Pablo Escobar's Cocaine Pilot Reveals He Originally Turned Him Down, Until He Offered Him Tens of Millions a Month

Tirso "TJ" Dominguez, once Pablo Escobar's personal cocaine pilot, revealed he initially turned down an offer to work for the cartel kingpin, until Escobar upped the pay to $20 million a month.

Dominguez, a former real estate heir from South Florida, told the Cocaine Air podcast that he first entered the drug trade in the late 1970s after his father died suddenly, according to The Guardian. Desperate to fund a sugar mill project left unfinished by his father, Dominguez began flying marijuana for traffickers before graduating to cocaine smuggling following a botched drop that nearly got him killed.

His skill and reliability quickly earned him a reputation, and he eventually became a top transporter for Colombia's most powerful drug lord. At first, Dominguez says he was content making $4 million a month flying for another supplier.

Escobar's offer didn't impress him, until he raised it to $5 million per flight. Dominguez accepted, eventually managing an operation that included 30 planes, luxury cars, a pet mountain lion, and several businesses used to launder cartel money.

The pilot claims Escobar even began paying him in cocaine, allowing Dominguez to sell the product himself and cut out intermediaries.

In April 1988, Dominguez's high-flying lifestyle came to an abrupt end when federal agents raided his mansion. Authorities charged him and 12 others with smuggling more than five tons of drugs into Florida. The government seized millions in assets, including dozens of exotic cars and aircraft.

He pleaded guilty in 1991 and served 13 years in prison, including two in solitary confinement after allegedly trying to escape by helicopter. Now 73, Dominguez says he's ready to move on. While he insists he never used drugs and only got involved out of desperation, Dominguez now frames his story as a cautionary tale about ambition, greed, and second chances.

Originally published on Latin Times