Mirza Aaqib Beg
Amado Carrillo Fuentes was a Mexican drug lord who is known for building a multibillion-dollar drug empire after seizing the power of the Juarez Cartel in the 90s. Born in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on December 17, 1956, Amado’s introduction to the drug business happened at a young age through his uncle Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, who was associated with the Guadalajara Cartel and was also its leader for some time.
The drug lord had 11 siblings, and once he had become a well-known name in the criminal underworld, he ensured that his brothers also joined the cartel. While Amado already had a considerable influence in the 80s, he truly ascended to the top of the drug world in 1993 after he seized power of the Juárez Cartel by assassinating its co-founder and his boss Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. The drug lord later died under suspicious conditions in July 1997 while undergoing extensive plastic surgery that took 8 hours.
Although paperwork for his death is little, it has been speculated that he passed away because of complications caused by a malfunctioning respirator or a certain medication. The recurring mentions and portrayals of the notorious criminal in popular culture have kept him relevant even decades after his untimely death. Looking at his multi-billion drug empire of the 90s, people often speculate what his net worth must be at the time of his death, so let’s learn more about it.
How Did Amado Carrillo Fuentes Make His Money?
After forming close ties with the Guadalajara Cartel through Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, Amado worked under him. Because of his young age, he quickly rose through the ranks after displaying a good understanding of the drug business and was even made a high-ranking lieutenant by his uncle. Knowing that he liked to take responsibility, Ernesto even sent him to Chihuahua to oversee cocaine shipping operations in the region.
The decision turned out to be life-changing for Amado as he met well-known Mexican narcotics smugglers Rafael Aguilar Guajardo and Pablo Acosta Villarreal. He learned all they knew about the drug business from them, and it can be argued that this phase in his life later laid the foundation for his subsequent rise as a major player in the drug world. He later went on to work with dangerous narcoterrorists and drug lords like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo.
Amado also smuggled drugs to Mexico and the United States while working for the Cali Cartel. His association with wanted criminals had earned him a lot of notoriety by the end of the 80s, but no one expected what was coming in the following decade. Amado assassinated Rafael Aguilar Guajardo and took over the Juárez Cartel in 1993. Unlike other drug lords at the time, Amado introduced sophisticated technology to run his illegal business.
He even spied on his enemies using modern tools and relied on a fleet of privately owned airplanes to smuggle drugs to Mexico and the United States. Amado soon had over 30 Boeing 727s and several other private jets. His reliance on airplanes earned him the nickname “El Señor de Los Cielos” or “The Lord of the Skies.” By the time of his death, he was overseeing a multibillion-dollar drug business, but what was his accurate net worth? Let’s have a look.
Amado Carrillo Fuentes’s Net Worth
Amado Carrillo Fuentes’s net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be close to $25 billion. The Mexican government later seized his assets that included 60 properties across Mexico and $10 billion in bank account funds. One of his properties was auctioned in 2020 to fund the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More: Does Amado Die in Narcos: Mexico Season 3?
