Amado Carrillo Fuentes, born December 17th, 1956 in Guamúchil, Sinaloa, was a powerful drug trafficker in Mexico reckoned to be worth twenty-five billion dollars. He was called “The Lord of the Skies” during the height of his power. This name stemmed from the fact that he was the first drug lord to use private planes to transport cocaine worldwide, and owned many planes, including 30 Boeing 727s. His house was called “The Palace of a Thousand and One Nights,” a Middle-eastern style house.

Fuentes was the head of the Juarez Cartel, achieving this title after killing former boss and friend Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. He made immense amounts of money weekly, and had many real estate holdings. He used high-tech surveillance devices during his reign as Juarez Cartel head in order to spy on other cartel leaders. He had the idea to move his industry to the United States because he was so powerful.

Fuentes died in 1997 following a very complicated plastic surgery. He had intended to change his appearance because the US and Mexico were tracking him. The surgery went wrong, however, and Fuentes’ attempt to evade the DEA and Mexican authorities was unsuccessful; he perished instead. Thus ended the reign of the Lord of the Skies.

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Frontline – Juarez Cartel

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