Fabio Ochoa Vásquez

Fabio Ochoa Vásquez (born May 2, 1957) is a former leading member of the Medellín cocaine trafficking cartel, along with his older brothers Juan David and Jorge Luis. His role briefly made him a billionaire. After serving a brief prison term in Colombia, he was arrested and extradited to the US in 1999 and is serving a 30-year term in US federal prison.

Fabio Ochoa Vásquez
Fabio Ochoa Vasquez, Medellin Cartel Associate
Born	Fabio Ochoa Vásquez (1957-05-02) May 2, 1957 Medellin, Colombia
Nationality	Colombian
Criminal status	In prison in the United States
Criminal charge	Drug trafficking
Penalty	30 years in prison

Early career

The youngest of the three Ochoa brothers, Ochoa Vásquez lived in Miami, Florida during the 1970s and early 1980s, and was alleged to have handled thousands of pounds of cocaine.[1] He was indicted by the US government for the first time in 1984, and was allegedly involved in the February 19, 1986 murder of Barry Seal, an informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.[2] In 1987, he and his brothers were included in the Forbes Magazine list of global billionaires, and remained on the list until 1992.[1] The New York Times reported that during this period he was considered the "chief executive" of the family business.[3]

Imprisonment

In 1991, Ochoa Vásquez and his brothers turned themselves in to Colombian authorities, hoping to avoid "open war" with the government through a plea deal.[1][3] They served short terms together in Colombia, and were released by 1996. At the time, Colombia and the US did not have an extradition treaty,[4] and the brothers secured a promise that they would not be extradited in the future as part of the plea deal.[5]

After release, he was arrested again in 1999, and accused of contributing knowledge and receiving payments for cocaine shipments.[2][5] Despite a lobbying and press campaign,[4] he was extradited to the United States in September 2001, and convicted in 2003 of trafficking, conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in the U.S. He was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison.[2] He is now in federal prison in Jesup, GA.

After his imprisonment, the Colombian government seized properties worth several million US dollars from him, including several farms and businesses.[6] On May 1, 2020, U.S. federal prosecutors objected to a bid for Ochoa Vásquez to be released five years before the completion of his 30 year prison sentence.[7]

Television

Ochoa Vásquez has been represented in two television series.

• The character of Julio Motoa in the Colombian TV series Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal is based on Ochoa Vazquez.[8] Motoa is played by Aldemar Correa.
• Ochoa Vásquez is a character on the Netflix series Narcos, portrayed by Roberto Urbina.

See also

• Cocaine Cowboys
• Griselda Blanco
• War on Drugs

Notes

1. Carlyle, Erin (2012-03-13). "Billionaire Druglords: El Chapo Guzman, Pablo Escobar, The Ochoa Brothers". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
2. "Former Colombian drug kingpin gets 30 years". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. 2003-08-27. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
3. Brooke, James (1995-02-28). "At Home (That's Prison) With Medellin's Ochoas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
4. Yardley, William (2013-07-30). "Juan David Ochoa Vásquez, Co-Founder of Medellín Cartel, Dies at 65". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
5. "Colombian Drug Boss Fabio Ochoa Extradited To U.S." Fox News. 2001-09-09. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
6. "Ocupados bienes del extraditado narcotraficante Fabio Ochoa Vásquez". Minuto30.com. 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
7. Curt Anderson, Associated Press (1 May 2020). "Not so fast: US against release of Colombian cocaine kingpin". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
8. "29 fotos de los personajes en la vida real de Escobar, El Patrón del Mal". Mundo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-09-30.