El cartel (TV series)
El Cartel de los Sapos | |
---|---|
Also known as | El Cartel |
Genre | Action, drama, Narconovela |
Written by | Juan Camilo Ferrand Andrés Lopez (original novel) |
Directed by | Luis Alberto Restrepo |
Starring | Manolo Cardona Karen Martínez Diego Cadavid Robinson Díaz |
Country of origin | Colombia |
Original language | Spanish |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | Season 1: 57 Season 2: 50 |
Production | |
Production locations | Colombia United States Mexico Venezuela Ecuador |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Release | |
Original release | June 4, 2008 May 21, 2010 | –
External links | |
Website |
El Cartel de los Sapos (English title: The Cartel of Snitches) or El Cartel is a Colombian television series that first aired on June 4, 2008 on the Colombian network Caracol TV. El Cartel stars Manolo Cardona, Karen Martínez, Diego Cadavid, and Robinson Díaz and is based on the 2008 novel by the same name by , alias Florecita ("Little Flower"), a former drug dealer who, while in prison, wrote the fictionalized account of his experiences in the Cali Cartel and of what happened within the Norte del Valle Cartel. In the TV series, which Lopez also wrote, the characters and locations from the book were changed.[1][2]
Synopsis[]
Two friends enter the illegal drugs business, thinking it is the fastest way to become rich. The illegal drug trafficking world seems attractive to all these middle-class people, who overlook the associated dangers and legal problems.
This choice begins a turbulent and troubled lifestyle that will change their fates forever. Martín, alias "Fresita", gets a job in a drugs lab sponsored by the big boss Óscar Cadena (Fernando Solorzano). Martín learns the business quickly and starts to send illegal drugs to the United States, while his boss makes an alliance with the Villegas Brothers, from the West Cartel, to take down the biggest drug dealer ever: Pablo Escobar.
With Escobar down, a new cartel is up: The Pacific Cartel in Colombia, led by Óscar Cadena, so Óscar (the teacher) and Martín (the student) make a pact of friendship and business.
Martín becomes a rich man and he falls for Sofía (Karen Martinez), a beautiful woman, but he wins her heart by lying to her. But Sofía discovers the origin of Martín's wealth, and he has to choose: Sofía or the business.
Óscar helps the police finish the West Cartel. The snitches (sapos) make war between these criminal machines to the point of breaking.
Oscar has been killed and decided to make Martin as the owner of the cartel. Martín refuses to take part in this war and decides to go to Miami with Sofía and his children, unaware that Miami is no longer a safe place. He continues his illegal activities, meanwhile watching enemies kill his old friends.
As increasing numbers of his business partners and brothers die or get caught, Martin is forced to run to Mexico, looking for protection. He realizes too late that, in this business, you can never win. So he becomes a sapo and tells his tale to the DEA.
In the second season, Pepe, after being captured by the FBI, and now released to be a snitch, tells the rest of the story, which leads to the arrests and deaths of several drug traffickers.
Characters[]
Caracol decided to change the characters' real names, their aliases, and some locations from the book, although the filmmakers maintained some physical resemblance between the real-life characters and their portrayers. The following tables detail the names of the characters, their portrayers, and the real life people they represent in the series. The first table also highlights the first season characters who also appear in the second season.[citation needed]
Character Name – Aka | Actor | Real name – Alias |
---|---|---|
Martín González – El fresita | Manolo Cardona | Andrés López López – el Florecita (The Flower) |
Sofía (esposa de Martín) | Karen Martínez | María del Socorro Patiño |
Milton Jiménez – El cabo | Wílber Alirio Varela – Jabón | |
Pepe Cadena | Diego Cadavid | |
Oscar Cadena | José Orlando Henao Montoya- el Hombre del Overol | |
Álvaro José Pérez – Guadaña | Julian Arango | Luis Alfonso Ocampo Fómeque – Tocayo |
Amparo Cadena (esposa de Julio) | Lorena Henao Montoya | |
John Mario Martínez – Pirulito | Juan Pablo Raba (1.ª season) (second season) |
Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía – Chupeta |
Julio Trujillo | Ivan Urdinola Grajales – el Enano (The Dwarf) | |
Conrado Cadena – El mocho | Arcángel Henao – el Mocho | |
Alfonso Rendón – Anestesia | Andrés Parra | Carlos Zapata – el Médico |
Humberto Paredes – Humber | Efraín Hernández – Don Efra | |
Samuel Morales | Miguel Solano – Miguelito | |
Mario Lopera – Don Mario | Santiago Moure | Diego Montoya – Don Diego |
Gonzalo Tovar – Buñuelo | Hernando Gómez Bustamante – Rasguño | |
Apolinar S. Santilla – el Negro Santilla | Jorge E. Aspirilla – El negro Aspirilla | |
Eliana Saldarriaga (esposa de Pepe) | Cristina Santana | |
Juanita Marín | ||
Juliana Morales o Estupiñán | Rosario Molano o Santibañez | |
Agente Sam Mathews | Agente Romedio Viola (DEA) | |
El Ovejo | Óscar Varela García – Capachivo | |
Fermín Urrego – el Tigre | Victor Patiño Fómeque – la Fiera | |
Cdte Ramiro Gutiérrez | Alberto Palacio | Colonel Danilo González Gil |
David Paz | Baruch Vega – el Fotógrafo | |
Hugo de la Cruz | Hélmer Herrera – Pacho Herrera | |
Gral. Javier Ibarra (Policía Nacional) | Gral. Rosso José Serrano | |
Leonardo Villegas | Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela | |
Enmanuel Villegas | Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela | |
Ignacio Nacho Sotomayor | José Santacruz Londoño | |
Novio de Hugo de la Cruz | Novio de Hélmer Herrera | |
Tulio de la Cruz – Doble Rueda | José Manuel Herrera – el Inválido | |
Pedro Tejada – Revolver | Julio Correa – Julio Fierro | |
Susana de Cadena (esposa de Conrado) | —
| |
Francisco José Trujillo (hermano de Julio) | —
| |
Silvio Méndez (chofer y amante de Amparo) | —
| |
Caremico | Christian Tappan | Orlando Sánchez Cristancho ��� Trompa de Marrano |
Kevin – Kevin Izquierdo | Juan Calderón | Richard Martínez |
Guillermo Polo – Guillo | —
| |
Ita (abuela de Martín) | —
| |
Perla (hermana de Martín) | —
| |
Esposa de Samuel Morales | —
| |
Rene Zamudio (amigo de Samuel) | - el chepe puello | |
Giselle (esposa de Anestesia) | Angeline Moncayo | —
|
El Contador | – el Secre. | |
Omar Godoy – Navaja | Juan Carlos Ortiz – Cuchilla | |
Adolfo Aguilar (jefe de Las AUC) – El Halcón | Carlos Castaño | |
Belinda (amiga de Juanita) | —
| |
Soledad (esposa de Óscar) | Majida Issa | —
|
Myriam (madre de Eliana) | —
| |
Gargajo | —
| |
Señuelo (Trabajador de Eliana) | —
| |
Cristián | - | |
Jhonatan de la Cruz | ||
Israel de la cruz | ||
William Torres | —
| |
Gral. Jorge Contreras | ||
Agente Katherine (DEA) | Paulina Gálvez | —
|
Steven Douglas | ||
Becky Clarkson | Vivian Ruiz |
Character – Alias | Actor | Real name – Alias |
---|---|---|
Andrea Negrete – La Mera Mera o la Reina | Patricia Manterola | Sandra Ávila Beltrán
– la Reina del Pacífico |
Victoria "Vicky" Puerta | Carolina Guerra | Yovanna Guzmán |
– Antenas | Ramón Oliveros | |
John – el Gordo John | William Tamayo Hernández – Mazinger | |
Mayor Luis Madero – el Caza Narcos (Unidad Antinarcóticos) | Alejandro Martínez | Mayor Elkin Leonardo Molina Aldana |
– el Rockie | —
| |
– el Puma | Juan Diego Espinoza – el Tigre | |
Diego Casas – Caliche | Luis Fernando Lopera – Casadiego | |
– El primo | Luis Fernando Montoya (actor)|Luis Fernando Montoya | Carlos Alberto Renteria – Beto |
Tía de Johanna | —
| |
Johanna Lesmes | Angélica Blandón | —
|
El mariachi de "El piloto" | Gustavo Ángel | —
|
Capitán Harvey Racines | Tommy Vásquez | Pedro Pineda – Pispis |
María Luisa Higuera (amante de "Caliche") | Margarita Muñoz | —
|
Lina María Acevedo (amor de "Don Mario") | Andrea Noceti | Paula Andrea Betancourt |
Blanca (Esposa de Racines) | —
| |
Larissa Márquez de Casas (esposa de "Caliche") | Gloria Patricia Gomez Osorio | |
Zully Carmona | Diana Hoyos | Nancy Cadavid |
Olga (esposa de "Pirulito") | Patricia Castañeda | —
|
Agente Katherine (DEA) | Paulina Gálvez | —
|
Agente Peter McAllister (DEA) | Agente Terry Cole (DEA) | |
Agente Lilian Young (DEA) | —
| |
Oliver Carmona o García (esposo de Zully) | —
| |
Patricia Carmona (hermana de Zully) | Libia Cadavid | |
XL | José Luis Ledezma – el JL | |
Wilson Gamboa – Paredón | Carlos Arturo Patiño – Patemuro | |
Pedro – el Manteco | Weimar Pérez – Grasoso | |
Teniente Calero | —
| |
Juan B. Guillén – el Piloto | Amado Carrillo Fuentes – el Señor de los Cielos | |
– el Golfo | Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo – el Padrino | |
Santiago Bonera | —
| |
Farid Duarte | —
| |
Jaime Vélez – el Pajarraco | Carlos Robayo – Guacamayo | |
Weimar Castro – Caremotor | Carlos Sánchez | Wenceslao Caicedo – el Señor de la Motosierra |
– Mogollo | Gilmer H. Quintero – el Cabezón | |
Milton de Jesús Jiménez – Jimenito | Wilber Felipe Varela Camacho – Varelita | |
Luisinho | Bárbaro Marín | |
Lucía (esposa de Buñuelo) | —
| |
Abogado Eddy Doménico (defensor de Bonera) | Gilberto Reyes | —
|
– la India (esposa del Rockie) | Yesenia Valencia | —
|
Joyce (esposa de Luisinho) | Viña Machado | —
|
Antonio Villegas | Jhonny Rivera | Sigifredo Rodriguez Orejuela |
Agente Navarro | —
| |
Agente DEA | Ilja Rosendahl | —
|
Julián Levy | —
| |
Bodyguard of "El Golfo" | Carlos Arrechea | —
|
Associated media[]
The book upon which the TV series is based also inspired the film El Cartel de los Sapos (2011). Lopez has also written several additional books based on his and his associates' experiences in the drug trade.[3][2]
References[]
- ^ Iaconangelo, David (7 August 2013). "Lifestyle: Andres Lopez Lopez: The Journey Of A Colombian Drug Lord Turned Bestselling Author Of 'El Cartel De Los Sapos' And The Upcoming 'Lord Of The Skies' [PROFILE INTERVIEW]". Latin Times.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Elfrink, Tim (10 February 2011). "ANDRES LOPEZ EXPOSES THE COLOMBIAN CARTELS". Miami New Times.
- ^ "Author profile". Goodreads.
External links[]
- (in Spanish) Official website
- (in Spanish) Telemundo El Cartel Website
- El cartel at IMDb
- 2008 Colombian television series debuts
- 2008 Colombian television series endings
- Colombian telenovelas
- Colombian crime television series
- Spanish-language television shows
- Caracol Televisión original programming
- Television shows set in Bogotá
- Television shows set in Cartagena, Colombia
- Television shows set in Miami
- Television shows set in New York City
- Television shows set in Mexico City
- Television shows set in Cancún
- Television shows set in Venezuela
- Television shows set in Ecuador
- Works about Colombian drug cartels
- Works about Mexican drug cartels