Legendary Drug Lord Fabio Ochoa Is Deported to Colombia and Walks Free After 20 Years in US Prisons

Fabio Ochoa, (C), is welcomed by relatives upon arriving at El Dorado airport after being deported from the United States, in Bogota, Colombia, on Dec. 23, 2024. Fernando Vergara/AP Photo

BOGOTÁ, Colombia—One of Colombia’s legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cartel has been deported back to the South American country, after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence in the United States.

A short while later, Fabio Ochoa was again a free man.