Jorge Valdes Net Worth, Age, Height, Wealth (Updated 2022)

Jorge Valdes – former drug lord, and now writer and motivational speaker has a net worth of 500,000 USD in 2023. In this article we discover how he made himself rich in drug business, and as a motivational speaker and writer later.

How Did Jorge Valdes Become Rich?

Jorge L. Valdes was born in Havana, Cuba on Ferbuary 29, 1956. When he was only 10 years old his family moved to Miami, Florida boarding one of the last planes that were available for boarding after Fidel Castro took power in 1959 in Cuba.

Most of his childhood years Jorge spent in New Jersey, where he attended Hudson Catholic High School. Later he moved back to Miami to get a bachelor degree in accounting at the University of Miami.

Jorge Valdes also get a second BA at the Southeastern College, Florida.

His first real job was a bank auditor at the American Federal Reserve Bank. At a time he applied and get the job, Jorge Valdes was just 17 years old. Soon after he started working for his manager which introduced Jorge his first client whom he know as La Puerta del Sol.

Jorge didn’t know at a time, that La Puerta del Sol was a representative of the most powerful Colombian cartel at the time – the Medellin Drug Cartel. After digging deeper into the financial operations, Jorge find out the truth for whom he was working for. However, a prospect of earning large sum of money by laundering dirty cartel money was just too tempting for Jorge Valdes.

As time went by, more and more money was passed through Jorge. As he recalled later, in some months he would make about 50 million dollars. Being so close to the cartel financial operations had led him to personally meet Pablo Escobar, the most famous drug lord of all times.

Unfortunately for Jorge Valdes, in 1979 he was caught and spent 6 years in a federal prison. After his release, the cartel contacted him and offered to work for them once again. Jorge agreed, but got caught quickly and this time he spent 10 years in prison.

After his release in 1995, Jorge has decided to step down from his role as cartel’s accountant and make money legally. He moved to Wheaton, Illinois and got his first masters degree in Bible Theology at the Wheaton College. Later he enrolled into the Loyola University in Chicago and successfully earned himself a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.

Similar to Jemeker Thompson, Jorge Valdes decided to shift his attention to writing. In 1999, Jorge Valdes Ph.D. had released his first book called Coming Clean: The True Story of a Cocaine Drug Lord and His Unexpected Encounter with God. It was published by Random House/Water brook Press. That same year his father had died and this has led Jorge to start his career of a motivational speaker.

In 2000 Jorge started a business in Georgia, focused on cleaning and restoration. The business took much time from Jorge, but didn’t brought enough revenue, so after 10 years he was forced to sell it.

After selling the company he moved to Cozumel, Mexico to grow up his two kids with his wife Sujey Valdes.

In 2021 Jorge Valdes played himself, a Drug Kingpin, in a TV mini series documentary Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami.

What Is Jorge Valdes Net Worth?

Jorge Valdes was a millionaire in 70s, but this wealth was built on illegal money and it all disappeared after he was charged with crimes and put into a prison.

Nowadays Jorge makes money legally, as a motivational speaker and writer. He has released several book under his authorship, which bring him stable income throughout the last years. In the books he writes about his experience with drugs and God. In 2023 Jorge Valdes net worth is estimated at $500,000.

How Jorge Valdes Spends His Money?

Jorge Valdes has bought a house in Cozumel, Mexico to live with his wife and kids. In the recent years he spends a lot of money on his family and growing his personal brand.

Interesting Facts

• Jorge Valdes has 5 children. 3 of them are from his previous marriage and two are from his marriage with Sujey Valdes.
• He personally knew Pablo Escobar.
• In many interviews Jorge mentioned that Scarface movie is based off his life.