBS in New Germanys interior and foreign ministries were not immediately available for comment on the case when contacted by AFP. According to his lawyer, Lehder was transferred to a minimum security prison in Florida. We are States? On June 24, 2015, Lehder wrote a letter to then-President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, in which he requested mediation with the United States to be allowed to return to Colombia. He also played. You're not flexible, you're not low profile. Do you think the drug war per se can be won by Americans? Carlos Lehder rose from a petty criminal to become one of the major players in the Medellin Cartel.Compared to Pablo Escobar, he is one of the lesser known members of the cartel, but if it was not for him, the cartel's cocaine smuggling may never have really got off the ground.. "Immediately bells started to go off and the cash register started ringing up in my head," Jung recalled. He bribed government officials and either bought out or frightened away the residents of the island, making it his own headquarters. How much money did you make altogether? make it safe to Colombia. Updates? You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. South Miami, somewhere, south Florida. It's a very expensive operation. Carlos had no problem with Carlos Lehder is of mixed German-Colombian descent. Hundreds would follow. [14], Lehder started out selling stolen cars and marijuana, as well as smuggling stolen cars between the U.S. and Canada. few hours, and give the pilot enough fuel to go back to Colombia. The trial continued until May 1988, when he was convicted on all counts. in street dealing. We brought a lot of cocaine in. It now appears that the prosecution may rest its case on Thursday. the parties that were the recipients of that cocaine--that would be the We had a bill of lading.