Tranquilandia (literally 'Tranquility-land') was the name of the large

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

processing laboratory located in the jungles of Caquetá, Colombia. Tranquilandia was constructed for the

Medellín Cartel The Medellín Cartel ( es, Cartel de Medellín) was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered ...

José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha (14 May 1947 – 15 December 1989), also known by the nicknames 'Don Sombrero' and ''El Mexicano'' ( en, The Mexican), was a Colombian drug lord who was one of the leaders of the notorious Medellín Cartel along wi ...

, also known as ''the Mexican''. Until its destruction in 1984 by the

Colombian National Police The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it c ...

assisted by the

United States Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

(

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

), the complex consisted of 19 laboratories, an independent water (

Yari River is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...

) and electrical system along with dormitories for the laboratory workers. Processing supplies were flown in, and processed cocaine was flown out via any one of eight airstrips, constructed by the Cartel, for that specific purpose.Cabos sueltos en la muerte de Lara Bonilla – 12/09/2007 – El Nuevo Herald

Raid

In 1983, the DEA placed satellite tracking devices on tanks of

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

(a major chemical in cocaine processing) purchased through the export company Arbron Miami International Distributor Inc, from an American chemical company located in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The DEA followed the ether into the jungles of Caqueta, Colombia, and their ultimate destination, Tranquilandia. According to the judgment of the United States District Court Southern District of Florida, case # 85-396-CR-KEHOE dated 29 August 1985, the company Arbron International Distributor Inc. and its president Francisco Javier Torres-Sierra were never connected with the Medellin Cartel, as the Miami Herald published without foundation in December 2007. On 10 March 1984, units of the

, assisted by the DEA, assaulted the complex. The operation concluded with the destruction of the complex and 13.8 metric tons of cocaine valued at US$1.2 billion.frontline: drug wars: thirty years of america's drug war , PBS

Popular depiction

* In the 2006 movie-based game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours'', near the end of the game, the main character was asked by his partner to liberate a vast drug facility in an island offshore

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

(the Islands in the game) for him. It was named Tranquilandia just as Medellín Cartel's facility. * In the 2012 telenovela '' Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'', Tranquilandia is portrayed by name. The 12th episode shows the tracking device and the raid.

References

Medellín Cartel Illegal drug trade in Colombia 1984 in Colombia {{coord missing, Colombia

Raid

Popular depiction

See also

References