Medellin Cartel Figure Fabio Ochoa Returns to Colombia After 25 Years in US Prison
Fabio Ochoa, a notorious figure from Colombia’s Medellin cartel, was deported back to his home country on Monday after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States, The Associated Press reports.
Ochoa, once a key operator in the cartel’s vast cocaine trafficking network, arrived in Bogota on a deportation flight, ending a decades-long chapter of his criminal past.
Wearing a simple grey sweatshirt and carrying his belongings in a plastic bag, Ochoa was met by immigration officials upon arrival at El Dorado Airport. He was not detained, and after having his fingerprints taken, officials confirmed that he was not wanted by Colombian authorities. The country’s immigration agency stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Ochoa was “freed so that he could join his family.”
“I was framed,” Ochoa claimed to reporters at the airport when asked if he regretted his past actions.
The 67-year-old then smiled and embraced his daughter, whom he had not seen in seven years, before saying he would return to Medellin to live with his family. “The nightmare is over,” he said.
Ochoa and his older brothers amassed immense wealth in the late 1970s and early 1980s as cocaine flooded the US market. By 1987, the family was featured in Forbes Magazine’s list of billionaires. Living in Miami, Ochoa managed a major distribution center for the Medellin cartel, once headed by the infamous Pablo Escobar, who died in a 1993 shootout with authorities.
Ochoa was initially indicted in the US for his alleged role in the 1986 murder of Barry Seal, an American pilot who had become a DEA informant after flying cocaine routes for the cartel. In the early 1990s, Ochoa and his two brothers, Juan David and Jorge Luis, surrendered to Colombian authorities under an agreement that prevented their extradition to the US. They were released in 1996, but Ochoa was again arrested for drug trafficking and extradited to the US in 2001.
He was the only defendant out of over 40 individuals indicted for drug smuggling who opted for a trial, resulting in his conviction and a 30-year sentence. The other defendants received lighter sentences for cooperating with the US government.
While Ochoa’s name has largely faded from the forefront of public memory as Mexican drug cartels have risen to prominence, he has recently been depicted in the Netflix series Griselda, where he is shown initially clashing and then allying with Griselda Blanco, portrayed by Sofia Vergara. He is also featured in the series Narcos, where he is shown as the youngest son of a wealthy Medellin family that sharply contrasts with the humble roots of Pablo Escobar.
Richard Gregorie, a retired US assistant attorney who was part of the prosecution team that convicted Ochoa, believes the Ochoa family’s illicit proceeds were never fully seized.
