In November 1975, Colombian police seized 600 kilograms of cocaine from a small plane in what was then the largest drug seizure in history. This event, which took place in Colombia, signaled the growing power of the cocaine industry and led to a violent retaliation by traffickers, including the infamous Medellín Massacre, which killed 40 people, heralding the era of cartel violence.

The 1975 seizure and the subsequent violence are pivotal events in the history of the Colombian drug trade, and they have been dramatized in the 'narcocorrido' tradition and in the works of Colombian novelists. The event's depiction in literature and film has contributed to the mythologizing of figures like Pablo Escobar, while also serving as a cautionary tale about the consequences of the drug trade.