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 Andrés López López, 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.
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. The characters marked with an asterisk, although they do not appear in the second season, are mentioned.
Character - Nickname Character - Nickname Portrayed by First Season Second Season: Total War Martín González Mora– El fresita* Andrés López López – el Florecita (The Flower)Manolo Cardona Sofía (Martín's wife) María del Socorro Patiño Karen Martínez Milton Jiménez – El cabo Wílber Alirio Varela – Jabón Robinson Díaz Pepe Cadena Fernando Henao - El Grillo Diego Cadavid Óscar Cadena* José Orlando Henao Montoya- el Hombre del Overol Fernando Solórzano Álvaro José Pérez - Guadaña* Luis Alfonso Ocampo Fómeque - Tocayo Julián ArangoAmparo Cadena Lorena Henao Montoya Sandra ReyesJohn Mario Martínez - Pirulito Juan Carlos Ramírez - Chupeta Juan Pablo Raba Camilo Sáenz Julio Trujillo Iván Urdinola - El Enano Fernando Arévalo Conrado Cadena - El Mocho Arcángel Henao - El Mocho Álvaro RodríguezAlfonso Rendón - Anestesia Carlos Zapata - El Médico Andrés Parra Humberto Paredes - Humber Efraín Hernández - Don Efra Juan Ángel Loaiza, empleado de Don Húmber Fernando Cifuentes Villa Manuel Cabral Vargas Samuel Morales Miguel Solano - Miguelito Luis Alfredo VelascoMario Lopera - Don Mario Diego Montoya - Don Diego Santiago MoureGonzalo Tovar - Buñuelo Luis Hernando Gómez - Rasguño Juan Carlos Arango Apolinar S. Santilla - El Negro Santilla Jorge E. Asprilla - El Negro Asprilla Elkin Córdoba Eliana Saldarriaga de Cadena* Cristina Santana Juliana Galvis Juanita Marín de Tejada* Natalia París Gaviria Nataly Umaña Juliana Morales León Rosario Molano Natalia BetancurtAgente Sam Mathews (DEA) Agent Romedio Viola (DEA) John GertzAgent Katherine (DEA) — Paulina GálvezAgent Peter McAllister (FBI, DEA) Agente Terry Cole (DEA) Anthony Guzmán'El Ovejo' Óscar Varela García - Capachivo Harold CórdobaFermín Urrego Pérez - El Tigre Víctor Patiño Fómeque - La Fiera Waldo Urrego Coronel Ramiro Gutiérrez Coronel Danilo González Alberto Palacio David Paz Baruch Vega - El Fotógrafo Armando Gutiérrez Hugo de la Cruz Pacho Herrera Pedro Mogollón 'Gordo' Fidel Lief Hernández Sergio Doré Jr. General Javier Ibarra General Rosso José Serrano Germán QuinteroEmmanuel Villegas Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela Víctor CifuentesLeonardo Villegas Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela Hermes Camelo Ignacio 'Nacho' Sotomayor Chepe Santacruz Néstor Alfonso Rojas Manny (novio de Hugo de la Cruz) Gaby Andrés Toro Tulio de la Cruz - Doble Rueda José Manuel Herrera - El Inválido Alberto Barrero Pedro Tejada - Revólver Julio Correa - Julio Fierro Jimmy Vásquez Susana de Cadena — Carolina Cuervo Francisco José Trujillo Julio Fabio Urdinola Grajales Mauricio Vélez Silvio Méndez Lucio Quintero Marín Joavany Álvarez Giovanny Navarro Nicoll Antonio Parra Alejandro Tamayo Caremico Juan Carlos Velasco - Trompa de marranohttps://www.librosdemario.com/el-cartel-de-los-sapos-leer-online-gratis/12-paginas Christian Tappan Kevin Izquierdo - Kevin Richard Martínez Juan Calderón Guillermo Polo - Guillo — Dorian Keller Isabel 'Ita' González — Consuelo Luzardo Miryam Mora de González — Pilar Uribe Perla González Mora — Carolina Lizarazo Ana de Morales Ángela de Solano Tania Fálquez René Zamudio José Manuel Chepe Puello Federico Rivera 'El Piojoso' Daniel Mejía Ángel Hader Suárez Giselle — Angeline Moncayo Frentón Jorge Botero Fofe Ramsés Ramos El Contador El Secre Mauricio Navas Agente James Cleaver (CPB) Agente Edward Kacerosky (CPB) Cyril Serrao Jacobo — Emerson Yañez Omar Godoy - Navaja Juan Carlos Ortiz - Cuchilla Rodolfo Silva Adolfo Aguilar Carlos Castaño Mauricio Mejía Belinda — Linda Lucía Callejas Soledad de Cadena Piedad Vélez de Henao Majida Issa Myriam de Saldarriaga — Rita Bendeck 'Gargajo' Luis Antonio Uribe Serna Rafael Uribe Ochoa 'Señuelo' — John Alex Toro 'Antifaz' 'Máscara' Julio Pachón Cristián — Julio Ocampo Jonathan de la Cruz William Herrera Buitrago Roberto Marín Israel de la Cruz Álvaro Herrera Buitrago Héctor García Cortés 'Bodegón' 'Capulina' Rodrigo Marulanda 'Lagartija' Johnny Acero 'El Seco' 'El Sardino' Ricardo Abarca William Torres — Nelson Tallaferro Coronel Jorge Millán/Capitán Harvey Racines Jaime Hernán Pineda 'Pedro Pineda' o 'Pispis' Julio Correal Tommy Vásquez Steven Douglas — Brandon Fokken Abogado Carlos Buitrago Abogado Gerardo Candamil Alberto Saavedra Pilar Gutiérrez — Laura Londoño Leopoldo Aguilar Vicente Castaño — Andrea Negrete - La Mera Mera Sandra Ávila - La Reina del Pacífico Patricia Manterola Raimundo Salgado - Antenas Ramón Oliveros - Parabólica John Alex Toro John Clemente - El Gringuete o Gordon John William Tamayo Hernández - Mazinger Luis Eduardo Arango Diego Casas - Caliche José Diego Pedraza - Casadiego Carlos Mario Echavarría Victoria "Vicky" Puerta Yovanna Guzmán Carolina Guerra Bernardo Lemaitre Gustavo Alberto Borda Julio Echeverry Holger Prado - El Puma Juan Diego Espinoza - 'El Tigre' Víctor Mallarino 'El Primo' Carlos Alberto Rentería - Beto Rentería Luis Fernando Montoya Mayor Luis Madero - El Caza Narcos Mayor Elkin Leonardo Molina Alejandro Martínez María Luisa Higuera — Margarita Muñoz Mayor Nemesio Bravo Coronel Bayron José Carvajal Juan Carlos Manrique Aracely, tía de Johanna — Marcela Agudelo Johanna Lesmes — Angélica Blandon Teniente Calero — Julián Álvarez Larissa Márquez de Casas Yamely Rico Paula Barreto Rodolfo Villate - El Rockie — Juan Sebastián Aragón Marcela Hernández - La India — Yesenia Valencia Blanca Racines — Paola Dulce Lina María Acevedo Paula Andrea Betancourt Andrea Noceti Zully Carmona Nancy Patricia Cadavid Diana Hoyos Patricia Carmona Libia Victoria Cadavid Sandra Guzmán Olano — Dairo Martínez Oliver García Albeiro Monsalve Ramiro Sandoval 'Lampiño' — Julio Pachón Antonio Villegas Sigifredo Rodríguez Orejuela Jhonny Rivera Olga de Martínez Yessica Paola Rojas Morales Patricia Castañeda Agente Lilian Young (DEA) — Michelle Manterola Juan B. Guillén - El Piloto Amado Carrillo Esteban Franco 'El Golfo' Miguel Félix Gallardo Guillermo Quintanilla 'XL' Alcides Ramón Magaña - El Metro Ramón Medina Doctor Rayo Doctor Wilfrido Barrios Chávez Carlos Serrato Mariachi de El Piloto — Gustavo Ángel 'El Golfo's bodyguard — Carlos Arrechea Wilson Gamboa - "Paredón" Carlos Arturo Patiño - Patemuro Joltzman Núñez Weimar Castro - Caremotor Wenceslao Caicedo Mosquera - El Señor de la Motosierra Carlos Sánchez Pedro - Manteco Weimar Pérez Aranguro - El Grasoso Ulíses González Mogollo Gilmer Humberto Quintero Arias - El Cabezón Giovanni Galindo Renso Cobo - Don Teto Eduardo Restrepo Victoria - El Socio Gastón Velandia Jaime Vélez - Pajarraco Carlos José Robayo - Guacamayo Bernardo García Milton de Jesús Jiménez - Jimenito Wilber Felipe Varela Camacho - "Varelita" Juan Hugo Cárdenas Luisinho Fernandinho Beira-Mar Bárbaro Marín Joyce Jacqueline Alcântara Morais Viña Machado 'El Pariente' Carlos Mario Jiménez - Macaco Manuel Gómez Gutiérrez Lucía Olga Cecilia Gómez Mónica Franco Sebastián Bonera — Carlos Humberto Camacho Abogado Eddy Doménico Abogado Joaquín Perez Gilberto Reyes Farid Duarte — Ismael Barrios Agent of DEA — Ilja Rosendahl Fiscal Lucía Armstrong Fiscal Bonnie S. Klapper Ioulia Pakhomova Julián Levy — Guy Davidyan General Gervasio Morales General Hugo Armando Carvajal Rafael Lahera Gildardo Jiménez — Jarol Fonseca Álzate
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.
Prequel A prequel series; The Snitch Cartel: Origins was released by Caracol Televisión in 2021.
Notes
References
External links Official website Telemundo El Cartel Website