Throughout its run, Narcos and its popular spinoff, Narcos: Mexico, have provided viewers with an insider’s look at the cities of Cali and Medellin in Columbia as well as Guadalajara, Mexico, in order to delve into the stories of some of the most notorious drug kingpins in history. Throughout these series, viewers have encountered some incredibly dangerous and esteemed figures on both sides of the law, and, while wealthy drug lords such as Gilberto Rodriguez and Felix Gallardo are certainly not people to double cross, there are some imposing characters who pose even more of an imminent threat to their enemies. Let’s take a look at some of the Narcos characters on both sides of the law who we certainly wouldn’t want to stumble upon in a dark alley.

Guillermo Gonzalez Calderoni

Commander of the Mexican Federal Police and one of Mexico’s toughest cops, Calderoni was also known to be absolutely incorruptible, which is one of the reasons why the DEA chose to collaborate with him in order to bring down the Guadalajara Cartel. Kiki Camarena did have a hard time trusting him at first, due to his ruthless interrogation methods and lack of hesitation when it comes to maiming and even roughing up suspects, however, he soon proved his dedication to the pursuit of justice. This brawny cop successfully took charge of the mission to arrest Rafael Caro Quintero, one of Gallardo’s closest associates, and also captured Felix Gallardo himself, however, unfortunately, had to release him upon hearing of sensitive audio tapes that Gallardo had in his possession.

Judy Moncada

The wife of the deceased Gerardo Moncada, Judy was distraught upon learning of his disappearance and subsequent death at the hands of Pablo Escobar. This stirred up her lust for vengeance, and she took over her husband’s business dealings and soon became the leader of the sect of the Medellin Cartel that broke away from Escobar. With financial success not being enough to fulfill her craving for revenge, she soon banded together with other dangerous figures such as the Castano brothers and Diego Murillo in order to form Los Pepes, the vigilante group who were instrumental in the downfall of Escobar and the destruction of his cartel. In fact, so critical were the actions of this group that DEA Agent Javier Pena himself began to cooperate with them as the hunt for Escobar heated up.

Salvador Osuna Nava

The Director-General of the DFS, Nava is technically on the right side of the law, even if his chilling presence suggests otherwise. He initially showed interest in Gallardo’s activities when DFS Commander “El-Azul” informed him about the young Sinaloan ex-cop who looked to unify all drug traffickers into one organized network. So far is Nava’s reach that he not only organized the assassination of Gallardo’s boss Pedro Aviles but also gifted Gallardo the role of the former, for which he became universally notorious. Before his affecting death, Nava strong-armed Gallardo into doing his bidding on a number of occasions, including delivering American weapons to a Nicaraguan rebel group. He also eliminated numerous cartel smugglers due to receiving an unequal cut of their profits.

Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha

When Mateo Moreno, otherwise known as “The Cockroach”, moved his drug operations to Columbia in Narcos pilot episode, Gacha was one of three potential smugglers that Moreno considered entering into business with. His reason for declining to do business with Gacha was because he proved too bloodthirsty and violent; even more so than Escobar himself. Gacha developed a reputation for not only killing his enemies, but even those who slightly annoyed him. Upon his mansion being stormed by Columbian police and the death of his son, he wreaked havoc and even attempted to take down a helicopter.

 

One of the most intimidating and lethal sicarios around, Navegante was loyal to the Cali Cartel, but also infiltrated the Medellin Cartel in 1989 as a result of Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha’s attempts to expand their drug trade into New York City, a territory already claimed by Cali. He was entrusted as a personal bodyguard for numerous Cali bosses including Gilbert and Miguel Rodriguez as well as Pacho Herrera and was the Cali cartel’s first-choice hitman. Audience members will surely remember his shockingly unexpected assassination of “El Leon”, Escobar’s representative in Miami.

Colonel Horacio Carrillo

Colonel Carrillo was the first head of the Search Bloc police unit, tasked with hunting down the most notorious drug traffickers in Columbia. He was incredibly ruthless towards any and all who stood in the way of his goal to take down Escobar, and he was known to get information out of numerous Narcos through questionable means. One of his greatest achievements was his capture of Gustavo Gaviria, Escobar’s cousin and closest ally and business partner. Yet again, Carrillo’s interrogation tactics were so gruff that he and his men beat Gaviria to death with their bare hands. These tactics lead to the disbanding of the Search Bloc, however, the Columbian government soon recalled Carrillo after realizing that he is the only man that Escobar truly feared.

Helmer “Pacho” Herrera

Seemingly more reasonable and level-headed than most of the drug lords featured in Narcos, his underlying, unforgiving temper reveals itself once lines are crossed. Claudio Salazar of the North Valley Cartel learned this the hard way when Pacho confronted him after the Cali Cartel’s large party, killing him by way of decapitation. Upon being attacked in Mexico whilst in hiding, Pacho was able to overcome his attackers and subsequently take revenge on their superiors. This revenge included the annihilation of the entire Salazar clan, thus fracturing the North Valley Cartel.

The Castano Brothers

Carlos and Fidel were co-founders of the far-right AUC paramilitary group; the formation of which resulted from the kidnapping and murder of their father by communist forces. Whilst operating this group, they barbarically burned down and murdered entire villages that had been assisted by communists. Their tactical genius equaled their brutality, however, and they were subsequently contacted to help form Los Pepes, an organization that hunted down and eliminated many of Pablo Escobar’s closest allies. In fact, CIA station chief Bill Stechner provided the brothers with arms due to their effectiveness in the field against the Medellin Cartel.

Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela

While Miguel started out in the background as the head of financing while his brother Gilberto was the face of their organization, he rose to prominence soon after his brother’s capture, effectively taking the reigns as the new leader of the Cali Cartel. He proved to be more ruthless than his brother, ordering and overseeing the murders of a corrupt Cali policeman and Gilberto’s bodyguard Carlo Cordova and his wife, as well as nearly choking Jorge Salcedo to death. Not to mention that Miguel took the beautiful Maria Salazar for himself not long after her husband’s demise.

Pablo Escobar

Arguably the most notorious drug kingpin of all time, Escobar left a long trail of bodies in his path on the way to the top. He murdered business partner Mateo “The Cockroach” Moreno soon after entering into business with him, beat Gerardo Moncada to death with a pool cue, and even managed to foil the fearsome Colonel Carrillo’s plan to stop him, eliminating the leader of the Search Bloc in the process. Escobar’s lust for violence also ignited the decline of his public image, particularly due to several horrific bombings which resulted in an alarmingly high death toll. Ultimately, his wrath brought the city of Medellin to its knees until his eventual assassination.

Next: What to Expect from Narcos: Mexico Season 2