Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, one of Colombia’s notorious drug lords and a key figure in the Medellin cocaine cartel, has been released from a U.S. prison after serving 25 years of a 30-year sentence. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed his release on Tuesday, and Ochoa, now 67, is expected to be deported back to Colombia.
Ochoa, along with his brothers, became immensely wealthy during the rise of cocaine trafficking to the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1987, the Ochoas were featured in Forbes’ list of billionaires. Operating out of Miami, Ochoa managed a cocaine distribution hub for the cartel previously led by Pablo Escobar.
Though the drug trade has since shifted to Mexico, Ochoa’s legacy resurfaced in the Netflix series Narcos, where he was portrayed as the youngest son of a prominent Medellin family involved in ranching and horse breeding, contrasting sharply with Escobar’s more humble background.
Known by aliases like “Julio” and “Pepe,” Ochoa’s criminal career led to his indictment in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in the 1986 murder of DEA informant Barry Seal, whose life story was dramatized in the 2017 film American Made. Ochoa was arrested in 1990 under a Colombian government policy that shielded drug kingpins from extradition.
However, after being placed on the U.S. “Dozen Most Wanted” list, Ochoa was apprehended again in 1999 and extradited to the U.S. in 2001 to face charges of drug smuggling. He was the only one of over 40 defendants to stand trial, ultimately receiving the 30-year sentence.
Ochoa’s trial involved heavy security, with jurors transported in tinted vans to protect their identities. Most of the other defendants cooperated with authorities, receiving lighter sentences. Ochoa, however, maintained his innocence and even put up billboards in Medellin and Bogota claiming, “Yesterday I made a mistake. Today I am innocent.”
Despite being convicted, Ochoa’s family wealth remains substantial, with authorities never fully seizing all their illicit earnings. Richard Gregorie, a former U.S. prosecutor involved in Ochoa’s case, believes that Ochoa will return to Colombia with considerable financial resources.
Ochoa’s attorney, Richard Klugh, previously argued unsuccessfully for early release, claiming that his client’s sentence was disproportionate given the amount of cocaine actually attributed to him.
Meanwhile, Colombia continues to be the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocaine, with authorities recently uncovering a new Pacific trafficking route during a large-scale operation that seized over 225 metric tons of cocaine.
Ochoa’s release marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of Colombia’s drug cartels, though his return to Colombia is unlikely to be a quiet one.