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FORT DIX, N.J., June 5 (UPI) -- George Jung, the cocaine trafficker whose life was portrayed in the 2001 film Blow, has been released from federal prison after serving 17 years of a 22-year sentence for drug charges stemming from his 1995 arrest. Ex-cocaine king and #Blow inspiration, George Jung, is back on the streets... Don't BLOW it! http://t.co/k0SErpg1jV pic.twitter.com/Lvo7gxAeyK
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Played by Johnny Depp in the biopic about Jung's life, Jung was arrested in 1995 in East Dennis Massachusetts with nearly 500 pounds of marijuana. Two years later he was convicted of conspiracy to possess marijuana and intent to distribute.
Although finally imprisoned for selling pot, Jung's rise to prominence -- and nine-figure wealth -- came distributing cocaine to Pablo Escobar's infamous Medellín Cartel during its heyday. At one point, nearly 90 percent of cocaine in the United States was imported by Jung.
The convicted felon will begin his new life of freedom as a 71-year-old in a California halfway house.
