By 1976, Pablo established the foundations of what would become the Medellín Cartel. Along with partners like Jorge Luis Ochoa, Carlos Lehder, and Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, Pablo rationalized the drug trade into a corporate enterprise.
The logistics were astounding:
Cartel pilots were paid up to $500,000 per flight to transport cocaine into Florida.
They bought a private island in the Bahamas, Norman’s Cay, equipped with a paved airstrip, armed guards, and refrigerated warehouses.
At its peak, the cartel smuggled over 15 tons of cocaine per day into the United States, controlling nearly 80% of the global market.
Money poured in so rapidly that Pablo spent $2,500 a month just on rubber bands to hold his stacks of cash, writing off roughly $2.1 billion annually to hungry rats, damp warehouses, and decay.
Pablo Escobar As You Have Never Known Him
