The Cali Cartel was a powerful and sophisticated drug trafficking organization based in Cali, Colombia. Founded in the early 1970s by brothers Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, along with José Santacruz Londoño and Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera, the cartel became a dominant force in the global cocaine trade by the 1980s. Unlike their rivals, the Medellín Cartel, the Cali Cartel operated with a business-like precision, focusing on corruption, bribery, and strategic alliances rather than violence.

The cartel's operations were highly organized and compartmentalized, resembling a multinational corporation with different cells responsible for production, transportation, distribution, and finance. They controlled vast coca plantations, used innovative smuggling methods, and laundered billions of dollars through legitimate businesses and offshore accounts.

The Cali Cartel's emphasis on maintaining a low profile and infiltrating legitimate sectors of society allowed them to avoid the intense scrutiny that plagued other criminal organizations. However, by the mid-1990s, they became a top target for law enforcement, leading to the arrests of key leaders like the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers. Their capture marked the beginning of the cartel's decline, though remnants continued to operate for years.

The Cali Cartel's legacy lies in its sophisticated approach to crime, influencing future criminal organizations to adopt similar methods of corruption and integration into legitimate businesses. Their story is a testament to the complexities of the global drug trade and the ongoing challenges in combating organized crime.

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