Ranking of the Wealthiest Global Criminal Elite
Criminal tycoons shake global economy: an unveiling of the world's wealthiest dynasties of crime
It's eye-opening to see that the criminal underworld isn't just a hidden part of our world, but it's a significant player in the global economy. Here's a glance at the ten wealthiest figures in the criminal underworld whose earnings easily challenge those of major corporations. For more details, head over to the publication's website.
Maximillion Mischief Makers
- Pablo Escobar – The infamous Colombian drug lord made headlines when he became the first criminal to appear on Forbes' "100 International Billionaires" list in 1987, racking up an estimated fortune of $3 billion. He led the Medellín Cartel, which had an annual revenue of $7 billion. Escobar, who smuggled around 15 tons of cocaine into the U.S. daily, controlled 80% of the global cocaine market by the late 1980s, netting him a whopping $420 million per week (Business Insider).
- El Chapo – Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera appeared on the list of the wealthiest people in 2009, with an estimated fortune at $1 billion. Strategic Forecasting Inc. put it at $12 billion. Loera led the Sinaloa Cartel, responsible for 25% of illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the U.S., generating $3 billion annually. He operated in the 1990s, starting his business by smuggling cocaine in chili pepper cans. Known as Mexico's most wanted, he had a $7 million bounty on his head. He was first arrested in 1993 but escaped from prison in 2001, only to be caught again in January 2016.
- Medellín Maestros – The Ochoa brothers and Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha joined Escobar on Forbes' list in 1987 and remained until they surrendered to authorities. Rodríguez Gacha, a billionaire and drug lord, collaborated with the Medellín Cartel. For instance, he moved cocaine from Bogotá to the U.S. under the guise of flowers. In 1988, Forbes estimated his net worth at $1.3 billion. Two years after making the list, Gacha was shot dead by Colombian police.
Remarkable Rogues
- King of Carnage – Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha’s counterpart, Rafael Caro Quintero, co-founded the Guadalajara Cartel and controlled marijuana plantations known as Rancho Bufalo. During a 1984 police raid, authorities seized around 6,000 tons of marijuana worth between $3.2 and $8 billion (The Wall Street Journal). The Guadalajara Cartel raked in $5 billion annually. Quintero was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1989 but was released after 28 years.
- El Jefe – Amado Carrillo Fuentes headed the Juárez Cartel, earning the nickname "Lord of the Skies" for his fleet of 22 aircraft used to transport cocaine to the U.S. He had an estimated fortune of $25 billion (The Washington Post). Despite evading justice for years due to his wealth, Carrillo Fuentes was considered one of the world's most powerful people.
- Gangster's Gold Rush – Morris Dalitz, a legend among gangsters like Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel, made Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people in 1982, with an estimated net worth of $110 million. He made his money through Las Vegas casinos, co-founding the Desert Inn, Stardust Hotel, and Paradise Development Company, responsible for building a university, convention center, and resort in Las Vegas. Dalitz continued to live a long life and even ventured into philanthropy in his later years.
- Prince of Prosperity – "Opiate King" Khun Sa had a fortune estimated at $5 billion. In the 1960s, he led a 20,000-strong Burmese army that cultivated opium in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, responsible for 45% of pure heroin imported into the U.S. The U.S. authorities offered a $2 million reward for his capture, but by the 1990s, his drug network was dismantled, and he retired to Yangon. He passed away in 2007.
- The Cocaine Godmother – Colombian-born Griselda Blanco earned the nickname "The Cocaine Godmother" for her role in Miami's cocaine trade in the 1970s and 1980s. She was suspected of 40-200 murders in Florida and had an estimated fortune of around $2 billion. Blanco avoided the death penalty by chance and was sentenced to prison, eventually being deported to Colombia where she was assassinated in 2012.
- Public Enemy No. 1 – The infamous American gangster Al Capone made waves in the criminal world through bootlegging, racketeering, and murder. By the end of his life in 1947, he amassed a fortune of $1.3 billion. Capone was declared "Public Enemy No. 1" by the US authorities in 1929. Although he was sentenced to prison several times throughout his criminal career, he always managed to secure his release. He finally served 11 years for "tax evasion" before passing away in 1947.
- The Mumbai Mastermind – Indian criminal Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar reportedly earned an income of $6.7 billion, ranking among the world's most influential people from 2009 to 2011 (Forbes). Dawood Ibrahim controls the criminal syndicate D-Company, which has been involved in drug and arms smuggling and was accused of the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai bombings. According to U.S. authorities, Ibrahim has links to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
- The New York Godfather – Anthony "Big Tony" Salerno headed the Genovese crime family with 300 members. He operated in New York, dealing in racketeering, drugs, construction, loan sharking, and gambling. The Genovese family earned $50 million annually since the 1960s. In 1988, Salerno was sentenced to 70 years for racketeering and concealing $10 million in illegal income. He passed away at 80, serving only four of the 70-year sentence.
In light of the expose on global criminal tycoons, it's evident that the finance sector can't ignore the wealth-management implications of such dynasties, such as the Medellín Mischief Makers and Remarkable Rogues. The general news and crime-and-justice sectors should also focus on investigating the financial transactions and evasion tactics employed by these criminal figures, like Al Capone or Pablo Escobar, whose wealth not only challenges that of major corporations but also destabilizes global economies.
