January 8, 1932 - Roberto Suárez Gómez
His operation helped lay the structural groundwork for the international cocaine trade at its most formative period, positioning Bolivia as a primary source before the cartels of Colombia dominated the narrative. The financing of a national coup d'état — one that came to be defined by his involvement — illustrates how deeply his influence extended beyond trafficking into the political architecture of a country. At his peak, his output made him the single largest cocaine producer in the world.
From Wikipedia
Roberto Suárez Gómez (January 8, 1932 – July 20, 2000), also known as the King of Cocaine, was a Bolivian drug lord and trafficker who played a major role in the expansion of cocaine trafficking in Bolivia. In his prime, Suárez made $400 million annually, was one of the major suppliers of the Medellín Cartel as well as the leader of the largest Bolivian drug empire, and was considered to be the biggest cocaine producer in the world.
Born to a prominent family, Suárez entered the drug trade and made millions from cocaine in the 1970s and 1980s. He is known for financing the 1980 coup d'état, known as the "Cocaine Coup", and was a major supplier of cocaine for various criminal organizations. Suárez was arrested in 1988 and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released after serving half his sentence. He died on July 20, 2000, from a heart attack.
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