The broken lives of drug lords

The case of the Colombian coke dealer, which is being taken to court in Basel, impressively demonstrates that drug trafficking is a dirty business. Alvaro H.* (47), who belonged to the senior staff of the Colombian “Clan del Golfo”, had to sell drugs himself here in Switzerland to make ends meet.

He had debt execution and was sometimes even registered with the social services. He had sent too much money abroad, so he lived in a dilapidated building in Basel, where only welfare cases work. And even this rent he sometimes owed.

In Mallorca, on the other hand, he had bought a finca and regularly sent his relatives thousands or even tens of thousands of francs to Spain – but in Basel Alvaro H. had reached the lowest point.

Shot or imprisoned

While drug lords in films like “Scarface” or series like “Narcos” lead a wonderful life with parties, drugs, women and great wealth, the reality usually looks different.

Colombia’s most famous drug lord Pablo Escobar (1949-1993) had to hide in humble houses and apartments until he was shot while trying to escape from the police. Other influential drug dealers sit in their cells, usually in US prisons, until they die. Like the Mexican Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (65). And he has no prospect of ever being released.

Disguised as a farmer on the run

The life of Rafael Caro Quintero (70), the ‘narco of narcos’ and co-founder of the Mexican Guadalajara cartel, is anything but pleasant. He was arrested in his mid-30s, released in his 60s, and re-enlisted as one of the most wanted drug lords. For nine years he hid in small cabins in the Sinaloa Mountains.

A Mexican journalist who met him several times told how he always looked to the sky in constant fear of US drones. How he always had armed guards around him. And how he dressed like a simple peasant so as not to attract attention in the villages. He was caught in the summer of 2022. Before his arrest, he had been hiding in dense undergrowth – a police dog tracked him down.

Italian mafia boss lived in a shed

Different country, same story. The Italian mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano (1933-2016) lived in a shit hole until his arrest. After 43 years on the run, the 50-time killer was arrested in 2006 at the age of 73 by Italian police in a dilapidated shed near the mafia stronghold of Corleone. The former “boss of bosses” only communicated with the outside world with notes telling the last remaining followers when he needed fresh laundry.

He was placed in solitary confinement and became depressed. There was also hepatitis C disease, memory impairment and prostate carcinoma. In 2012, he attempted suicide in prison. Provenzano died in 2016 at the age of 83 in a hospital, where he was kept under the strictest security measures until the very end.

* Name changed