Suarez Gomez, Roberto

▪ 2001

      Bolivian drug trafficker (b. 1932, Trinidad, Bol.—d. July 20, 2000, Santa Cruz, Bol.), nicknamed the “king of cocaine,” was one of the world's most notorious drug kingpins. Born into a wealthy and socially prominent family, Suárez seemed to have little motive for entering the drug trade. Nevertheless, by the mid-1970s he had begun to recruit Bolivian coca producers into “the Corporation”—an organization that, under Suárez's leadership, became a major supplier for the Medellín drug cartel of Colombia. In 1980 Suárez backed a military coup that toppled the Bolivian government; in return, he received political protection for his enterprise, and he quickly amassed a fortune that at its peak was estimated at $400 million. Unlike others in his trade, Suárez courted publicity, meeting frequently with the media and making ostentatious displays of philanthropy. These actions made him a target, however, and in the late 1980s, after civilian government had been restored in Bolivia, Suárez lost his grip on power. He was convicted on drug charges in absentia in 1988. Arrested a year later, Suárez eventually served 7 years of a 15-year prison sentence.

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