Carlos Lehder, Former Pablo Escobar Ally, Can Now Walk Free In Colombia

Carlos Lehder, a former leader of the Medellín Cartel and close ally of Pablo Escobar, was released in Colombia after a local judge ruled that his sentences are no longer enforceable.

The 75-year-old was detained last Friday upon arrival at Bogotá's airport from Germany but was freed after the court determined that his convictions on drug trafficking and weapons smuggling charges were no longer enforceable.

Lehder was first arrested in Colombia in 1987 during a party at his ranch. He became the first Colombian drug trafficker to be extradited to the United States and later sentenced to 135 years in prison for cocaine trafficking, though his sentence was later reduced to 55 years after he cooperated with U.S. prosecutors in the case against Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, as The BBC explains.

After serving more than 30 years, Lehder was released in 2020 and deported to Germany, a country of which he is also a citizen.

His return to Colombia on Friday was intended as a visit to relatives, according to his lawyer, Sondra Macollins. "He is recovering from cancer and has high blood pressure problems," she told Blu Radio, as reported by The Associated Press. "We are talking about someone who spent years in dark cells."

Lehder's role in the Medellín Cartel was instrumental in expanding the cocaine trade to the United States in the 1970s, as he used his English skills and criminal connections to open markets for Colombian cocaine. He later purchased land in the Bahamas, transforming it into a key transshipment point for cartel operations.

In Colombia, he was known for his extravagant lifestyle, which included a rural estate named Posada Alemana, featuring caged lions and a statue of John Lennon.

Despite his high profile, some argue that his influence has been exaggerated. "The legend of Carlos is much greater than what actually happened," said his former attorney, Oscar Arroyave, in a 2020 interview with BBC Mundo. "Today, people are caught trafficking the same amount of cocaine he moved in his entire career, and they receive sentences of less than ten years."

Lehder never pleaded guilty to his charges, and his case remains a significant chapter in the history of the U.S.-Colombia drug war.