Drug Lord ‘Don Carlos’ Linked to Medellin Cartel and Cali Cartel Arrested in Spain After Cocaine Found in Flower Boxes

A drug lord nicknamed "Don Carlos," who was linked to the Cali cartel and Medellin cartel, was arrested in Spain after 130 pounds of cocaine was found inside flower boxes.

According to Daily Mail, Florentino Fernandez, known by her alias "Don Carlos," was recently arrested while drinking coffee in Marbella on the Costa del Sol.

Policia Nacional, Spain's national police force, said the arrest came following their joint investigation with Colombian authorities that led to the tracing and discovery of cocaine hidden in boxes of flowers from Colombia.

Authorities believed that Fernandez had been involved in smuggling drugs in Colombia for 30 years. In a statement, police said they arrested Fernandez while he was transferring the boxes of cocaine to its final buyers.

In a video released on Policia Nacional's Twitter account, officers on the outskirts of Seville were seen arresting the suspect and searching a vehicle that had been used to move the illegal drugs from Seville to Malaga.

Two people were arrested at the scene after the drugs were found hidden in the vehicle's compartment.

Don Carlos Linked to Cali Cartel and Medellin Cartel Importing Cocaine From South America

According to police, the investigation had been ongoing for 18 months. It started after investigators became aware that Don Carlos wanted to import "large quantities" of cocaine from South America.

Investigators found more than €200,000 in cash and a firearm containing ammunition at his home after his arrest. Police said the accounts of three people and six companies, as well as €350,000 worth of real estate, would be blocked in relation to the investigation.

Authorities said they had been aware of Florentino Fernandez since 1993 when police discovered his ties with major drug traffickers in Europe and South America.

Don Carlos has already been jailed for 24 years after allegedly leading a group that kidnapped two women for a debt derived from drug trafficking. However, he returned to drug smuggling after he was released.

Fernandez was born in northern Spain, and he has lived in Colombia and Venezuela for many years, where he got involved in a vast money-laundering network.

Police said the "powerful Spanish drug trafficker" surrounded himself with prominent drug traffickers in South America. Don Carlos reportedly provided services to the Medellin cartel and even set up his residence in the Madrid home of Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela, a former head of the Cali cartel.

Colombian Drug Cartels: Medellin Cartel and Cali Cartel

Colombia's first major drug cartel, the Medellin cartel, was formed in the mid-1970s when Colombian marijuana traffickers started importing small quantities of cocaine into the U.S.

According to Britannica, the increasing demand for cocaine has prompted drug traffickers to expand the trade beyond small amounts put into suitcases. The Medellin cartel began purchasing private planes to carry its shipments, construct more drug laboratories, and even bought a small island in the Caribbean for refueling its aircraft.

Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellin cartel, became one of the world's most wanted men. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Medellin cartel was shattered by violence, organizational issues, and competition from the emerging Cali cartel.

In 1993, Pablo Escobar was killed in a shootout with a special Colombian police task force, leading to the dominance of the Cali cartel.

Compared to the Medellin cartel, the Cali cartel had a more subtle style and sophisticated approach. Members of the Cali cartel quickly reinvested their drug profits into legitimate businesses, even going so far as to help Colombian authorities and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency track down Pablo Escobar.

Many of the Cali cartel's leaders were apprehended in the 1990s, and the group nearly disbanded by the next decade.

While other Colombian drug cartels stepped in to fill the void, their power failed to match that of their predecessors.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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