Fabio Ochoa Restrepo
| Fabio Ochoa Restrepo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1923 |
| Died |
2002 Medellin, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Other names | Don Fabio |
| Citizenship | Colombian |
| Occupation | Horse rancher, criminal |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Spouse(s) | Margarita de Ochoa |
| Children |
Juan David Ochoa Vásquez Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez Fabio Ochoa Vásquez |
Fabio Ochoa Restrepo ("Don Fabio" 1923–2002) was a Paso Fino enthusiast, rancher, businessman, and patriarch of a notorious Colombian crime family associated with the Medellín drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. Insiders have called him the true godfather of the Medellín Cartel.
Biography
Career
Ochoa kept many ranches near Medellín, raised more than a thousand thoroughbreds and was a successful businessman.[1] Because most of his wealth did not come from criminal activities, it is often assumed that Ochoa himself was not linked to drug trafficking, although his sons are well known for their involvement in the trade.[2]Jorge Luis Ochoa, was at one time considered the number two leader in the Medellin cartel; in 1996 he was arrested from a five-year prison sentence in Colombia. Fabio Ochoa Vázquez "Fabito" (b. 1957) was extradited to the United States in September 2001.
In his autobiography, 'My Life in the World of Horses,' published by a vanity press, Mr. Ochoa writes of himself: 'Don Fabio is to Colombia's Horse world what Garcia Marquez is to Colombia's world of letters or what Fernando Botero is to Colombia's world of painting."[3] A 1989 picture of Fabio Ochoa Restrepo shows him signing his book which he planned to send to the Pope.[4]
In 1984, Fabio, Sr. was arrested by the Colombian government as part of a widespread crackdown on narcotrafficantes. The effort was spurred by the motorcycle assassination of Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, who, by arguing vociferously in favor of extraditing drug violators to the US, was one of the most vocal politicians to consistently challenge the Medellín Cartel.[5] Fabio, Sr. was released due to lack of evidence.[6]
In 1989, Fabio, Sr. wrote a letter to then-President Bush arguing against the drug war, invoking Christian forgiveness.[7] Despite his publicly-described Christian governance, Bush ignored the appeal. As Director of the CIA during the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush himself was implicated in illegal drug trafficking by journalist Gary Webb, who published a series of widely denigrated and suppressed, though factual, articles in 1996.[8]
In the 1990s, Fabio, Sr. acted as a negotiator between narcos and representatives of the Colombian government. As patriarch of one of the world's most powerful trafficking families, his high social status helped him appear to act as a voice of reason during various crises of kidnapping and violence. In 1991, he and his wife and daughters brokered the surrender of his three powerful sons after several journalists and their associates, including Diana Turbay, daughter of former Colombian president Julio César Turbay Ayala, had been kidnapped. Fabio, Sr. served as a conduit to Pablo Escobar during negotiations that ultimately led to Escobar's surrender and 'imprisonment' in La Catedral. The respected elder urged Escobar to peacefully resolve the kidnapping, calling upon merciful principles of their shared Catholic faith. Fabio, Sr. even arranged for a Catholic priest to meet Escobar directly to bestow blessings and broker the deal. In Colombia, Escobar's respect for Catholicism was seen as evidence of good faith towards resolving the conflict.[9]
Death and legacy
A man of "extraordinary girth", Fabio, Sr. died in 2002 from kidney failure.[10][11]
In a brief segment in Full Circle with Michael Palin, the patriarch was described as the true godfather of the Medellín Cartel. Fabio, Sr. was also portrayed in the 2006 documentary film Cocaine Cowboys, where the former Medellín Cartel associate Jon Roberts said of him: "As many people want to believe that Pablo Escobar was the king of cocaine -- they can believe that -- but the man that was really the king was Ochoa".
References
- ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/apr/29/guardianobituaries.colombia
- ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-02-15/news/9602150157_1_ochoa-brothers-trafficking-medellin
- ↑ Chia Journal; Where Did the Don Get His Fortune?, 1994 New York Times Article Link
- ↑ Page 164, of The War on Drugs: An International Encyclopedia By Ron Chepesiuk, Published by ABC-CLIO, 1999,ISBN 0-87436-985-1, ISBN 978-0-87436-985-4
- ↑ Page 139, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ Page 172, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ Page 249, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ Page 41, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ Pages 359-377, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ Page 39, of Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos By Shaun Atwood, Published by Gadfly Press, 2016, ISBN 9780993021527
- ↑ http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/drugs/ochoa-restrepo.htm
Bibliography
- Chepesiuk (1999). The War on Drugs: An International Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, Oxford, UK, and CA,US: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780874369854.
- Atwood, Shaun (2016). Pablo Escobar: Beyond Narcos. Gadfly Press, UK: Gadfly Press. ISBN 9780993021527.