Rafael Cardona Salazar

Rafael Cardona Salazar (early 1950s–December 4, 1987), also known as Rafa Salazar, was a Colombian drug dealer who shipped cocaine into the United States through Miami from 1978 to 1987. Miami police claimed in 1987 that he was responsible for 80% of the cocaine being shipped into the country. Salazar first worked with the Colombian Medellín Cartel, allegedly heading their operations in the U.S., and then at some point switched allegiance to the Colombian Cali Cartel. In 1986, Salazar was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury for conspiracy resulting in the murder of Barry Seal—a former Medellín dealer turned informant to U.S. law enforcement—earlier that year. Salazar was murdered by unidentified gunmen in Medellín in 1987, which escalated a war between the Medellín and Cali cartels.

Childhood Salazar was born in Barrio Belén , Medellín, Colombia, sometime during the early 1950s. His mother was Soledad Cardona and his father was Rafael Antonio Cardona He was an aide to Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez and his brother Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, both of them top Medellín leaders. Starting in 1981, Max Mermelstein worked for Salazar. Mermelstein "was responsible for working out the logistics of drug shipments to the United States, arranging flights, locating drop points, [and] scheduling deliveries." Salazar's rival in Miami was dealer Griselda Blanco, until she was arrested in California in 1985 and extradited back to Colombia. In the indictment, Salazar was alleged to have furnished the money to buy the gun used to shoot Seal, as well to locate Seal in Louisiana. Salazar allegedly test-fired the gun when it was bought in Florida. After the show's release, Salazar's family criticized its portrayal of him, and sued the show's producers for portraying Salazar without their permission in May 2024.