
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who authorities say heads the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, is believed to have shipped $6 billion to $19 billion in cocaine to the United States over the past eight years, Forbes says in the listing.
The magazine ranks him No. 41, ahead of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (No. 43), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (46), French President Nicolas Sarkozy (56) and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (67). Guzman also bested U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts (49) and entertainer Oprah Winfrey (45) on the list, released Wednesday.
(…)
Forbes notes that Guzman’s fortune was self-made. His age is given as 52 or 54.
The Sinaloa Cartel, named after the Mexican Pacific Coast state where the gang was formed, is one of the most powerful drug-trafficking groups in the nation.