Introducing the “Cartel”

“Mano” was my Colombia connection! He was a Captain in a Colombia cartel.

He was born in Bogota, Colombia, which makes him a “Bogotano.” When I worked with him, he was in his early thirties. Despite being short and stocky, he was intimidating in appearance and had a quiet but demanding personality. His stance was, Show me the money!

At a young age Mano brought drugs into the U.S. in his stomach, getting past customs by swallowing balloons full of heroin, which he sold in the streets of the U.S. for huge profits.

I once asked Mano if he ever met Pablo Escobar, the Medellín Cartel drug lord.

Mano said the closest he ever got to meeting Escobar was a time he took a trip to Medellin, Colombia for some fun.

He said, “A short time after I arrived, I got a visit at my hotel room from

Pablo Escobar’s men, asking me to leave quickly or else. Mr. Escobar doesn’t like strangers in his city!”

Any time Mano saw anything affiliated with the police, he would glance over to me and say, “Primo, alli va ‘el enemigo de la progress’!” which means: “Cousin, there goes ‘the enemy of progress’!”