In the history of drug trafficking in the south and even in North America, there are names that will remain infamous, such as Pablo Escobar, the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, as well as Chepe Santacruz who was popular as Don Chepe. He was portrayed in Netflix’s crime and organized crime television series Narcos, which is based on the life of arguably the most notorious drug lord of all time, Escobar.
Santacruz was part of the notorious drug ring, the Cali Cartel which was based in southern Colombia. The cartel members were under Escobar before later splitting up. At one point he controlled much of the drug market. Chepe was one of the main leaders and the backbone of the organization before he was murdered by Colombian police in 1996 in a rather controversial manner.
Chepe Santacruz – Biography
Popular as Chepe Santacruz, the famous kingpin José Santacruz Londoño was born on October 1, 1943 in the small Colombian town of Santiago de Cali. He grew up in the Cauca Valley in a poor environment. He made his way and went to school where he graduated as an engineer. From there he went into construction and little by little he found his way.
He joined the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers to later found the Cali Cartel, a group that dubbed themselves the Gentlemen of Cali ( Los Caballeros de Cali) that was drawn from the background of the founders who had all achieved high social status. At first he was under Escobar until he later broke away.
When the Cali Cartel started, it was a very notorious kidnapping organization. It was known as Las Chemas. Swiss citizens were among the victims of the network of kidnappers. They allegedly earned more than US$700,000 from a kidnapping used in drug trafficking.
Before branching out, when the Cali Cartel started in the 1970s, it was in the marijuana trade. Much later, in the 1980s, Chepe Santacruz and other members of the organization are said to have controlled up to 80% of the US cocaine market. More importantly, their control of the European market was 90%.
Its main rival was Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel, which was very brutal in its dealings. While Cali was less violent, Don Chepe was considered the most violent member of the cartel.
In 1993, Pablo Escobar’s reign was cut short. After his death, Chepe Santacruz entered to take full control of the market. The only problem was that the Colombian authorities were also quite willing to restrict the drug trade and specifically the Cali cartel. In 1996 Chepe was killed in controversial circumstances. Being one of the most powerful members of the cartel, his death led to the weakening and demise of the organization.
Life and Death – Everything you need to know
Looking at the life of Chepe Santacruz, he was described as a larger than life man. He did everything in style even though his life was hectic. He was married to Amparo Castro de Santacruz, but in total he would have four partners, of whom he would have had six children. More so, he frequented brothels and opted for unattractive ladies.
José Santacruz had a sister, Cristina Santacruz, kidnapped in 1992 by men loyal to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). They demanded a $12 million ransom, but Chepe instead kidnapped a sister of Pablo Catatumbo (a FARC member who was overseeing the peace talks), Amparo Torres. This sparked negotiations that resulted in an exchange of hostages.
Just as his life was controversial, so was his death. The only thing certain about his death is that he died on March 5, 1996, in Medellín, Colombia. Reports of his death are mixed, with the official report claiming he was shot while fleeing to evade arrest while another source claims his killing was orchestrated by the paramilitaries.
Before being killed, Chepe was arrested in 1995, the same year that other cartel leaders, including Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, were also arrested. However, Chepe escaped in January 1996, but it was only a few months before he was finally shot.
He is portrayed in the Netflix series Narcos by Portuguese actor Pêpê Rapazote. He has also been portrayed in various other television series, including the 2012 Colombian telenovela Escobar, el patrón del mal and the 2013 television series En la boca del lobo
