
Members of the cartel in 1984
The Calderone Cartel was a Colombian drug syndicate that operated in Colombia and the United States during the early 1980s. Its leader Esteban Calderone was responsible for trafficking cocaine as far as New York City and Los Angeles, as well as several drug-related murders in Miami, Florida. In 1984, undercover detectives Rico Tubbs and Sonny Crockett attempted to take down Calderone, but Calderone was always a step ahead of them due to having DEA agent Scottie Wheeler in his pocket. In 1985, however, he was taken down by the vengeful duo after he had Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez murdered, and his son Orlando Calderone was killed after attempting to avenge his father.