Kings of Cocaine Inside the Medellin Cartel an Astonishing True Story of Murder Money and International Corruption [Hardcover]

Guy Gugliotta (Author), Jeff Leen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1989

This is the story of the most successful cocaine dealers in the world: Pablo Escobar Gaviria, Jorge Luis Ochoa Vasquez, Carlos Lehder Rivas and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha. In the 1980s they controlled more than fifty percent of the cocaine flowing into the United States. The cocaine trade is capitalism on overdrive -- supply meeting demand on exponential levels. Here you'll find the story of how the modern cocaine business started and how it turned a rag tag group of hippies and sociopaths into regal kings as they stumbled from small-time suitcase smuggling to levels of unimaginable sophistication and daring. The $2 billion dollar system eventually became so complex that it required the manipulation of world leaders, corruption of revolutionary movements and the worst kind of violence to protect.

Guy Gugliotta is a former national reporter for The Washington Post and foreign correspondent for The Miami Herald. He is currently based in New York, where he writes about science, history and Latin America for magazines and newspapers, among them Smithsonian, Wired, Discover and The New York Times. He is the author of the forthcoming Freedom’s Cap, the Building of the U.S. Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War, to be published in early 2012 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Jeff Leen is the investigations editor for The Washington Post. As a reporter or an editor, he has worked on investigations have have been honored with seven Pulitzer Prizes. He is also the author of The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds and the Making of an American Legend.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a riveting narrative based on their prize-winning series in the Miami Herald , Gugliotta and Leen expose in alarming, well-documented and vivid detail the estimated $8 billion-a-year Colombian cartel that controls 80% of the world's cocaine market. In their account, the complex hierarchy of the cartel directs an international operation that resembles and surpasses many multinational corporations in efficiency and sophisticated marketing techniques. Run by a small group of murderous young overlords, the organization has thousands of employees--from peasants and pilots to lawyers and hit-men. Initially, corrupt bank and government officials in Colombia favored the cartel's growth. However, this changed after the cartel's successful opposition to an extradition treaty between Colombia and the U.S., which involved a reign of terror against Colombian institutions. The extended activities of the cocaine barons in Central America have compromised U.S. national interests, the authors maintain, especially in the case of reported contra- cartel links and alleged drug trafficking by Panama's Noriega. Despite concerted law enforcement efforts, the cartel still thrives. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In what is the most gripping, complete account yet of this powerful cocaine cartel, the authors, Miami Herald reporters, have painted an incisive and shocking picture of the men and money involved. The lives and characters of the drug lords are thoroughly explored, including the trial of Carlos Lehder, who recently became the first Cartel leader to be sentenced to prison in the United States. Even those libraries with Paul Eddy's The Cocaine Wars: Murder, Money, Corruption, and the World's Most Valuable Commodity ( LJ 7/88) and Elaine Shannon's Desperadoes: Latin Drug Lords, U.S. Lawmen, and the War America Can't Win ( LJ 11/15/88) should purchase this. Highly recommended.
- Sally G. Waters, Stetson Law Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (April 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671649574
• ISBN-13: 978-0671649579
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kings of Cocaine ....., October 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Kings of Cocaine Inside the Medellin Cartel an Astonishing True Story of Murder Money and International Corruption (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books I have ever read, about any subject....I have told anyone who will listen, to read this book, it's frightening, but very realistic, I just couldn't put it down.....I have read it twice, and it's one of those books you would call a 'keeper'....if you haven't read it, find it and read it....it will BLOW YOUR MIND......

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its happening again, September 7, 2011

By 

Carol Mae "Carol Mae" (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kings of Cocaine: Inside the Medellín Cartel -- An Astonishing True Story of Murder, Money, and International Corruption (Kindle Edition)

This book is a must read! What happened in Columbia is happening now in Mexico. My family lives in southern Arizona and we no longer go across the border for fear of the violence. Whether you are for or against illegal immigration and/or border protection, please read this book for a clearer understanding what is happening with the drug cartels and how it affects all those around them. Knowledge may save your life or a loved one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provides a Nice Foundation, July 25, 2009

By 

EddyG (Florida, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kings of Cocaine (Paperback)

The book is a good start for those folks trying to learn more about the drug trade in the Western Hemisphere. The journalists have done a fine job of capturing some of the key players as well as providing baseline information about cocaine. They do so by focusing on American and Colombian personalities on both sides of the drug war. In doing so, they provide an exciting tale of violence, greed, and heroism that keeps you from putting the book down.

This book serves as a great primer for anyone interested in learning how the cocaine trade started in Latin America, in fact, you'll be surprised where it actually started and how it ended up in Colombia. Many of the main characters are fascinating individuals and offer an interesting vehicle for telling how the cocaine trade developed. Unfortunately, it ends in early 1990, leaving you wanting to hear the "rest of the story." The only drawback was the habit of bouncing around telling the individual stories, thereby losing a bit of the historical timeline, which at times could be annoying as you jump around different time periods. Nonetheless, it is a riveting story that lays the foundation for understanding a criminal enterprise that threatens the welfare of our nation, as well as our regional neighbors. It's over 600 pages, but it is a quick read and you'll enjoy the story.