Barry Seal was an American commercial airline pilot who became a major drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel. When he was convicted of smuggling charges, he became an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration and testified in several major drug trials. He was murdered on February 19, 1986, by contract killers hired by the cartel. It is unclear what happened to the money that Seal made during his many drug trafficking missions over the years following his death. His real-life wife, Deborah Seal, struggled financially after his death, and the true nature of his assassination is still debated. One of the men who helped kill Barry Seal for Pablo Escobars cartel was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but he could be released on parole after serving 36 years.