Amado Carrillo Fuentes, also known as the “Lord of the Air”, was a Mexican drug trafficker. He was best known for using new and sophisticated technology in his criminal operations, particularly aircraft used to transport large amounts of cocaine. Amado died in 1997 after failed plastic surgery. Amado Carrillo Fuentes was worth some $25 billion at the time of his death.
| Full Name | Amado Carrillo Fuentes |
| Birth Date | December 17, 1956 |
| Birth Place | Guamuchilito, Novolato, Mexico |
| Profession | Drug lord |
| Wife | Sonia Barragan Perez |
| Net Worth | $25 billion |
| Death | July 4, 1997 |
Early life
Amado Carrillo Fuentes was born on December 17, 1956 in Guamuchilito, Navolato, Sinaloa, Mexico. He was born to his parents Aurora Fuentes and Walter Vicente Carrillo Vega. Amado grew up with eleven siblings. He was the grandson of the former leader of the Mexican drug cartel, the Guadalajara cartel, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo.
Amado started his drug business with his uncle Ernesto. He later involved his brothers and his son Vicente in the drug business. He lost his father in April 1986. His brother also died in 1989 under mysterious circumstances.
Net worth and career of Amado Carrillo Fuentes
Carrillo was originally tasked with overseeing his uncle Ernest’s cocaine shipments. At the same time, he was instructed to learn about the border operations of Mexican drug traffickers Pablo Acosta Villarreal and Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. He also worked with Pablo, smuggling drugs from Colombia to Mexico and the United States. He also worked with former drug lord El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartel Beltrán Leyva.
Amado took control of the Mexican drug cartel Juárez Cartel in 1993, killing former leader Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. It was his first step in building a multi-million dollar drug empire run by the Juárez cartel. Amado watches over his competitors, investing heavily in sophisticated surveillance technologies. He also revolutionized the drug trade by relying on private planes to smuggle drugs across borders.
Amado expanded his criminal activities by amassing a fleet of private jets that includes more than 30 Boeing 727s. To invest heavily in expensive planes, he started a major money laundering operation in Colombia. Amado has also worked with many other Latin American drug traffickers, including Pablo Escobar, the Tijuana cartel, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, and the Beltrán Leyva cartel.
Fuentes once became a powerful man in Mexico. He also influenced the Mexican Governor, Jorge Carrillo Olea, to get involved in his criminal activities, thus beginning to severely corrupt the Mexican government. He also remained close to Governor Jorge Carrillo. However, Governor Olea was forced to resign after strong criticism from the public. After a while, he was arrested, which angered Fuentes.
Amado had to survive by traveling to different counties while being chased by Mexican drug squads and DEA agents. Eventually, unable to find a place to hide, he decided to undergo extensive plastic surgery, which failed miserably. He died during the operation, although the surgeons did their best to save him.
Personal Life
Amado Carrillo was reportedly married to a woman named Sonia Barragán Pérez. After his death, his wife somehow survived the abuse. Amado has a son with a wife who is active in drug trafficking. His son was also arrested along with his other accomplices. However, before his death, Amado urged his son to stay away from drug trafficking. He also tried to send his son to prestigious universities.
However, Amado’s son did not take his father’s advice seriously and continued to dedicate himself to drug trafficking. After Fuentes’ death, his son was charged with money laundering, drug trafficking and weapons possession. The funeral of Amado Fuentes was considered one of the most expensive and lavish in the history of Mexico and lasted several days.
Amado’s true story has inspired many media outlets to create a television series based on his life. To date, Netflix has released three separate series based on the lives of Fuentes, El Chapo, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico and Escobar Survivor. On November 5, 2021, Netflix began streaming the final season of Narcos: Mexico.
Net worth of Amado Carrillo Fuentes
Amado Carrillo Fuentes had a fortune of $25 billion before his death on July 4, 1997. He must have amassed a large fortune through his involvement in drug trafficking.