Former Pablo Escobar pilot Tirso Dominguez reveals in a new podcast how he made \$20 million monthly flying cocaine into the United States
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ocaine pilot Pablo Escobar once trusted with millions in monthly drug flights has broken decades of silence to recount his turbulent past.
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Tirso “TJ” Dominguez, now 73, revealed in the Cocaine Air podcast that he once earned up to $20 million every month flying cocaine into the United States.
Dominguez spoke candidly in what is believed to be his first interview since his 1988 arrest. He described how he transitioned from flying marijuana to becoming one of the Medellín cartel’s most reliable transporters.
His reward was lavish. “I had 30 Lamborghinis, and I dressed well,” he said. “They brought me the car that matched the shirt that I decided to wear that day.”
Initially approached with a tempting offer of $5 million per flight, Dominguez said he refused. Escobar, undeterred, returned with a package of four flights a month, promising $20 million in earnings.
This came at a time when Dominguez was already flying for another cartel and earning $4 million monthly.
Dominguez claimed he never used cocaine himself. Born into privilege in Florida, he turned to smuggling only after his father’s death and a denied loan left him without options.
What began as marijuana flights from the Bahamas quickly evolved. A failed drop left him threatened and led him deeper into the cocaine trade.
Financial pressure and huge payoffs kept him flying, but eventually, Escobar switched his payments from cash to cocaine. Dominguez then operated independently, becoming both dealer and pilot.
He built an empire with an exotic car dealership, a private jet business, and even a pet mountain lion called Top Cat.
That lifestyle collapsed in April 1988 when federal agents raided his Florida home. They seized properties, vehicles, and aircraft.
Dominguez pleaded guilty and served 13 years in prison, including two in solitary confinement after attempting a daring helicopter escape.
Also read: Customs seize N4bn cocaine, arms from South Africa
Now a free man, he says he is focused on living legally. His story, though shocking, offers rare insight into the cocaine trade at its peak and the lives it consumed along the way.
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
