Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela (30 January 1939 – 31 May 2022)[1][2] was a Colombian former drug lord, banker and businessman. He was the leader of the Cali cartel, which controlled 90% of the world's cocaine market at the height of its power.
Gilberto, and his brother Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela began their criminal career as bank robbers. Using their ill-gotten wealth, they began their marijuana smuggling operation in the 1970s. Gilberto saw the potential of trafficking cocaine, and established the Cali cartel in the late 1970s along with his brother and chemical engineer José Santacruz Londoño. Contrasting Pablo Escobar's Medellín cartel, the Cali cartel operated in secrecy, and avoided police attention for most of its lifespan. The brothers, using the money earned from the cocaine business, purchased their own bank, and operated Colombia's largest chain of pharmaceutical stores, and also owned the Athletico de Cali football team. The cartel spent millions weekly on bribes to retain their power.
Despite territorial disputes between the Cali and Medellín cartels, Gilberto hesitated to engage in an all-out war with Pablo Escobar. However, after Escobar bombed the wedding of Gilberto's daughter, he swore revenge against Escobar, and had Hélmer Herrera initiate a silent-takeover of Escobar's Miami operations, severely weakening the Medellín cartel. Gilberto later financed the Los Pepes vigilante group composed of Escobar's enemies, including the AUC, a notorious right-wing paramilitary.
After Escobar's death in 1993, Gilberto negotiated a surrender deal with the government in order to retire safely, but his plans never came into fruition as his co-leaders opposed the idea. Gilberto was arrested by the Search Bloc in 1995, and leadership of the cartel fell to his brother. Miguel convinced Santacruz and Herrera to discontinue negotiations on Gilberto's surrender deal, and had the cartel go to war with the Norte del Valle cartel. However, after Miguel's arrest, Santacruz and Herrera surrendered to the Search Bloc. With no leverage over the government, the brothers received harsh sentences, and were extradited to the United States. Gilberto would spend the remainder of his life in prison, and would pass away on May 31, 2022.
Personal life[]
Gilberto with his wife and mistressess.
Gilberto's wife is Mariela Rodríguez, with whom he fathered Marta Rodríguez. His son, Nicolás Rodríguez's mother, is not mentioned in the show. He also had two mistresses, Aura and Camila, whom upon his insistence, got along with his wife. He would spend two days a week with each wife, and devoted the remaining day watching football with his wife and mistresses.