North Coast Cartel

The North Coast Cartel (Cartel de la Costa or Cartel de la Costa Atlántica) was a drug cartel operating in northern Colombia mostly controlling the area of the Colombian Caribbean coast illegal drug trade flow from other regions of Colombia and neighboring countries and local production. The North Coast Cartel was headed by Alberto Orlandez-Gamboa "Caracol" (the snail), who in a vendetta eliminated the Valdeblanquez family. He was arrested on June 6, 1998 and extradited later to the United States where he pleaded guilty for numerous drug-related crimes. Other notable members of the North Coast cartel were the Nasser family clan who owned several assets in Barranquilla some 270 properties, including the luxurious Hotel El Prado, which is now property of the Colombian government. The most prominent members of the clan were Julio Cesar Nasser David and his ex-wife Sheila Nasser. She was captured in Switzerland and then extradited to the United states in September 1994. She accepted being responsible for sending to the United States some 30 shipments of cocaine and marijuana between 1976 and 1994. Her husband was also covered by the extradition but he died shortly of natural causes, on January 13, 2000. After serving time in prison, their son Jorge "Tito" Nasser was killed by gunmen in Barranquilla exiting a local gym. Carlos Alberto Nasser was captured in 1998. Claudia Nasser and Carlos Alberto "Capeto" Nasser were found guilty of money laundering and illegal enrichment.

Other members

 * Cursis Antonio Gonzalez aka "Crusito Gonzalez", assassinated in a commercial establishment in Barranquilla by gunmen, he was a collaborator of Alberto Orlande Gamboa aka "El Caracol". He was killed after the extradition of the latter one.
 * Gustavo Salazar Bernal, killed in Cartagena on August 30, 2001 by gunman Jhon Fredy Orrego Marín who was associated to the Norte del Valle Cartel. He was killed for being responsible for "losing" a shipment of drugs bounded to Europe. His brother Hernando was also killed by the Norte del Valle Cartel.