Original subtitles

A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

We had nothing to do with this.

Because, as you know,

we don't like war. Don't forget it.

Besides, all of our business is family business.

WELCOME TO CALI

From the start, my brother and I gave it our all.

And when we least expected it, the company grew.

Because the business is headed from heaven's branch

to the end of the world.

I assume that's why we're respected everywhere.

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

BASED ON THE BOOK EL CARTEL DE LOS SAPOS.

THE FACTS APPEARING HEREIN

ARE A PRODUCT OF THE AUTHORS' IMAGINATIONS.

SOME SITUATIONS, BASED ON REAL FACTS,

HAVE BEEN MODIFIED FOR AN AUDIOVISUAL FORMAT.

God bless you, my love.

Here's the Christ of Urda to take care of you.

Keep it there, very close.

-Thank you, Mom. -Leíto, look.

Look what I wrote so you can be diligent and study all of this on the plane

with Simón.

Well...

Be smart. Don't get in trouble.

Did you say goodbye to the baby?

Yes, sweetie, but I didn't want to wake him up.

Here, so that you won't forget about us.

It's just a few days.

Don't cry.

Leonardo. Come on, the taxi's here.

-Give me the luggage. -Let's go.

-You know I don't like goodbyes. -I'll go to the kitchen.

-I don't want to cry. -Yes.

-The plane. -Next time we'll all go together.

Listen to me, big boy. You're in charge now.

Yes, don't worry. You better go and make us very, very rich.

I love you!

-Me too, my love. -Behave.

Sir, it's only that suitcase.

And with the first kilo, they built the foundation

of a criminal empire which would be one of the greatest in the world.

The cartel of Cali.

Look, Dayana, you have to find out how many products were at the pharmacy

the day of the fire. And you also have to find out

if the suppliers had already taken their orders that day.

Okay. I'll do it today.

But Dad, wouldn't it be better to ask Emanuel?

Because maybe he and Leonardo have better details than Nora.

No way, Dayana.

Look, if you want to do this job properly,

you have to do as I say.

I know you don't trust him, Dad. But...

but, well, he's my husband.

No, Dayana. This has nothing to do with trust. Look.

The thing is, in these investigations,

you start assuming that you know nothing, alright?

If you really want to get to the bottom of the situation

and uncover the facts, you have to make everyone involved...

well, the victims who are emotionally involved,

stay on the sidelines, alright?

You're the one who knows.

What about Mr. Jimmy? Can I ask him?

When the fire happened,

luckily we didn't have much stock.

We didn't have pills.

And the vials, the thing that sells the most? They were gone too.

We mostly had products which were almost expired,

and some medicines

which were never big sellers.

And Mr. Jimmy, you told that to Leonardo?

Of course.

Of course I told him because I thought it was weird

that suppliers didn't show up and didn't even say anything.

Sure.

He told me not to worry. He would speak with them

and put them in their place.

Alright, thank you.

Yes, Colonel.

Yes, the suppliers say they delivered the orders.

So why weren't they at the pharmacy?

From what they told me, this month's order was left at a different address.

Another pharmacy?

No.

In fact, there's no business at that place.

NEW YORK

Like... one second.

Leonar-Cough Syrup.

Leonar-Cough Syrup is...

...for the cough.

How...?

Oh, yes.

Yes.

OK. One second.

That's it. Yes or no.

Everything...

They've already let us go but he's still inside.

What if he's been caught?

That gringo had his eyes on us.

And then they call him,

he gets nervous with English.

Don't worry, everything's under control.

What?

I've spoken to the person who'll help us.

Who? Where is he? Go call him. Tell him to get Leonardo out of here.

He's Officer Sullivan. He's a big deal here.

Stop being so nervous or you'll attract more attention.

Also, you know Leonardo is not stupid.

Take it easy.

Look, Leonar-Cough Syrup. This is great for the cough,

but for dog's cough.

Dog's cough... when you feel your throat like an open road.

Try it.

Hmm... it's good. Try it.

If you want I can leave you some samples for you and your family.

It's good.

That's it.

One second.

Come on, you put worse things in your mouth.

After the first spoon, you feel like...

Here.

Hmm...

Oh. Shall I leave?

We're OK then.

Very well.

Oh...

If some day...

you go to Cali, Colombia...

LEONARDO VILLEGAS MERCHANT

Hey, guys, can I have your attention?

We're here today to celebrate

that all the efforts my dear Simón and Maribel did

are finally showing its results.

The state's given us an important donation.

And they promised to never close the medical center again.

Congratulations to you too for this achievement.

Do you want to say something?

Thank you so much, Nora. And thanks to each one of you.

Because without all your help, this couldn't be possible.

We made the government look closely at the medical center.

Now we have to keep fighting until the government pays attention to us.

Because we'll also make Cali a better place to live.

Cheers!

-Aren't you drinking? -I don't really want to today.

Come on, we're celebrating a very important thing.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

León, good to hear from you. How are you doing there?

What's up, Mom?

Everything's going very well. Everything's big here.

And everything's tidy. The streets are full of cars,

everything's like the movies they show at Belalcázar.

It's wonderful that you're getting to see all these pretty things.

How did it go with the medicines and the people? What happened with that?

Everything's already arranged.

They want us to keep sending supplies.

I've prayed a lot, sweetheart, so that you do very well there.

And don't worry, I've bitten my tongue

-and I haven't said anything to anyone. -That's it, Mom, be cautious.

Be cautious. But don't worry, if things keep going well,

as I've planned,

sooner or later, they'll be talking about me in Cali.

Not just Cali, the whole country.

I know, my love. They'll be saying many nice things about you.

You can be sure about that.

Your sons were born to be famous.

Say hello to Fabiola, please.

And a kiss to Fabián. I'll leave you,

because you know long distance calls are very expensive.

Yes, yes. Go. God bless you.

Thank you, say hi to my brothers.

And behave.

Bye.

What's up, folks?

I have a gift to make your party even better.

And Simón, to make your night amazing.

Ladies first.

Don't worry, it's okay if you don't want to.

Easy, brother. She's probably into this, too, right?

Honestly, no. Thanks.

Are you serious?

Cami. Don't bother her.

Tell me, tell me.

Tell me.

Are you scared or are you not allowed to do it in your house?

Neither.

It's just in my house, we... never had the need.

Oh...

What a killjoy.

What's up, boys? This is a party!

Is everything alright?

Are you upset?

BRONX WAREHOUSE - NEW YORK

The best quality.

100% pure.

You do a little hit and it takes you to the stars.

Be careful.

I'll be watching.

If you take it all, or you skim some money for yourselves,

you know what'll happen.

Alright?

Is everything okay?

I'm sorry about Cami. Sometimes he's annoying, but he's good people.

Don't worry. I get it.

Some people just get high on anything, no?

-It's their business, anyway. -Are you leaving?

-Yes, I'm going home. -But why?

Because you know I can't be late.

But that's when Leonardo's home.

This is our community. We're celebrating.

Look, if you want, I'll tell Camilo never to get close to you again.

No, I told you he's not the problem.

So, what's the problem?

If you're with me, what else do you need?

Nothing. Nothing's missing.

Let's make a toast

to our first trip to the United States.

And our first achievement too.

I'm completely sure this is the beginning of a new era.

-Cheers. -Cheers, Nachito. Cheers.

We've come far, you and me.

Since I first met you at that club. Do you remember?

Distributing pills to the junkies?

Yes, of course I remember.

And you were always there.

Strong.

And I thank you for that, unlike others.

That Alonso is an idiot.

He's stupid. He lacks ambition.

However, I always knew I would have a lot of money.

I'll die from something, but not poverty.

Look at you. Look at us. Finding the way.

And in the capital of the world.

Leonardo, we'll fill our pockets.

From now on, no one is dying poor.

Cheers.

It was too soon for Nacho to understand

that money doesn't protect anyone from a tragic death.

What about Huguito?

What did he say? Where'd he go?

Isn't it a bit late?

What did you think?

This is a hotel? That you can come and go as you like?

-No, Mom, wait... -Shut up.

You won't take me for a fool, lady.

Hello.

-You're Rosario? -Yes.

The one who sings and dances.

-How can I help you? -You have such style.

-Nice to meet you. Emanuel Villegas. -Nice to meet you. Rosario.

-I'm coming on behalf... -Hugo?

Hugo's a good friend of mine.

-Yes. -Yes.

Come and sit. Get comfortable. You look nervous.

What do you want to drink? Coffee, water, rum? A little rum?

If it was a bit later, I'd say yes.

Why are people so obsessed with time?

Time is a human invention. It's late, it's early, this, that.

You must liberate your mind so you can succeed in life.

Well, if you insist.

"Time is a human invention." I like it, I'll use that.

-It was good, wasn't it? -Yes.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

For the saints. We have to thank them.

Sure.

-Sorry. -Are you in good health?

Yes, why? Do you see me in a bad shape?

Do me a favor. Show me the necklace.

My necklace?

It's turning dark.

You have a lot of bad energy

-around you. -Negative?

You know what? I'll do your cleansing myself. Relax.

It's okay.

Let's review the facts.

Hugo De La Cruz is now allied with the Villegas.

Since the failed kidnapping.

Emanuel quits his taxi driving job.

Some days later, the taxi driver is dead.

That's it, Colonel. After he collaborated with me.

And finally...

The fire at the pharmacy...

And thank God they didn't lose much

because, coincidentally, the warehouse was empty when it burned.

Now,

these cautious men had their pharmacy insured.

They claimed everything. For quite a big sum.

My friend.

This smells worse every day.

These people are capable of kidnapping themselves,

of burning their own business.

Definitely, these people could sell their souls to the devil for cash.

Or murder him.

Do you know why kings used silver to protect themselves?

No.

Because silver can take all the bad energies away.

The more it wins that battle, the darker it gets.

And yours... is a hard battle.

Look. Focus on what's upsetting you.

You'll turn them with your hands, you'll feel them,

and when you're ready, you throw them on the table.

Should I close my eyes and say something?

What are you seeing?

Trips, open borders, money.

You'll have a lot of money.

You're gonna have it all.

No, those shells say too much.

I like it.

You know what? I don't think your problems are coming from that.

You have some important allies.

Are you married?

Yes, but that's not the problem. Dayana is a very good woman.

Dayana...

Kids?

He's not born yet.

Why? Do you see any problems with my boy?

Your boy will be fine. Don't worry.

So?

Do me a favor. Write down here

her full name and birth date.

I'll send you some cleansing

and an amulet for you to hang behind your front door.

Wait. Do you see any enemies or danger?

Well, look. There's some important information here,

but I can't see where it's coming from or who's sending it.

It could be an enemy.

But it could also be your kid

that's bringing a revelation with his birth.

NEW YORK

Your share, and your share.

So that you see this is serious.

Not bad, right?

Just for one kilo...

This is a great business, gentlemen.

Can you imagine everything we can do here?

No, I'm not just imagining. I'm thinking about it.

I think we can risk sending two kilos. What do you think?

Do you hear him? Two kilos.

Huguito, we already saw it works. Look.

And with our route and contacts, we have to send ten, at least.

And go up from there.

I need you to make three coffins like the others.

-They must support heavy weight, got it? -Alright, sir.

Excuse me for asking.

Are you the owner of a funeral service company?

No.

We have a large family who are very poor.

OK, sir. I'm sorry for what I said.

Let's drop the questions and start working.

Look, I'm giving you an advance payment.

-I need them tomorrow. -Tomorrow?

-Can you do it? -Of course. Yes.

-Alright. -I'll get on it right away.

Come on. You'll have plenty of work with us.

Alright, sir. Excuse me.

Yes?

Sir. Everything's alright. Yes.

We're done here. We're ready.

Don't worry, tomorrow we'll bury those ten patients.

How do you see yourself at my age?

Working.

Well, I don´t know, graduating, earning a postgraduate degree abroad.

What are you doing every day to achieve that?

Well, Mom, I'm doing better at school.

You know I graduated with honors.

Now I'm doing stuff at the pharmacy and...

Preparing myself.

Mom, why are you asking all this?

You are no longer the child you used to be.

You're not stuck to me all the time.

And I have to understand and accept that.

But that doesn't mean I can't tell you...

that every decision you make today will affect your future.

And that you need to be careful.

Come here.

I know I made a mistake.

I was with Simón and I lost track of time.

But nothing bad happened.

Are you in love with him?

Take it easy, child.

Go step by step, Nora.

I don't want you to end like your dad and me.

But Simón and my dad are completely different men, Mom.

Maybe. Yes.

But I was exactly like you when I was your age. A mirror.

A naive little girl who thought everything could be solved by love.

And that's not true, sweetie.

You need other things in life.

You need intelligence.

Determination.

And you need to make good decisions.

You know why?

Because living your life with the wrong man is very hard.

I can tell you.

NEW YORK

What happened? Did you get my orders?

Clothes for the kid, perfume for the ladies.

And some Statue of Liberty souvenirs.

Alright.

-And the rest? -I almost didn't get this one.

They asked me if I wanted to mark it,

but I didn't know whether to use "Fabián" or "Fabiancito".

No, no. It's fine without a name.

And most importantly.

24K gold.

Fabiolita will die with this one.

I don't think that uniform will fit the boy for many, many years.

Who told you this is for Fabiolita and the boy?

Be careful with what you say.

What I do is my own business.

-Yes, but I thought... -Don't think too much.

As I like to be discreet with my business,

I also like to be discreet with my private life.

Or do I ask you whom you're sleeping with?

-Do you want me to ask? -No, it's fine.

It's fine. Call Nacho. I need to speak with you both.

Alright.

The gringos' next Christmas will be white, but it won't be from snow.

It'll be our pure Colombian snowflakes.

Right? Have we conquered the routes?

They're ours and totally shielded.

Okay, you keep paving the way.

Making sure the money gets to Colombia.

Emanuel and I will coordinate everything from there.

Don't you let anyone take our territory.

Of course, we have to keep colonizing.

And we need to think how we'll take that money.

It won't be that easy with many orders.

No. We'll figure out something.

We'll have to use this head.

Now. The time's come to grow.

Goodbye to those bad boys from the past.

Now we're lords.

The lords of Cali.

Dayana, check everything. Item by item,

page by page.

Use all the methods you're learning at the university.

But Dad, what's all this?

Articles about robbery cases...

News about missing people, those Swiss citizens...

Even a kidnapping.

Dayana, examine it with a lawyer's eyes.

And then... do it with the eyes of a wife.

My friend, what's this huge house? My God...

Leonardo's really doing things right by you.

Look at this. He's giving you everything.

No, no. Don't speak like that. It doesn't sound good.

But yes, I'm very thankful to him for what he's done for us.

Come here. I have to get ready.

What time is the appointment with the judge?

Right now.

Let's see how we do.

How we do? We'll do fantastic.

We'll do very well. Look. Remember that Mayerly from the mirror.

Strong, powerful...

-Okay, what about this? -What?

-These shoes look good? -Of course.

You look like a lady.

Is he also buying your clothes?

Yes.

Well, just this once.

A day in court is important.

Deisy.

How many years will I have to work to pay Leonardo back

for everything he's given to me?

-What will I do? -What will you do?

-Go out with him. Pay attention to him. -Yes.

Did you forget he's married with a child?

No, he's the one who forgot.

He forgets about that. He's thinking about you all the time,

every hour... That's because there's trouble at home.

Look, we can say many things here.

But reality is different.

Leonardo's a married man. Period.

"According to the statements made by taxi driver Francisco Garcéz,

the owner of the taxi the Swiss citizens took,

Emanuel Villegas, his employee, was robbing them.

And the day the foreign diplomats went missing,

he was with them."

A lot of work?

You can't imagine how much time I spent driving today.

Tomorrow, when I'm more alert,

I'll help you with anything you need, okay?

TAXI DRIVER DIES IN A ROBBERY

I think it's very weird you have such a sudden trip, Emanuel.

My love.

What can I do if Francisco called me and asked me as a favor

to personally take the clients to Cartagena?

-To Cartagena? -Yes, ma'am.

Driving? You?

"Leonardo Villegas, alleged member of the Chacos,

convicted of theft, extortion and kidnapping.

The whereabouts of Emanuel Villegas, Leonardo's accomplice,

remain unknown."

It'll be better if you tell no one

that I'm going out of town.

-Okay? -But why?

Dayana, examine it with a lawyer's eyes.

And then...

do it with the eyes of a wife.

All my people have been warned.

You won't have any problem getting out of the airport.

General, you're always so thoughtful.

We have to think about the next steps.

Knowing you and your brother,

I'm sure this one will be the first of many trips.

If the contacts and the routes work, no one can stop us.

That's why we'll need reliable people at the airport.

People who are aware of every movement, but won't put obstacles in the way.

Speaking of which, I may have the right guy.

We'll need him to work full time.

He can deal with anything.

Do I know him?

Emanuel Villegas Ulloa, nice to meet you.

General,

why would we bring strangers on board, if we can take care of each other?

It's a pleasure.

Now that the evidentiary material has been analyzed,

which includes the life conditions of the minor, Federico Meza,

with his mother, Ms. Mayerly Salcedo,

the Court resolves

to deny the petition of Mr. Mariano Meza

to have the exclusive custody of the minor,

since there is no evidence

of incompetence or harm to the minor

by the mother, Ms. Mayerly Salcedo.

The mother will retain custody of the minor,

with a visiting arrangement of a weekend every 15 days,

and an annual two-week vacation with the father.

No, one moment, Your Honor, this is not fair.

This lady fooled you. You know why?

Because she changed her address only to make you believe

-that she can be with the boy. -No, sir.

I moved because I want to improve my child's living conditions.

Can't I?

So why don't you show the judge where you got that money

to change? Because you don't even have a penny.

No. Objection, Your Honor. These questions from Mr. Meza

regarding the private life of my client are of little relevance in this case.

Objection sustained.

Mr. Meza, I recommend you obey the court ruling,

and comply strictly with the terms.

If you don't, you may never see the child again.

Excuse me, my boy's waiting.

What happened? Are you sick?

I can take you to the doctor if you want.

Well, then get up

and let's go on with the criminology project.

The investigation is going great.

I don't want to investigate anymore.

I don't want to know anything about witnesses or perps.

What happened with Emanuel? Did he cheat on you?

That'd be something.

I swear I don't know who I'm sleeping with.

Luisa, I don't know who Emanuel is.

Dayana, I'll go for you.

Or maybe you still think Emanuel is innocent.

There's the testimonies, the affidavits.

He ran away when the Swiss were released.

But why can't we report it to the police?

Dayana, when these kinds of men corrupt the authorities,

if anyone dares to speak, he's dead.

Or ends up like me.

-What do I have to do? -Nothing, Dayana. Nothing.

While I try to figure out what our new life will be like,

you do nothing. Keep it normal with Emanuel and his family.

But Dad, I won't be able to look him in the eyes.

He'll see my anger and fear.

Besides, I can't be quiet and not ask any questions.

Dayana, do you really think

continuing to question him serves any purpose? Do you really think

listening to the same answers in spite of the evidence is worth it?

So what do I do?

Dayana.

Do you remember when, after your mother died,

you were so depressed and you thought you couldn't go on?

You told me that when I wanted to cry,

I had to count down from ten to one.

And you did it, Dayana. You could move forward.

I even remember a few months later,

you earned an award for good grades at school.

Alright, Dayana. You have to do it again.

You have to be really strong.

You'll see how we begin at ten

and then, if you help me, we'll get to one soon.

Dayana, this time it's not about a grade.

This time is about your future. And your son's.

One moment, gentlemen.

Can I check your luggage?

Flight consultant for Colombian Airlines, my friend.

How did you manage to get that?

Well, General Sepúlveda has been generous with us.

He allowed us to get in and supervise every flight.

He's already shown me the whole place.

He introduced me to the top dudes.

I mean, I'm moving like a fish in the water.

This will make it easier to ship the merchandise.

-That's true. -Look.

We can skip as much security as we need to.

Your bags can be overweight, without paying fees.

I mean, you tell me what you need, and I'll say yes.

You can help me with that, boy.

I'm growing my home appliances business.

-Money has to come from everywhere. -Alright. Let's make money.

I told you, the smart one of the family is Emanuel.

And you're the genius, checkmate.

What about us? Are we chopped liver?

You are.

As they say in the US, the true "Dream Team".

Look, he now speaks English.

And fluently.

So refined now, huh?

Did I smell dollars or is it just me?

No, Mom. We wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty,

but there was a line for five blocks.

So we went to that building, the tall one...

The Empire State! You have no idea. We went to the top and everything.

No, no, no. There's a little something from the building in there.

Is it as huge as it looks?

You have no idea. Enormous.

I want to go back. I'll take you. It's good, but better with your people.

Because those gringos, you can say anything about them.

They're boring, even silly.

Look at him.

How did you manage with English? Were Simón's lessons useful?

-Or couldn't you say a word? -I did very well. Look.

-Come on, say something. -I knew.

Say "What's your name?"

I picture you babbling.

No, yes. I babbled at first.

But then I could communicate. The professor has his methods.

His methods and his whims.

Mom. Look at all these nice things.

-What's... This is the building? -That's the building.

And this aerial, what is it for?

That's the same building where the gorilla hung off the top, the one in the movie.

I saw that one. You were there?

Up there. People looked really tiny.

Well, what about the business?

What a business.

I'll put it this way.

The trip I've just made will change our lives forever.

This family is moving up.

Like that building, more or less.

Look there, I brought more things.

Yes, Leonardo was right.

After that trip, everything started to move forward,

and off the road.

Definitely, from now on, in the house and on the streets,

things wouldn't be the same.

-Take out the cap. -Where did you buy it?

Fabi!

Come here, what are you doing?

Organizing your brother's clothes.

Leave that there and come with me, Leonardo's talking

a lot about those gringos. Come here.

-Hurry up. -I'll be downstairs in a minute.

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC

Professor, I wanted to speak with you

and ask you, as a favor, if I can change cases.

And also ask for a deadline extension.

I don't understand. What happened to the one you were investigating?

Where's Ms. Tirado?

No, she can't make it these days.

Why? Is she having health problems?

No, Professor, she's alright. But you'll understand

that pregnancy and study are a complicated mix.

Also, she's having to deal with some family issues.

Let's do this.

Hand in whatever you have.

Then, we'll see.

Look, Professor. It's better if we stop investigating that case, okay?

That's so nice, my love. Thank you.

Open it.

But with so many things, I don't know where to look.

The girl told me that was the latest. They wear it a lot there.

-Look at this packaging, so nice. -Try it.

Let me see.

-It smells delicious. -Yes? Do you like it?

You know perfume and jewelry are my weaknesses.

Let's see. What's this?

-That's for the kid. -Oh!

What's that? Like a blanket?

Yes, like a blanket. You can clean the vomit with that too.

It's really nice.

-Let's see, what else do we have here? -What else?

Do you think it's not enough?

Well, you know I like surprises.

I don't want to miss anything here.

Miss anything? You're spoiled.

Don't get grouchy.

Tell me something, did you miss us?

Sweetie, I can go to the moon but my family is always here.

Because we missed you a lot.

Really?

Don't you want to see how the perfume is on me?

How it smells.

And how it tastes?

BASED ON THE BOOK EL CARTEL DE LOS SAPOS

BY ANDRÉS LÓPEZ

Subtitle translation by: Paz Romero