MIAMI — A prominent Columbia drug lord associated with the infamous Medellin cocaine cartel has been released from a federal prison in the United States and is anticipated to be deported back to Columbia.
According to records from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Fabio Ochoa-Vasquez was set free on Tuesday after serving an extensive 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence.
At the age of 67, Ochoa and his brothers amassed significant wealth during the cocaine boom in the U.S. during the late 1970s and early 1980s. U.S. authorities indicate that by 1987, the Ochoas had even made it onto Forbes Magazine’s prestigious list of billionaires. While residing in Miami, Ochoa managed a distribution center for the cocaine empire that was previously led by Pablo Escobar.
Although Ochoa’s prominence has diminished in the public eye as the focus of the drug trade has transitioned from Colombia to Mexico, he has reemerged in popular culture through the Netflix series “Narcos,” depicting him as the youngest son of a wealthy Medellin family that was involved in ranching and horse breeding, a stark contrast to the more modest beginnings of Escobar.
Ochoa’s legal troubles began in the U.S. when he was indicted for allegedly participating in the 1986 murder of Drug Enforcement Administration informant Barry Seal, an event that gained renewed attention with the 2017 Tom Cruise film “American Made.”
Initially apprehended in Colombia in 1990 under a governmental agreement to shield drug lords from extradition to the U.S., Ochoa was among the most wanted Colombian drug traffickers at that time. However, he found himself arrested again and later extradited in 2001 after a Miami indictment implicated him with over 40 others in a drug smuggling conspiracy. Ochoa was the only defendant to reject a plea deal and take the case to trial, which ultimately led to his conviction and the lengthy prison term. The other individuals involved received lighter sentences due to cooperating with authorities.
Richard Gregorie, a retired Assistant U.S. Attorney involved in Ochoa’s prosecution, noted that despite efforts, authorities could not seize all of the family’s illegally obtained wealth, suggesting that upon his return home, Ochoa would likely receive a warm welcome. “He won’t be returning home in poverty, that’s for sure,” Gregorie remarked.
Richard Klugh, Ochoa’s attorney based in Miami, has refrained from making public comments. However, during their legal proceedings, Klugh argued that his client’s sentence was excessively severe compared to the amount of illicit cocaine attributed to Ochoa.