I'm reading the book After Hours, which is the sequel to Carlito's Way. Set in 1975.

When Carlito gets out, an old partner of his, Rolando Rivas, reaches out. Rolando, in the past five years, has left the smack business, having seen the writing on the wall, and slowly built a cocaine network in Santa Marta, Medellin, Cali, Cartagena, and Bogota. He says the network is set up and the amateur dealers have been wiped out by him. He is shown to be very rich from Carlito's estimation - he has a huge Al Capone style mansion in Miami, with a yacht, multiple bodyguards,


Carlito says Rolando worked under several Cuban Presidents, including Prio, was Chief of Police under Batista, survived the Bay of Pigs and the "Belgian Congo", worked for the CIA for a time doing anti-Castro Cuban exile insanity, and had a loyal army of supporters and also had had his own private army in Cuba under Batista. He was one of the major Kingpins in the smack business in the 60s in the US. He has currently a bunch of guys - mostly Cubans, both street and not street level. Some in NY (who have their own soldiers in NY pushing coke), some down in Miami, some down in South America.

Rolando calls on Carlito because he has a problem. The Italians, he says, have made a pact with the Corsican Mafia to try to force the Latinos out of the coke trade. The Corsicans themselves are of no concern to him; it is the union he is concerned about. He needs a guy down there, he says either in Yoruba, Chango or Santa Barbara to lead his guys against them. His previous soldier was made easily and wiped out cause he was dark skinned whereas Carlito, who can pass for Italian, while being able to speak Spanish, and having a knack for street warfare, will fare better.

Carlito balks. He privately thinks Rolando is fucked, and that him and all his guys will end up dead. Carlito by this point is gunshy about entertaining ANY criminal or violent enterprise cause he's afraid of getting jammed up in jail or getting killed. He also has no love for the coke trade, saying he's an old dog who can't learn new tricks and smack was always his forte. Even earlier in life, he could never make it as a white collar or even high blue collar racketeer, just as a hardcore street distributor hooked up with the Mafia.

If we were to follow real life history, what would've ended up happening to someone like Rolando and his lot after '75?

Anyone?