Bogota, Colombia

Fabio Ochoa Vasquez, a key figure in the infamous Medellín Cartel, has returned to Colombia after serving more than 20 years in a US prison. The 67-year-old was deported by US authorities and arrived at Bogota's El Dorado airport on Monday (Dec 23).

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Who Is Fabio Ochoa?

Ochoa was a prominent leader within the Medellín Cartel, where he served as a senior lieutenant to Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord. Under their leadership, the cartel dominated the global cocaine trade throughout the 1980s, fuelling violent conflicts with the Colombian government and law enforcement. The cartel’s reign of terror lasted until Escobar died in 1993.

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Ochoa’s return to Colombia  

Upon arriving at Bogotá's El Dorado Airport, Ochoa stepped off a deportation flight wearing a grey sweatshirt and carrying his belongings in a plastic bag. Immigration officials, dressed in bulletproof vests, were on hand to greet him, though no police were present to arrest him. 

Ochoa's criminal history includes his involvement in the 1986 killing of Barry Seal, an American pilot who worked for the Medellín Cartel before turning informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

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The Ochoa brothers and the extradition deal  

In the early 1990s, Ochoa, along with his brothers Juan David and Jorge Luis, surrendered to Colombian authorities as part of a deal to avoid extradition to the US. The three were incarcerated but released in 1996. However, Ochoa’s criminal activities caught up with him once again, and in 1999, he was re-arrested on drug trafficking charges.

In 2001, Ochoa was extradited to the US in connection with a major drug smuggling conspiracy. He was the only defendant in the case who chose to go to trial, resulting in a conviction and a 30-year sentence. Many of his co-defendants received much lighter sentences after agreeing to cooperate with authorities.

(With inputs from agencies)