Episode 78: Amado Carrillo Fuentes - Who Was He, What Did He Do, and is He Still Alive?

Cartels, Conspiracies, and Camarena

My recent viewing of season 3 of Narcos: Mexico, which features Amado Carrillo Fuentes in one storyline, coupled with recent discussions about his death, led me to look more into the life, career, and death of The Lord of the Skies.

In this episode, we look at Amado's rise from one of twelve children in Sinaloa, to the tutelage he received from old school traffickers Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, his uncle, and Pablo Acosta Villarreal, to his rise to the leadership of the Juarez Cartel.

We also examine his ill-fated alliance with, first, Pablo Escobar, and, later, the Cali Cartel.

Finally, we discuss the pressures that led Amado to seek the plastic surgery and lipo suction in a Mexico City hospital that led to his death, as well as the continuing rumors that he faked his death.