Escobar and Carlos Lehder worked together to develop a new island trans-shipment point in the Bahamas, called Norman's Cay. The Medellín Cartel's massive wealth and power enabled them from the outset to bribe government and legal officials, and buy sophisticated weaponry for their protection. Soon, the demand for cocaine was skyrocketing in the United States and Escobar organized more smuggling shipments, routes, and distribution networks in South Florida, California, and other parts of the United States. Norman's Cay in 1981 at the height of the operations This was the beginning of his dealing with the authorities, using bribery or other means to achieve his goals. Initially, Escobar tried to bribe the Medellín judges who were forming the case against him. In May 1976, Escobar and several of his men were arrested and found in possession of 39 pounds (18 kg) of white paste after returning to Medellín with a heavy load from Ecuador. When he later bought fifteen bigger airplanes (including a Learjet) and six helicopters, he decommissioned the original plane and hung it above the gate of his ranch at Hacienda Napoles. He flew a plane himself several times, mainly between Colombia and Panama, in order to smuggle a load into the United States. In 1975, Pablo Escobar started developing his cocaine operation. The power of the Colombian drug barons took off in the 1970s, fueled by a massive demand for cocaine in the United States and Europe.
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