Drug lord
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A drug lord is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from the actual trade in drugs by several layers of underlings. The prosecution of drug lords is therefore usually the result of carefully planned infiltrations of their networks, often using informants from within the network.
Notorious drug lords have included Al Capone in the 1920's (when alcohol was an illegal drug in the United States during the period known as Prohibition) and more recent times, Amado Carrillo Fuentes (the "Lord of the Skies"), the Felix Brothers, Emilio Esparragoza, and Pablo Escobar. Escobar was part of the Medellín Cartel, a particularly strong group of drug lords coordinating the transportation of the drug cocaine out of Medellín, Colombia.
Drug lords are a popular choice for the lead villain in many action movies and television shows, having been featured for such purposes in the Lethal Weapon series and in Miami Vice. A drug lord was prominent in the 1989 miniseries Traffik. Perhaps the most famous fictitious movie drug lord was the Cuban emigré Tony Montana, who was played by Al Pacino in the movie Scarface.
Other notable fictional drug lords include the unspecified Latin American Franz Sanchez, who was played by Robert Davi in the movie Licence to Kill, and the Colombian Orlando Calderone, played by Miguel Pinero who was the foil in the Miami Vice TV series.
The CIA has been criticized for letting major drug lords out of prison as informants.
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