Do you think narcos may actually be on the 10 richest?

[Fortify]

The world likes lists, it kind of creates a framework for competition to be included. One of those is the list of richest in the world, recently:

Jeff Bezos
Elon Musk
Bernard Arnault
Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Warren Buffett
Larry Ellison
Larry Page
Sergey Brin
Mukesh Ambani

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012715/5-richest-people-world.asp

But now, some unofficial figures for less public people are worth a second thought. For example:

Dawood Ibrahim
...
He’s evaded arrest for a good part of three decades. After allegedly masterminding a series of explosions in 1993, Mumbai, Dawood Ibrahim went underground and has stayed away from public glare all these years. He started out as a small-time criminal in the ’70s and rose up the ranks till he became one of the richest drug dealers on the planet. While his estimated wealth comes nowhere close to Pablo Escobar’s estimated $25 billion in 1989, Ibrahim continues to remain alive, at large and worth well over $7 billion

25B in 1989 would make Pablo one of the richest persons on earth. By comparison, today's most notorious narcos are not making the cut. It seems like "the business" has become more complicated than before.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/el-chapo-12-richest-drug-214253459.html

I doubt any of these super rich people would really care about someone with illicit money having control of much larger amounts than them. Often you'll find these drug lords are in fact rich on paper only - they'll likely be confined to a tiny area of their country because they are hunted by so many law enforcement agencies and rivals. On top of that the money had to be laundered very well, will often get lost in all sorts of dodgy schemes and they will be lucky to make cents on the dollar for drug money that needs to be cleaned. Even when they do clean it, it can still be hard to retain control because if their bank accounts are ever exposed (we've seen several leaks in the last few years) it will be quickly seized.

[pinggoki]

Narcs are still selling like hotcakes, so I wouldn't really be surprised if these criminals make it up to the top of the ladder and would dare not say they don't deserve it, because it takes a lot of skill in order to climb that which I have to give to them despite the fact that they are literally breaking hundreds of laws and are ruining millions of people's lives in the process. The thing with these criminals is they make a vast network of connections that will keep them scot-free from the law and their rivals.

This reminds me of Colombian characters, like Pablo Escobar and the occasional politician from Venezuela, which, if I think they are on the list of the world's most millionaires and that they are probably involved in BTC. Many who are actually narcos and their names do not appear on a list, but due to their growing economic development they cannot hide the money in the big banks, nor in Switzerland, so the best thing for them would be BTC, in fact in Venezuela the activity mining is regulated by the government, which means they are probably very into it. In the case of Warren Buffet and some illustrious people shown on the list, since they have amassed their wealth from years ago, I would think that these people have worked hard to obtain what they have, at least Warren Buffet's books are very demonstrative.

Pablo's supposedly dead already but I wouldn't be surprised if his relatives are into bitcoin, especially if they are still into that kind of business which definitely needs some sort of security and safety against the law. not saying Bitcoin is best for criminals, but is just convenient for most people that they saw into it and had made use of such convenience and security as well. I hope the law makes them pay in the process still but until then, we can only hope and pray.

[Haunebu]

Top 10? I don't think so. The top 10 richest people on this list are decided based on their disclosed assets, but they might have many undisclosed assets making them wealthier than they seem in my opinion.

The pandemic made it more difficult for people around the world to access narcotics which directly led to a blow to the businesses of mafia leaders based on my research.

However, there are some people in this world who aren't popular and just disclose a small part of their assets who could probably compete with the top 10 on this list.

[BIT-BENDER]

I think it's still make money for those drug barons, but I don't support money from selling narcotics, although narcotics are of high demand, because of the quick addiction and ecstasys in gives to those using it, but my thoughts on the drop from how wealth drug dealers where and now are of key points
+ Tighter security network on drug control now than then: back then drug dealers had it easier dealing narcotics and their other products than now.
+ Many fractions of dealer, local and big Time increasing competition and reducing profit allocation to a/few particular drug dealers
+ More equipped rehabilitation centers and programs to help addicts

[AmoreJaz]

Top 10? I don't think so. The top 10 richest people on this list are decided based on their disclosed assets, but they might have many undisclosed assets making them wealthier than they seem in my opinion.

The pandemic made it more difficult for people around the world to access narcotics which directly led to a blow to the businesses of mafia leaders based on my research.

However, there are some people in this world who aren't popular and just disclose a small part of their assets who could probably compete with the top 10 on this list.

you have valid point on that. the list is for those who disclosed their assets or wealth. but more then likely, a lot are also enjoying their riches without the public knowledge and they don't need any recognition for some personal reasons (maybe to avoid govt chasing after them or the money is acquired by illegal means), but such list for me is just a show to the public. we will never know the truth when it comes to their actual wealth. so probably some narcos can make the cut, however, who knows their actual personal wealth?

[eaLiTy]

~
25B in 1989 would make Pablo one of the richest persons on earth. By comparison, today's most notorious narcos are not making the cut. It seems like "the business" has become more complicated than before.

The funny thing about the calculation of wealth of criminals is that they are not accurate. I read about the case of Pablo Escobar and he was regarded as a savior in his home country as he used to help the poor which means he is redistributing his wealth and no one knows exactly where he invested and stacked his money globally  .

When it comes to Dawood Ibrahim, it is true he started out as a petty criminal and then grew when the Indian economy started growing in the early 90s. He is having many real estate companies globally run by his Benami partners and he is having multiple business ventures in the UAE and he is still running his business even though his current location is unknown and there is no way to access and calculate his entire wealth.

[darewaller]

What we are forgetting is the dictators. Sure narcos are probably rich, but the super wealthy people of the world are the dictators. You think china dictator (the one that looks like winnie the pooh) doesn't dwarve all these wealth? That dude basically "owns" china, he could basically do whatever he wants, what do we base wealth on? I mean sure Elon is rich, but is he rich enough to control an entire 1+ billion people nation however he pleases level? Of course not.

Look at North Korea, look at Saudi Arabia. All those people at the top are so rich that just those three, in "theoretical" richness, probably richer than the richest 1000 people alive right now, combined. They are worth trillions upon trillions of dollars. The only difference is that we do not have data that can back that up, it is a psychological wealth since they do not actually need money, they want something and they get it, end of story for them.

[Kemarit]

Escobar has really struck the proverbial gold mine in the last 70's to early 80's and there's not much competition that time and that's why he has a total monopoly of drugs around the globe. But it has change in the late 90's to up to know. But still they are raking in billions.

That thing with this mafia or cartel is that we really don't know how much value they really have, and it could rivaled the worlds riches. But it's just the question of morality whether we need to include them on the list or not.

[Mauser]

Interesting question, I find all narcos stories fascinating, if it is Pablo escobar from the past, the Mafia or Guzman from Mexico. They all made billions from transporting, distributing, and selling drugs. Unfortunately there is no real way of tracking their wealth. Which criminal would make it public how much money he has in hiding. The only way we have is by the court and media when criminals are getting caught and put on trial. Would be crazy if you could earn still earn billions from drugs and be under the top 10 richest people alive in today's time. I am not an expert on drugs but I know that in my country there was a huge epidemic in the 80s and 90s. Hundreds of people where doing Heroin and other hard drugs in the parks in the city center. Today if you go there you see almost no drug users anymore. It might be more hidden in today's time or there is a lower number of drug users. I would expect that we have more people now doing Marihuana than in the past but less people doing hard drugs.

[yhiaali3]

I expect that this list is inaccurate, because most of the rich money men have secret activities that no one knows about. The institutions that track the wealth of the rich depend on what is recorded in banks and real estate as well as in government institutions, but what is not recorded may be much more than that , There are those who like to maintain their privacy and do not reveal all their wealth in addition to they like to evade taxes, so I think that all these lists are inaccurate.
At the present time, with the spread of Crypto around the world, the situation is becoming more and more complicated, as maintaining privacy has become an essential feature, so you can hide a great wealth in Crypto without anyone knowing about it.

[Lubang Bawah]

Many rich people prefer to be silent without revealing their wealth, usually news about rich people is from the amount of tax they pay, I often hear that Pablo Escobar has a lot of assets from property to stocks, and maybe he is in the top 10 richest people in the world.

[Kakmakr]

What does it help you, if you are $7 billion strong, but you cannot officially announce it and you have to stay in hiding the whole time.    You are basically a prisoner to your wealth and you can only spend that on trivial things. (Buy any assets in your name and you are f$#%ed)

He also has to use that money to bribe government officials and to pay people to harm or kill others... what life is that? The only people that admire him are the criminals that benefit from his crimes and their family and friend. We live free with the little amount of money that we have and that freedom is priceless. 

[fiulpro]

It's not just complicated but people are using everything that they can to get better options to sell them at parties it anything. I was so shocked to see a normal vape site in the UK selling *weed vapes* which is illegal and the only method you can use to pay was *bitcoins* thus I didn't only find it shocking but it could also give bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies a negative opinion.

Also people are now a days using Instagram, Facebook to message teens and young adults about their services, which I personally find really appalling. But they are definately making tons of money using that, I do think if we didn't take the legality in the account then the drug lord might be considered one of the world's richest, but that won't be a good thing to start with.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Narcs are still selling like hotcakes, so I wouldn't really be surprised if these criminals make it up to the top of the ladder and would dare not say they don't deserve it, because it takes a lot of skill in order to climb that which I have to give to them despite the fact that they are literally breaking hundreds of laws and are ruining millions of people's lives in the process. The thing with these criminals is they make a vast network of connections that will keep them scot-free from the law and their rivals.

This reminds me of Colombian characters, like Pablo Escobar and the occasional politician from Venezuela, which, if I think they are on the list of the world's most millionaires and that they are probably involved in BTC. Many who are actually narcos and their names do not appear on a list, but due to their growing economic development they cannot hide the money in the big banks, nor in Switzerland, so the best thing for them would be BTC, in fact in Venezuela the activity mining is regulated by the government, which means they are probably very into it. In the case of Warren Buffet and some illustrious people shown on the list, since they have amassed their wealth from years ago, I would think that these people have worked hard to obtain what they have, at least Warren Buffet's books are very demonstrative.

Pablo's supposedly dead already but I wouldn't be surprised if his relatives are into bitcoin, especially if they are still into that kind of business which definitely needs some sort of security and safety against the law. not saying Bitcoin is best for criminals, but is just convenient for most people that they saw into it and had made use of such convenience and security as well. I hope the law makes them pay in the process still but until then, we can only hope and pray.

Yes, in fact they captured a drug trafficker days ago, the one who is considered after Pablo Escobar, the so-called "OTONIEL" and at the time of his capture he looked normal, he was not scared, in fact he was laughing, some say he was let the DEA capture intentionally, the motives? only they know it, but such easy captures are very rare.

In fact, yes, Pablo Escobar was killed by the DEA, these days I have been watching the Pablo Escobar series on Netflix, and the intelligence that these beings develop is really well illustrative, the way in which local and international authorities always mock.

[Shenzou]

The richest people that are listed are the ones that are publicly known and own companies that are worth billions of dollars, but i am sure that there are ones out there who are operating from the shadows in the drug trafficking business that have billions of dollars.
https://www.statista.com/chart/18527/cocaine-retail-steet-prices-in-selected-countries/
one gram of coke is worth at least 60$ so imagine how much they will be making since every year tons and tons of drugs get smuggled from all over the world, these guys earning so much profit they don't even know what to do with it and even though it is divided still they would probably have a place in the list of the richest people if they were to be considered.

[dezoel]

Being a criminal and a gangster isn’t something that one should be proud of. Even if the narcos that you are talking about owns billions of dollars that will make them richer than Elon Musk today, they still won’t be recognized as the world richest man. And another thing you should know that these criminals tends to keep whatever they have a secret.

A criminal wouldn’t like the public to know how much they have and how they got it, because if people should find out then it’s going to make law enforcement agencies to come after them. Because the government are going to question them their source of income, and when they are not able to prove that source of income then it’s going to become a problem for them.

[famososMuertos]

I think they are not richer because part of their fortune is used to pay the corrupt.
In any economic, political or social area, even judicial, the real richest narcos they are hidden, if someone receive bribes as a result of drugs they are narcos too, these narcos famous are just the tip of the profits (iceberg).

[iv4n]

The richest people that are listed are the ones that are publicly known and own companies that are worth billions of dollars, but i am sure that there are ones out there who are operating from the shadows in the drug trafficking business that have billions of dollars.
https://www.statista.com/chart/18527/cocaine-retail-steet-prices-in-selected-countries/
one gram of coke is worth at least 60$ so imagine how much they will be making since every year tons and tons of drugs get smuggled from all over the world, these guys earning so much profit they don't even know what to do with it and even though it is divided still they would probably have a place in the list of the richest people if they were to be considered.

And here we are... "The richest people that are listed are the ones that are publicly known and own companies that are worth billions of dollars"! So basically they don't have a lot of money, their money is "locked" in companies, dividends, stocks, banks... while narcos are working with cash, dirty cash, and it's hard for them to wash it and make it legal, so they literally don't know what to do with the money! Do you remember about Escobar, people still search for "cash" he buried everywhere around!

At the height of its power, the Medellín cartel dominated the cocaine trade, earning an estimated $420 million a week and making its leader one of the wealthiest people in the world.

I guess now they make even more money...

[xSkylarx]

Many rich people prefer to be silent without revealing their wealth, usually news about rich people is from the amount of tax they pay, I often hear that Pablo Escobar has a lot of assets from property to stocks, and maybe he is in the top 10 richest people in the world.

I believe the majority of them will remain silent out of concern for their family's safety and that of their relatives. However, I believe that wealth is much more difficult to conceal now that there are so many eyes on you and that everyone should declare their assets. In reference to Pablo Escobar. He is a very well-known individual, but his wealth is derived from illegal activities, which they excluded him from because they were illegal, and he does not deserve to be excluded from top riches because they are not good.

[bitgolden]

25B in 1989 would make Pablo one of the richest persons on earth. By comparison, today's most notorious narcos are not making the cut. It seems like "the business" has become more complicated than before.

If it is true then I am really glad about that. But unfortunately, what I am hearing is, corrupted politicians and businessmen are more richer than what we do see in mainstream media. We need to account the level of smartness has been developed across all human beings and level of possible corruption happens with authorities who are supposed to be making those business complicated.

For some reasons, the real earnings of drug dealers are not coming to limelight. One probable reason must be "setting up wrong example to new generations". Hence, I am not reedy to agree that notorious people are not equally growing up in this modern era by considering the rate of illegal activities at every part of this world.