By  Published Oct 11, 2026, 11:40 AM EDT Sarah Little is a Senior Staff Writer who has six years of experience in entertainment journalism under her belt, two and a half of which she has spent working for Screen Rant. She got her start at TV Fanatic back in 2019, writing episodic reviews for shows like Arrow and WandaVision before becoming a full-time writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet in 2026. Sarah mostly explored topics such as comics and reality TV while working for Cheat Sheet. Now, her focus at Screen Rant is all about network TV, as she writes reviews for The Rookie, debates whether Will and Angie should be endgame in Will Trent (they shouldn't), and more.

Sarah graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Film and Digital Media Studies and a minor in English. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Summary

• Barry Seal earned an estimated $60 million smuggling drugs into the United States by 1983, making him one of the richest people in the country.
• He received up to $500,000 per smuggling flight from the Medellín Cartel.
• Seal's significant impact on the US cocaine epidemic led to his assassination in 1986, highlighting the dangers of his illicit operations.

revolves around Barry Seal, a commercial airline pilot with Trans World Airlines (TWA), who got caught up in a drug smuggling scheme for the Medellín Cartel and made an earth-shattering amount of money. The 2017 movie is loosely based on a true story, and Seal, who was played by Tom Cruise in the film, was a real person. The pilot began working for the cartel in the early 1980s but was caught by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) not too long afterward. Seal struck a deal as an informant, given his connections with the Ochoa family, which didn't go over too well with members of the Medellín Cartel once they found out.

As depicted in , Seal was assassinated on February 19, 1986, in front of the Salvation Army Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by contract killers. It is unclear what happened to the money that Seal made during his many drug trafficking missions over the years following his death. But one can estimate how much he earned during his trips from Colombia to the United States, where he smuggled cocaine into the country.

Barry Seal's Net Worth Was $60 Million When He Died In 1986

Barry (Tom Cruise) on the phone in American Made

According to , Barry Seal earned an estimated $60 million smuggling drugs into the United States by 1983, which is when he was officially charged with two indictments following the DEA's investigation into his crimes. It would have been difficult for anyone with that much money to fly under the radar, especially because he was seemingly just a pilot. Nevertheless, Seal's $60 million he earned from sneaking cocaine into the country made him one of the richest people in the United States. Unfortunately for Seal, his exploits led to his death just a few short years later, as seen in the 2017 film American Made​​​​​.

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How Much Money Barry Seal Was Making Per Smuggling Flight

Tom Cruise American Made Barry Seal

History vs. Hollywood reported that Barry Seal received up to $500,000 from the Medellín Cartel for every flight where he smuggled cocaine into the United States. So, his net worth of $60 million at the time of his death makes sense. Seal allegedly made over 100 flights while working for the Colombian cartel members and ultimately brought $3 to $5 billion worth of drugs (around 56 tons of cocaine) into the country over the years he worked for them. Based on these numbers alone, it is clear that Seal had a significant impact on the cocaine epidemic in the United States, as one could also tell by watching American Made.

Source: History vs. Hollywood

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