La Catedral was a personal prison overlooking the city of Medellín , in Colombia . The prison was built to specifications ordered by Medellín Cartel leader Pablo Escobar , under a 1991 agreement with the Colombian government in which Escobar would surrender to authorities and serve a maximum term of five full years and the Colombian government would not extradite him to the United States . The prison now is administered as a monastery by Catholic monks of the Benedictine Order .
128-473: Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria ( / ˈ ɛ s k ə b ɑːr / ; Spanish: [ˈpaβlo eskoˈβaɾ] ; 1 December 1949 – 2 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord , narcoterrorist , and politician who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel . Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthiest criminals in history, having amassed an estimated net worth of US$ 30 billion by
256-518: A 'Robin Hood paisa' due to his help to the poor of Medellín, Escobar would enter politics with the help of Jairo Ortega Ramírez as a congressman representing Antioquia through the Liberal Renewal movement, although his godfather in politics was the liberal chieftain from Tolima Department Alberto Santofimio Botero . This triumvirate initially supported the candidacy of Luis Carlos Galán , a dissident of
384-643: A DEA analysis. another version suggests that the Cali Cartel informed on Jorge Luis Ochoa , Escobar's partner, while Ochoa was in Buga , Valle del Cauca . This has been denied since Ochoa and Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela had shared a cell in Spain where they were to be extradited to the United States, but both were repatriated to Colombia where they served ridiculous prison sentences. According to Jhon Jairo Velásquez 'Popeye',
512-477: A Learjet) and six helicopters, he decommissioned the original plane and hung it above the gate of his ranch at Hacienda Napoles . In May 1976, Escobar and several of his men were arrested and found in possession of 39 pounds (18 kg) of white paste after returning to Medellín with a heavy load from Ecuador. Initially, Escobar tried to bribe the Medellín judges who were forming the case against him. After many months,
640-498: A bicycle rental company he founded when he was 16 years old. After of his election, Escobar was invited in 1982 to the inauguration of Felipe González , the third president of democratic Spain, by the Spanish businessman Enrique Sarasola , who had important business dealings in Medellín. In Congress, in 1983, the new Minister of Justice, Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla , had become Escobar's opponent, accusing Escobar of criminal activity from
768-412: A bomb on Avianca Flight 203 in an attempt to assassinate Galán's successor, César Gaviria Trujillo , had not boarded the plane on the advice of his security advisers and survived. All 107 people were killed in the blast. Because two Americans were also killed in the bombing, the U.S. government began to intervene directly. On December 6, 1989, Escobar's hitmen placed a bus bomb in front of the building of
896-718: A branch of La Rebaja Pharmacies in Medellin, followed by nearly 40 dynamite attacks against the drugstores, and 10 more against the Colombian Radio Group, both belonging to the Rodríguez Orejuela family. 1988 marked the beginning of espionage and counterespionage offensives. First, Escobar set up an intelligence operation against the Cali Cartel. The Rodríguez Orejuela family, in turn, hired five retired military officers to form an espionage service against Escobar. Escobar discovered them and kidnapped them. The Cali Cartel then made
1024-583: A car bomb at the Monaco tower in the El Poblado sector of Medellín, where Escobar's family resided. The attack left a large crater and killed three people. Among the wounded was Manuela Escobar, Escobar's daughter, who had hearing damage in one of her ears. None of the residents were killed. In retaliation, hitmen from the Medellin Cartel attacked the businesses and properties of the Cali Cartel. On February 18, 1988,
1152-643: A controversial judicial order issued by deputy judge Pedro José Suárez , who believed the reduction was applicable through habeas corpus . He was recaptured by Colombian authorities in Cali in March 2003. He died in a U.S prison May 31, 2022. On 12 December 2017, it was announced that Mesa Family leader Juan Carlos Mesa had been captured. At this point in time, Mesa was the most wanted drug baron in Medellin. Colombian kingpin Jose Evaristo Linares-Castillo
1280-583: A cordial relationship, the origin of the war between the Medellin and Cali cartels has varied origins. One version suggests disagreement with the violent methods used by Escobar. Added to this, the Cali Cartel opposed a "war quota" against the government by refusing to pay for it. Another version suggests the Cali Cartel's zeal to take control of the drug market in Los Angeles and Miami since it currently monopolized drug trafficking in New York City , according to
1408-464: A crime; with Decree 1856 he ordered the confiscation of all movable and immovable property of drug traffickers; and with Decree 1859 he authorized the capture was authorized in conditions of absolute incommunication detention and for a time that exceeded constitutional norms, of persons of whom there were serious indications of having committed crimes against the existence and security of the State. In addition,
SECTION 10
#17328918102211536-636: A decade when the cocaine trade began to spread in Colombia in the mid-1970s. Escobar's meteoric rise caught the attention of the Colombian Security Service (DAS), who arrested him in May 1976 on his return from drug trafficking in Ecuador. DAS agents found 39 kg of cocaine in the spare tire of Escobar's car. Escobar managed to change the first judge in the lawsuit and the process expired, apparently by bribed
1664-602: A fateful balance of 300 civilians killed and more than 1,500 wounded. On November 1, 1989, Judge Mariela Espinosa was murdered on Escobar's orders. On November 23, 1989, a lightning operation was launched against the El Oro ranch in Cocorná (Antioquia), where Pablo Escobar and Jorge Luis Ochoa were staying. Escobar and Ochoa managed to escape, but two of his men were killed – one of them his brother-in-law, Fabio Henao – and 55 were arrested. Four days later, on November 27, Escobar then planted
1792-503: A hitman for the Medellín Cartel, the dispute between the two sides began due to disputes between employees of Pablo Escobar and Hélmer Herrera: The war began with a love affair between "Piña" and Jorge Elí "El Negro" Pabón. "El Negro" Pabón was a man very loyal to Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria and Alejo Piña was a man of "Pacho" Herrera, both had been friends in a New York prison, but when El Negro got out of prison, he found out that Piña
1920-544: A letter bomb that killed 7 people. On July 4, 1989, in Medellín, in an attack targeting Colonel Valdemar Franklin Quintero, the governor of Antioquia, Antonio Roldán Betancur , died along with five of his companions. On July 28, 1989, Escobar's hitmen murdered Judge María Helena Díaz – Espinoza's substitute in the Escobar and Gaviria case for possession of coca paste – and her two bodyguards. On August 16, 1989, Escobar's hitmen killed
2048-488: A letter to the Barco administration, and sent Montoya a bill for pardons and a demobilization plan. However, given the intransigence of the United States, reluctant to the possibility of dialogue with the drug lords, the talks were delayed and in the end they were presented as the personal initiative of the intermediary, disassociating the president from them. In March 1989, hitmen from Los Extraditables killed Héctor Giraldo Gálvez,
2176-531: A month later. On January 16, 1988, Escobar's hitmen kidnapped Andrés Pastrana (candidate for mayor of Bogotá and later President of Colombia) and held him hidden for several days on a farm near Rionegro. On January 25, 1988, cartel hitmen kidnapped Carlos Mauro Hoyos (Attorney General of the Nation), as he was heading to the airport in Rionegro (Antioquia). Although the plan was to keep both Hoyos and Pastrana captive in
2304-542: A nationwide manhunt. As a result, the Medellín Cartel crumbled, and in 1993, Escobar was killed in his hometown by Colombian National Police , a day after his 44th birthday. Escobar's legacy remains controversial; while many denounce the heinous nature of his crimes, he was seen as a " Robin Hood -like" figure for many in Colombia, as he provided many amenities to the poor. His killing was mourned and his funeral attended by over 25,000 people. Additionally, his private estate, Hacienda Nápoles , has been transformed into
2432-475: A peace proposal, to which Escobar set two conditions: Compensation of 5 million dollars for the attack on the Monaco building, and the surrender of Pacho Herrera, Escobar's staunch enemy. Gilberto Rodríguez refused to surrender and the five ex-military men were found dead a few days later with a sign that read "Members of the Cali Cartel executed for attempting to attack people from Medellín." In December 1988, Escobar's hitmen attempt to kidnap Pacho Herrera in Cali,
2560-545: A ransom, but he escaped from the kidnappers and they only managed to shoot him in the leg. Lehder's ultimate scheme was to revolutionize the cocaine trade by transporting the drug to the United States, using small aircraft from Norman's Cay. Lehder is estimated to have spent $ 4.5 million on the island in total. In 1987, he was extradited to the United States, where he was tried and sentenced to life without parole, plus an additional 135 years. In 1992, in exchange for Lehder's agreement to testify against Manuel Noriega , his sentence
2688-613: A refrigerated warehouse to store the cocaine. From 1978 until 1987, the Cay was the Caribbean's main drug smuggling hub for the Medellín Cartel, as well as a tropical hideaway and playground for Lehder and associates. They flew cocaine in from Colombia by jet and then reloaded it into small aircraft. They then distributed it to locations in Georgia , Florida, and the Carolinas . Escobar was able to purchase
SECTION 20
#17328918102212816-452: A rival trafficker inside Miami International Airport , and inventing the drive-by motorcycle shooting execution method. It is estimated that she was responsible for the homicides of around 200 people in Colombia, Florida, New York, and California. Arrested in 1985 for drug-trafficking charges, she was subsequently convicted and spent almost 20 years in a U.S. prison. She was killed by motorcycle hitmen in Colombia on 3 September 2012 as she
2944-513: A theme park. His life has also served as inspiration for or has been dramatized widely in film, television, and in music. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on 1 December 1949 in the small village of El Tablazo near Rionegro , Antioquia Department . He belonged to the Paisa ethnic subgroup. His family was of Spanish origin, specifically from the Basque Country , and also had Italian roots. He
3072-527: A ton of dynamite, and one of the largest drug processing laboratories in Chocó. All process that began after a statement in which Los Extraditables described the declaration of the former presidents and the leader of the UP as a "patriotic invitation," while declaring that they recognized the "victory of the State." In return, the drug traffickers expected the government to create a high-level commission that would be in charge of
3200-556: The Liberal Party for his New Liberalism movement. While campaigning politically in Medellín, Galán learned through his assistant Iván Marulanda that people whose fortunes were of dubious origin had joined the Liberal Renovation movement. In Medellín's Berrío Park , Galán, without mentioning Escobar's name, publicly expelled him, rejecting the support of Escobar and others similar to him involved in shady business dealings. Despite
3328-602: The Minor Basilica by His Excellency Mr. Alfonso Uribe Jaramillo, on October 21, 1952. Godfather: Gustavo Gaviria. I attest. Juan M. Gómez, Priest. MARGINAL NOTE OF MARRIAGE. He was married in Palmira, Valle, parish of La Stma. Trinidad, on March 29, 1976. Witnesses: Alfonso Hurtado and Dolores de Vallejo. He married Victoria E. Henao. I attest to this. Monsignor Samuel Álvarez Botero. According to his mother, Escobar began to show insight and cunning as early as elementary school; and at
3456-606: The New York metropolitan area , but he and the Cali cartel operated in most of the major cities of the United States including New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston , Las Vegas , and Chicago. In 1992, the DEA seized two of Santacruz Londoño's cocaine conversion laboratories in Brooklyn . After the demise of the Medellín Cartel, the Colombian authorities turned their attention to
3584-467: The UP Diego Montaña Cuellar, consisting of the formation of a commission of Notables to negotiate with the narcoterrorists. On January 17, 1990, they responded to the government's proposal, presenting themselves in a statement as legitimate candidates for judicial pardon and expressing a "genuine willingness to negotiate." Immediately afterward, they released the hostages, handed over a bus with
3712-656: The United States , which led to Escobar organizing more smuggling shipments, routes, and distribution networks in South Florida , California , Puerto Rico , and other parts of the country. He and cartel co-founder Carlos Lehder worked together to develop a new trans-shipment point in the Bahamas , an island called Norman's Cay about 350 km (220 mi) southeast of the Florida coast. Escobar and Robert Vesco purchased most of
3840-490: The 1980s they branched out into cocaine trafficking. For a time, the Cali Cartel eventually grew big enough to supply 70% of the United States cocaine demands through Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, who oversaw all major shipments entering the United States and were able to meet 90% of the European cocaine market. The Cali Cartel was less violent than its rival, the Medellín Cartel, more inclined toward bribery rather than violence. While
3968-416: The 1980s, it was estimated Escobar led monthly shipments of 70 to 80 tons of cocaine into the country from Colombia , controlling more than 80% of the world's production of the drug and 60% of the illicit market in the United States. As a result, Escobar amassed an immense fortune, which amounted to around eight billion dollars between assets and cash; according to Forbes , for seven consecutive years, he
Pablo Escobar - Misplaced Pages Continue
4096-399: The 7.7 square miles (20 km ) of land, which included Hacienda Napoles, for several million dollars. He created a zoo, a lake and other diversions for his family and organization. At one point, it was estimated that 70 to 80 tons of cocaine were being shipped from Colombia to the United States every month. César Gaviria Trujillo , the president of Colombia and married to pagent queen at
4224-504: The Antioquian elite, therefore, his widely publicized "popular origins" would not correspond to reality. Among his extensive family members is Isabel Gaviria Duque, First Lady of the Nation, wife of Carlos E. Restrepo , who was President of Colombia between 1910 and 1914. Pablo Escobar's godfather was the renowned Colombian diplomat and intellectual Joaquín Vallejo Arbeláez . His death is kept in
4352-476: The Cali Cartel. The campaign began in the summer of 1995, leading to the arrest of several Cali leaders; Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela was arrested on 9 June. Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela was arrested on 6 August. Santacruz Londoño was arrested on 4 July 1995. Londoño escaped La Picota Prison in Bogotá on 11 January 1996. The police tracked him down to Medellín on 5 March 1996. He was killed while attempting to flee. In 1996,
4480-465: The Colombian government because many of the political candidates whom they backed financially were eventually elected. Although the Medellín Cartel was only established in the early 1970s, it expanded after Escobar met several drug lords on a farm in April 1978, and by the end of 1978 they had transported some 19,000 kilograms of cocaine to the United States. Soon, the demand for cocaine greatly increased in
4608-516: The DAS – the Colombian secret police – in an attempt to assassinate its director, General Miguel Alfredo Maza Márquez , who emerged unharmed despite the building being half-destroyed. The bus bomb also destroyed more than 200 commercial establishments around it. 63 civilians were killed and 500 were injured. On December 15, 1989, Barco's government managed to kill the second leader of the Medellín cartel and its military leader, El Mexicano (Rodríguez Gacha). He
4736-640: The IV Brigade under the command of General Harold Bedoya, the Extraditables ended the truce on March 30, putting a price on the head of each policeman killed. Medellín and its metropolitan area were involved in an urban war, after the first executions of uniformed officers and after the attack against a truck of the Elite Group, which occurred on a bridge in Itagüí on April 11. This attack, which left 20 dead and 100 wounded,
4864-613: The Lara Bonilla murder. According to reports, Escobar, who was at war with the guerrillas after the MAS episode, approached the M-19 through negotiations with Iván Marino Ospina . According to some reports, it is believed that he was aware of the Palace of Justice siege due to the threats made by Los Extraditables to the magistrates of the courts and because he offered economic support for the operation, which
4992-559: The Lara case manager replacing Castro Gil, and two months later they blew up the headquarters of the TV production company Mundo Visión. On May 4, 1989, the former governor of Boyacá, Álvaro González Santana, father of Judge Martha Lucía González, was assassinated. After the attempted assassination of the head of the DAS, General Miguel Maza Márquez on May 30, 1989, in Bogotá, using a powerful explosive charge in
5120-495: The Medellín Cartel wanted to kill Piña, and that's when war broke out. Hugo Hernán Valencia and Pablo Correa Arroyave were the main money launderers for the Cartel. Both had a feud with the heads of the Cali Cartel and the latter had asked Escobar to do them a favor by killing them. But when the Cali Cartel refused to kill Piña, Escobar allowed Pabón to kill Piña. In retaliation, on January 13, 1988, 'Pacho' Herrera ordered his men to place
5248-537: The Medellín Cartel was involved in a brutal campaign of violence against the Colombian government, the Cali Cartel grew in power, reaching its peak in the early to mid-1990s when they controlled some 80% of the world's cocaine supply and earned an estimated $ 8 billion a year. The Rodriguez-Orejuela family alone amassed a fortune of more than $ 250 billion in worldwide assets, according to the DEA . Santacruz Londoño's cocaine distribution and money laundering operations were based in
Pablo Escobar - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-408: The Medellín Cartel with Escobar at its helm declared total war against the government. Escobar organized and financed an extensive army of hitmen, who assassinated key figures for the Colombian institutionality, such as the liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán , and perpetrated indiscriminate terrorist acts, such as the use of car bombs in Colombia's main cities. This campaign of narcoterrorism destabilized
5504-652: The Medellín Cartel. The main leaders of the Cartel had to take refuge in Panama and tried, in May 1984, to talk with former President Alfonso López Michelsen , who was acting as an electoral observer in the elections in Panama , at the Hilton Hotel in Panama City in a last attempt to approach the government, denying their authorship of the murder of the minister but offering to surrender on condition of not extraditing them. Their failure
5632-473: The Medellín and Cali cartels were estimated to control 75–80% of the Andean region 's cocaine traffic, and a similar percentage of the U.S. cocaine market, earning $ 6–8 billion a year. U.S. law enforcement officials in the 1990s estimated that Colombian drug cartels spent more than $ 500 million on bribing officials every year. Several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas , became convinced that
5760-610: The State, wanting to pressure it with the kidnapping of the son of the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Diego Montoya, and two relatives of the President of the Republic, in addition to other personalities. A proposal then arose from former President López Michelsen, supported by former Presidents Julio César Turbay and Misael Pastrana , by Cardinal Mario Rebollo Bravo and by the President of
5888-658: The United States was cancelled, while Judge Gustavo Zuluaga Serna issued an arrest warrant against Escobar for the murder of the two DAS agents who had captured him in 1976. At the same time, and with Lara's approval, the police, headed by Colonel Jaime Ramírez , together with the DEA discovered and dismantled Tranquilandia , a complex of several cocaine processing laboratories owned by Rodríguez Gacha. Although Escobar fought back, he announced his retirement from politics in January 1984. Three months later, Lara-Bonilla, whose honor had previously been called into question and then vindicated,
6016-557: The United States. El Loco was finally arrested in San Cristobal , Venezuela, on 18 September 2012 after trafficking drugs for more than 20 years. When he was captured, the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos described him as "perhaps the most wanted kingpin in recent times". In 2013, the Colombian counternarcotics police, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration , seized almost 300 properties in
6144-423: The United States.Escobar and the rest of the leadership, aware of the danger that extradition represented for their interests and determined to fight it, reinforced their military and economic apparatus and set about collecting considerable resources from all drug traffickers, even from those who were not part of their group, in order to finance the foreseeable escalation of violence. Although both cartels maintained
6272-746: The beginning of high school, another of his qualities became evident: his leadership over his classmates. Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria Rivero did small "businesses" at the Lucrecio Jaramillo Vélez high school, where they both studied. They held raffles, exchanged comics, sold exams and lent money at low interest. In this way, Pablo Escobar began to develop his "ability" for business and commerce. Escobar left high school in 1966 just before his 17th birthday, before returning two years later with his cousin Gustavo Gaviria. At this time,
6400-483: The big screen. One such example is the romantic film Paradise Lost , which sees Benicio del Toro as Pablo Escobar . Franz Sanchez played by Robert Davi in Licence to Kill is strongly implied to be Colombian; incidentally, del Toro also appears in that film as a drug trafficker. Several other films include Blow with Johnny Depp show the activities of Pablo Escobar. Netflix 's original show Narcos depicts
6528-477: The case was dropped. This was the beginning of his dealing with the authorities, using bribery or other means to achieve his goals. Soon, the demand for cocaine was skyrocketing in the United States and Escobar organized more smuggling shipments, routes, and distribution networks in South Florida, California , and other parts of the United States. The Medellín Cartel 's massive wealth and power enabled them from
SECTION 50
#17328918102216656-561: The city of Medellín to his family's residence while talking on the phone with them. PBS reports that although the government was willing to turn a blind eye to Escobar continuing his drug smuggling , the arrangement fell apart when it was reported Escobar had four of his lieutenants tortured and murdered within La Catedral. The Colombian government decided it had to move Escobar to a standard prison, an order Escobar refused. July 1992, after serving one year and one month, Escobar again went on
6784-406: The command of his allies Fidel and Carlos Castaño Gil . Gradually the cordial relations between the paramilitaries and Los Extraditables would deteriorate because of this. On May 12, the eve of Mother's Day, bombs exploded in two commercial districts in Bogotá, killing twenty-one people. On the same day in Cali, another terrorist act claimed the lives of nine civilians. At the end of the month, at
6912-567: The complete release of the hostages before the end of January 1990. On January 22, Álvaro Montoya was released near the main entrance of the National University of Colombia , without the sign requiring him to convey any message to the public. The Extraditables, effectively deceived by the Government and faced with a strong military offensive in Envigado, declared a zone of military operations by
7040-609: The country and made Escobar the most wanted criminal in the world at the beginning of the nineties. Escobar was responsible for the murder of 657 police officers between 1989 and 1993, and fierce clashes against the Cali Cartel , the Magdalena Medio Antioquia paramilitary groups, and Los Pepes . In 1991, after the consummation of the National Constituent Assembly , which gave Colombia a new constitution and
7168-406: The country and opening new cocaine trafficking routes through Nicaragua and Cuba. All of this in collusion with some sectors of the public forces, bought off with money and terror. In the fall of 1985, the wanted Escobar requested the Colombian government to allow his conditional surrender without extradition to the United States. The proposal was initially rejected, The Los Extraditable Organization
7296-426: The country belonging to Barrera, including villas, cattle ranches, restaurants and bars, as well as trucks and cars. Extradited in 2013 from Colombia to the United States, Barrera pleaded guilty in federal court to a number of charges and in 2016 was sentenced to 35 years in prison and a $ 10 million fine. U.S. District Judge Gregory Howard Woods called Barrera's crimes "staggering" and stated: "It's hard to exaggerate
7424-520: The creation of the Elite Group of the police with 500 men was arranged, essentially aimed at hunting down terrorist leaders, and it was placed under the command of Colonel Hugo Martínez Poveda . In the following days, the Army and the Police carried out more than 450 raids throughout the country and arrested nearly 13,000 people accused of being linked to drug trafficking. On August 23, the Extraditables responded to
7552-755: The disappearance of 11 people during the retaking of the Palace by the Public Force. The Cartel's campaign of assassinations against its enemies in the Government and those who supported the extradition treaty, made effective in January 1985 with the sending of the first captured to the United States by the newly appointed Minister of Justice Enrique Parejo González , replacing the murdered Lara, and all those who denounced their business and mafia networks. The Extraditables assassinated, in February 1986, in Baton Rouge , Louisiana ,
7680-438: The disorganized archive of the newspaper and found the headline in which it was reported that Escobar together his cousin Gustavo Gaviria had been arrested for possessing coca paste. Escobar's arrest in 1976 was investigated by Lara-Bonilla's subordinates, this confirmed in a Brian Ross 's September 5, 1983 report, on the U.S. television network NBC . A few months later, Escobar was publicly expelled from Congress and his visa to
7808-452: The early 1970s, he began to work for various smugglers. In 1976, forming alliances with Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha , Carlos Lehder , and Jorge Luis Ochoa and his clan, Escobar founded the Medellín Cartel , which distributed powder cocaine. He also established the first smuggling routes from Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador through Colombia and into the United States. Escobar's infiltration into the U.S. created exponential demand for cocaine, and by
SECTION 60
#17328918102217936-403: The early 1970s, he was a thief and bodyguard, and he made a quick $ 700,000 on the side kidnapping and ransoming a Medellín executive before entering the drug trade. He then worked for multi-millionaire contraband smuggler Alvaro Prieto . Escobar founded the Medellín cartel and was one of the wealthiest and most notorious drug lords until his death. Some reports indicated that Escobar's net worth
8064-448: The evening and returns at dawn, making air assault difficult. The location's steep topography also prevented the military or rival cartels from attacking La Catedral easily. In addition, Pablo Escobar had a large magazine stocked with arms that ensured his safety in the prison. La Catedral remained deserted for several years. In 2007, a group of Benedictine monks from the Benedictina Fraternidad Monastica Santa Gertrudis arrived at
8192-501: The first day of Congress. Lara, who had since denounced the infiltration of illicit money into Colombian politics and soccer teams, accused him not only of being a drug trafficker but also of being the leader of the paramilitary group Death to Kidnappers (MAS), created in 1981 to violently stop the onslaught of the M-19 guerrilla movement that had kidnapped Martha Nieves Ochoa, sister of his associates, and an attempted kidnapping of his partner Carlos Lehder who managed to escape wounded in
8320-438: The formal government and run the country. The power of the Colombian drug barons took off in the 1970s, fueled by a massive demand for cocaine in the United States and Europe. In 1975, Pablo Escobar began smuggling and trafficking cocaine . He flew a plane himself several times, mainly between Colombia and Panama, in order to smuggle a load into the United States. When he later bought fifteen bigger airplanes (including
8448-783: The goal of becoming a criminal lawyer, a politician, and eventually the president but had to give up because of lack of money. Escobar preferred to dedicate himself to his personal "businesses." An interesting fact, he always felt self-conscious about his short stature (1.65 m) and this made him wear special shoes with heels to make himself look taller. Escobar started his criminal career with his gang by with small scams, thefts, and after stealing tombstones, sandblasting their inscriptions, and reselling them. After dropping out of college, Escobar began to join gangs to steal cars. Escobar soon became involved in violent crime, employing criminals to kidnap people who owed him money and demand ransoms, sometimes tearing up ransom notes even when Escobar had received
8576-410: The government entity INDERENA and the customs authorities; a lake, a sculpture garden; a private bullring; and other amenities for his family and the cartel. Escobar made a show of this by producing a propaganda report about his Hacienda. Escobar was also among the world's billionaires due to his immense fortune invested in buildings, homes, automobiles and estates. listed as the seventh richest man in
8704-444: The government in a letter to the public, taking on the challenge of total war. With 3,000 armed hitmen, the association of paramilitarism and the support of a significant portion of the population under its control, in addition to the financial muscle that gave it control of at least 90% of cocaine trafficking abroad, the Medellín Cartel confronted the Colombian state with bombings and selective assassinations. Terrorism multiplied and put
8832-401: The government in check: between September and December 1989, more than 100 devices exploded in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Pereira, against government buildings, banking, commercial and service facilities and economic infrastructure. In those three months, including the hitmen, the narco-terrorists were responsible for 289 terrorist attacks in that period, with
8960-418: The hard life on the streets of Medellín had polished them into gangster bullies in the eyes of teachers. The two dropped out of school after more than a year, but Escobar did not give up. Having forged a high school diploma, he was admitted to study at the Faculty of Economics of the Latin American Autonomous University of Medellin , where several of his Gaviria cousins were studying, including José Obdulio, with
9088-414: The height of her operation, she smuggled nearly 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg) of cocaine into the United States every month through a well-established network in south Florida. According to some reports, Blancos' enterprise netted about $ 80 million each month. She was noted for her ruthlessness and use of extreme violence, employing tactics such as publicly assassinating people in broad daylight, bayoneting
9216-513: The intellectual co-author of the crime. President Barco declared war on drug trafficking in the same way that Betancur had done five years earlier. With Decree 1830 of August 19, 1989, Barco established extradition by administrative means, without taking into account the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice; with Decree 1863 he authorized military judges to conduct searches where there were suspicions or indications of persons or objects related to
9344-515: The judge of the superior court of Cundinamarca, Carlos Ernesto Valencia, and on August 18 in Medellin, Colonel Quintero was shot dead by dozens of bullets. Although the news of the crime that occurred in the morning hours was overshadowed, when at night during a political rally in Soacha, Escobar still held a grudge against Luis Carlos Galán for kicking him out of politics, so Galán was assassinated on 18 August 1989 at Escobar's orders; several dozen gunmen in
9472-505: The king of smuggling in Colombia. Escobar soon entered the drug trade by smuggling marijuana to the United States under the patronage of Griselda Blanco. After the end of the marijuana boom, Escobar began working as an intermediary who bought cocaine paste in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru , to later resell it to his partners the Ochoa brothers, traffickers in charge of taking it to the United States. Escobar had been involved in organized crime for
9600-442: The land on the island, which included a 1-kilometre (3,300 ft) airstrip, a harbor, a hotel, houses, boats, and aircraft, and they built a refrigerated warehouse to store the cocaine. According to his brother, Escobar did not purchase Norman's Cay; it was instead a sole venture of Lehder's. From 1978 to 1982, this was used as a central smuggling route for the Medellín Cartel. With the enormous profits generated by this route, Escobar
9728-484: The leg. Escobar secretly counterattacks alongside Jairo Ortega by showing a copy of a check from drug trafficker Evaristo Porras to Lara's Senate campaign, in addition to challenging the minister to show evidence against him under penalty of being sued for slander and defamation. Guillermo Cano , editor and owner of the newspaper El Espectador , seeing Escobar, sensed that he knew him from somewhere, so accompanied by María Jimena Duzán and another reporter, they went to
9856-442: The legal procedures that would allow their surrender. The government considered names to lead the process and the most likely candidate was Otto Morales Benítez, former government negotiator with the guerrillas. However, the approaches were leaked to the press and the attempt at dialogue and negotiation ended in a new wave of terrorism, and announced that, on the contrary, it would strengthen the extradition process. This did not prevent
9984-473: The life of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. Netflix 's original show Griselda depicts the life and journey of Griselda Blanco from Medellín to becoming "the Godmother" of Miami's drug empire. La Catedral In addition to the facility being built to Escobar's specifications, Escobar was also given the right to choose who would guard him and it was believed he chose guards loyal only to him. Moreover,
10112-467: The most notable drug lords which operate in illegal drug trafficking in Colombia . Several of them, notably Pablo Escobar , were long considered among the world's most dangerous and most wanted men by U.S. intelligence . "Ruthless and immensely powerful", several political leaders, such as President Virgilio Barco Vargas , became convinced that the drug lords were becoming so powerful that they could oust
10240-521: The murder of Diario Occidente journalist Raúl Echavarría Barrientos. In September 1986, motorized hitmen killed Judge Zuluaga Serna. In October 1986, anti-narcotics police colonel Jaime Ramírez Gómez was killed after returning to Bogotá from a weekend trip with his family. On December 17, 1986, Guillermo Cano, editor of El Espectador newspaper, was killed. In January 1987, Escobar's hitmen attacked Parejo González, former Minister of Justice in Budapest and at
10368-672: The ones who rejected his bribes, came to be known as "silver or lead", meaning "money or death". The Medellín Cartel and the Cali Cartel both managed to bribe Colombian politicians , and campaigned for both the Conservative and Liberal parties. Although the difference between the two cartels was that the Medellín Cartel used its "money or death" law through a huge army of hitmen, the Cali Cartel preferred to use bribes by having politicians, journalists, police officers, army officers, judges, etc. on its payroll. Hence, Escobar and many other Colombian drug lords were pulling strings in every level of
10496-418: The operation fails and Herrera becomes Escobar's main target. Minister of Justice Enrique Low Murtra signed the extradition orders for Escobar and his cartel associates. A few days later, the politician and candidate for mayor of Medellín, Juan Gómez Martínez, was saved from an attempted kidnapping claimed by Los Extraditables, while Jorge Luis Ochoa was released with impunity under the right of habeas corpus
10624-552: The opposition and warnings of his partners, in 1982, he successfully entered the Colombian Congress. Although only an alternate, he was automatically granted parliamentary immunity and the right to a diplomatic passport under Colombian law. At the same time, Escobar was gradually becoming a public figure, and because of his charitable work, he was known as "Robin Hood Paisa". He alleged once in an interview that his fortune came from
10752-411: The outset to bribe government and legal officials, and buy sophisticated weaponry for their protection. Escobar and Carlos Lehder worked together to develop a new island trans-shipment point in the Bahamas , called Norman's Cay . Lehder and Robert Vesco purchased most of the land on the island which included a 3,300 feet (1,000 m) airstrip, a harbor, hotel, houses, boats, aircraft; he even built
10880-628: The parish of Rionegro, which reads: In the parish of San Nicolás de Rionegro, on December 4, 1949, Father Juan M. Gómez baptized a child who was born on the first day of the present, whom he named PABLO EMILIO, legitimate son of Abel de Jesús Escobar and Hermilda Gaviria, residents of this parish. Paternal grandparents: Pablo Emilio Escobar and Sara María Echeverri. Maternal grandparents: Roberto Gaviria and Inés Berrío. Godparents: Joaquín Vallejo and Nelly Mejía de Vallejo, who were advised of their spiritual relationship and obligations. I attest. Agustín Gómez. Priest. MARGINAL NOTE OF CONFIRMATION. Confirmed in
11008-577: The pilot and witness before the American justice system Barry Seal ; in July, the magistrate Hernando Baquero Borda, rapporteur of the Extradition Treaty in 1980, and the journalist of El Espectador Roberto Camacho Prada; and on August 18, already with the new president of Colombia Virgilio Barco Vargas , the captain of the anti-narcotics police Luis Alfredo Macana. In September 1986, Los Extraditables ordered
11136-418: The prison was believed to have been designed more to keep out Escobar's enemies and protect him from assassination attempts, than to keep Escobar inside. The finished prison was often called "Hotel Escobar" or "Club Medellín" because of its amenities. La Catedral featured a football pitch , giant doll house, bar, jacuzzi and waterfall. Escobar also had a telescope installed that allowed him to look down onto
11264-526: The prohibition of the extradition of nationals, Escobar surrendered to authorities and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment on multiple charges; however, he struck a deal of no extradition with Colombian President César Gaviria , along with the ability to be housed in his self-built prison, La Catedral . In 1992, when authorities attempted to move Escobar to a more standard holding facility after confirming that he had continued to commit crimes while imprisoned, Escobar escaped and went into hiding, leading to
11392-404: The quantity of narcotics for which he was responsible." José Santacruz Londoño (1943–1996) was a Colombian drug lord from Santiago de Cali . Along with Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela , Santacruz Londoño was a leader of the Cali Cartel. The trio was profiled in a Time magazine cover story in July 1991. The DEA cited him as "one of the premier drug traffickers in
11520-473: The ransom. It is speculated that businessman Diego Echavarria Misas was kidnapped and eventually killed in the summer of 1971 with the participation of Escobar, who supposedly received a $ 50,000 ransom from the Echavarria family. Escobar would repeat the same process with drug lord Fabio Restrepo, kidnapping and murdering him in 1975. After Escobar would later begin to work for Alfredo Gómez López, 'Don Capone',
11648-607: The region of Antioquia. Dario Antonio Úsuga David , also known as "Mao", is a Colombian drug lord who is the co-leader of the violent organization Los Urabeños, also known as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas. $ 5 million is offered to anybody who can reveal him. As of late, Guillermo Alejandro of the Mesa Family has been pinpointed as one of the main suppliers of mainland Europe. His notoriety came to fruition after multiple reports of shipments transported in living animals, with
11776-637: The run. With the Colombian National Army surrounding La Catedral's facility, Escobar fled through an escape route that he had built into the facility during its construction. A section of the wall had been mortared with weak concrete that could be easily kicked open, allowing Escobar to walk out. The ensuing manhunt employed a 600-man unit force, specially trained by the United States Delta Force , named Search Bloc and led by Colonel Hugo Martínez . Fog comes over after six o'clock in
11904-424: The ruthless drug lords were intent on becoming so powerful that they could oust the formal government and run the country. Hundreds of government officials, judges and policemen who failed to accept bribes were assassinated under the orders of the barons. Illegal cocaine trafficking from Colombia is routed through Venezuela to the northern part of Mexico and then further to the United States. In 2012, serious action
12032-486: The same place, the money lavishness of Jorge Restrepo, the front man in charge of Pastrana who was held captive (barely a week) caught the attention of the authorities and the police managed to free Pastrana. But in retaliation, alias 'Popeye' shot and killed Carlos Mauro Hoyos (48), who had been kidnapped for 10 hours. In March 1988, several hundred police officers descended on the El Bizcocho estate (owned by Escobar), but he
12160-595: The same time that a hitman blew himself up in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Medellín, killing six policemen and three passers-by, Senator Federico Estrada Vélez and his driver were gunned down. The violence intensified and the victims were thousands: in retaliation for the death of 215 policemen killed between April and July 1990, death squads went up to the communes every night and shot dozens of men, several of children and/or adolescents. Colombian drug lord Drug barons of Colombia refer to some of
12288-510: The second judge, so he was released along with other prisoners. Despite this, the case was reopened by Judge Mariela Espinosa, who also dropped the investigation due to threats against her life. The following year, the agents who arrested Escobar were assassinated. Escobar continued to bribe and intimidate Colombian law enforcement agencies in the same fashion. His carrot-and-stick strategy of bribing public officials and political candidates in Colombia, in addition to sending hitmen to murder
12416-516: The service of Rodríguez Gacha infiltrated the demonstration and killed the presidential candidate for the Liberal Party, Luis Carlos Galán, a staunch enemy of drug lords and supporter of allowing the extradition of drug lords to the US, who had the best chance of reaching the presidency of the nation. Also involved in this murder was the politician Alberto Santofimio Botero , who in 2006 was shown to have been
12544-412: The terrorist attacks of the last few months were attributed to 'El Mexicano'. Although the Medellín Cartel and the government had made a series of approaches to reach negotiations that would lead to the surrender of the drug lords, the intransigence of the US justice system and the recent acts of violence prevented any such option. The Extraditables attempted a new strategy of dialogue and negotiation with
12672-406: The time Colombian ambassador to Hungary . In late 1986, Colombia's Supreme Court declared the previous extradition treaty illegal due to being signed by a presidential delegation, not the president. Escobar's victory over the judiciary was short-lived. It is believed that Escobar was the one who betrayed Lehder, causing his capture on February 4, 1987. However, unexpectedly, Lehder was extradited to
12800-441: The time Wilnelia Merced cited Escobar and the Medellín Cartel as "the worst of two evils", the other being rivals, the Cali Cartel . He began gearing up much of the government resources into cracking down on the Medellín Cartel. José Santacruz Londoño , Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela , and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela were key figures in the Cali Cartel in the end of 1970s. They were primarily involved in marijuana trafficking, but in
12928-600: The time of his death—equivalent to $ 70 billion as of 2022—while his drug cartel monopolized the cocaine trade into the United States in the 1980s and early 1990s. Born in Rionegro into a peasant family and raised in Medellín , Escobar studied briefly at Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana of Medellín but left without graduating; he instead began engaging in criminal activity, selling illegal cigarettes and fake lottery tickets, as well as participating in motor vehicle theft . In
13056-471: The title "El bestiality bandito" coined thereafter. Interpol and the WWF have both offered substantial rewards for the whereabouts of Alexandro and his seemingly infinite stockpile of exotic animals. On 26 October 2019, Mesa head Luis Rodrigo Rodríguez , alias "El Montañero", was arrested on charges of conspiracy, extortion and drug trafficking. Some of the drug barons of Colombia have been portrayed by actors on
13184-626: The towns that he frequented; however, Escobar's political ambitions were thwarted by the Colombian and U.S. governments, constantly battled rival cartels domestically and abroad, leading to massacres and the murders of police officers, judges, locals, and prominent politicians. who routinely pushed for his arrest , with Escobar widely believed to have orchestrated the Avianca Flight 203 and DAS Building bombings in retaliation. In 1989, after several attempts at negotiation, multiple kidnappings, and selective assassinations of judges and public officials,
13312-401: The world, according to Forbes , something his son would deny years later. At the height of his power, Escobar was involved in philanthropy in Colombia and paid handsomely for the staff of his cocaine lab. Escobar spent millions developing some of Medellín's poorest neighborhoods. He built housing complexes, parks, football stadiums, hospitals, schools, and churches. His most famous charity work
13440-511: The world, who has been involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking since 1970". By the time of his arrest in 1995, he dominated much of the U.S. market, operating large-scale cocaine operations in most of the major U.S. cities. In addition to drug trafficking, Santacruz was blamed for the 1989 assassination of former Governor of Antioquia , Antonio Roldan Betancur , and was linked to the 1992 murder of journalist Manuel de Dios Unanue in New York. He
13568-548: Was a renowned whiskey smuggler at a time when it was illegal (early 20th century). Gaviria Cobaleda was also the grandfather of the Colombian lawyer and politician José Obdulio Gaviria. "Well, my family did not have significant financial resources and we lived through difficulties like those experienced by the majority of Colombian people, so we are not oblivious to these problems, we know them deeply and we understand them." However, his ancestors and immediate family members stood out as politicians, businessmen, ranchers and figures of
13696-508: Was approximately $ 35 billion. Carlos Lehder (1949–) was one of Colombia's most dangerous drug barons in the early to mid-1980s. Born in Armenia, Colombia , Lehder eventually ran a cocaine transport empire on Norman's Cay island, 210 miles (340 km) off the Florida coast in the central Bahamas. Some people have said that Lehder, with German ancestry, was allegedly also active in the small Quintín Lamé Movement , an indigenous guerrilla that
13824-597: Was arrested in 2012 in Argentina. He was the leader of the "Urabenos" gang which is situated the northern part of the country. In January 2020, it was announced previous Pablo Escobar associate Luis Del Río Jiménez, alias "el Tío", or "Señor T", was among 10 people arrested during an operation conducted by Colombian and DEA forces on 24 November 2019. Evading capture for decades, el Tio had by this point in time had become employed by Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Additionally, he also owned many fruit companies and clubs in
13952-459: Was arrested in 2013. He is considered to be one of the most notable narcotics traffickers in the world. He is accused of producing cocaine in Colombia, storing it in Apure , and then transporting it to Central America and Mexico before smuggling it into the United States. Henry de Jesus Lopez (nicknamed "Mi Sangre", meaning "My Blood"), reported at the time to be the country's most-wanted cocaine dealer,
14080-533: Was arrested on drug charges by Colombian authorities. After a few months, in October of that same year, Barrera escaped from prison. According to the Colombian National Police intelligence service DIJIN , Barrera bribed numerous Colombian policemen in order to maintain his drug emporium in Bogotá. $ 7.7 million (including $ 2.7 million by the Colombian government) was offered to anybody who could capture him in
14208-612: Was caught in September. Another was a Dominican and naturalized American citizen, a former U.S. Marine who was accused by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez of being a U.S. mercenary. Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) remains publicly the most powerful and wealthiest drug lord in history. Escobar was initially involved in many illegal activities in Puerto Vallarta with Oscar Bernal Aguirre—running petty street scams, selling contraband cigarettes and fake lottery tickets, and stealing cars. In
14336-521: Was coming out of a butcher's shop. Daniel Barrera Barrera (known as "El Loco" or "Mad Barrera") is a former drug lord suspected of being the boss of the illegal drug trade in Colombia's eastern plains. According to an article in Revista Semana , Barrera initiated his illegal drug activities in San Jose del Guaviare in the 1980s with the support of his brother, Omar Barrera. On 7 February 1990 Barrera
14464-488: Was due to the fact that the talks had been leaked to the press. Months later, they returned clandestinely to Colombia. In November 1984, Los Extraditables detonated a car bomb in front of the US embassy in Bogotá, killing one person. A year after the murder of Lara Bonilla, despite the government's announcements to combat them, the drug traffickers of the Medellín Cartel, now renamed Los Extraditables , remained unpunished, expanding their criminal apparatus across large areas of
14592-627: Was initiated by the Venezuelan, Colombian, and U.S. authorities working together to apprehend the drug lords in Venezuela. Six drug lords were handed into the custody of Colombia for further trial or deportation to the United States for trial. Three notable Colombian drug lords who were captured are Diego Perez Henao in June, Javier Antonio Calle Serna , who surrendered in Aruba in May, and Daniel Barrera Barrera who
14720-422: Was killed in 1996. Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela (1939–2022) was formerly one of the leaders of the Cali Cartel, based in the city of Cali . Along with his brother Miguel, he ran the Cali drug cartel in the mid-1990s. On 9 June 1995, he was arrested by the Colombian National Police (CNP) during a house raid in the city. Sentenced to fifteen years in prison, he was temporarily freed in early November 2002, due to
14848-589: Was living with his former wife, El Negro spoke with the boss [Escobar] and they agreed that Piña had to be killed; As the Medellín Cartel killed Hugo Hernán Valencia, a man who had had a problem with Gilberto Rodríguez, we asked the Rodríguez family to return the favor, to let us kill Piña or for them to take care of him themselves, with their people. We did not know about the economic and military power of "Pacho" Herrera. The Rodríguez family, instead of explaining this to their boss, went directly to tell 'Pacho' Herrera that
14976-569: Was located by an informant working for the Cali Cartel on the northern coast of the country, where he was seeking refuge from the authorities' persecution. Responsible for more than 2,000 homicides and claiming responsibility for the attack on the DAS tower, he was killed after a tough chase between the municipalities of Tolú and Coveñas in the Sucre Department , along with his son Freddy Rodríguez Celades, his main lieutenant Gilberto Rendón Hurtado and four hitmen from his security force. Most of
15104-460: Was murdered. Colombia will hand over criminals requested by the Crime Commission in other countries; so that they are punished in an exemplary manner, in this universal operation against an attack that is also universal. President Belisario Betancur, who had previously opposed the extradition of Colombians, decided to authorize it, triggering a series of police operations to capture members of
15232-443: Was not accepted by the former M-19 militants, since the operation, according to them, had political objectives. The existence of copies of the files and the extradition requests in the foreign ministry, American courts and the American embassy disproves that the burning of files was the reason for the guerrilla operation. The operation was authorized by Álvaro Fayad and took place between November 6 and 7, 1985, resulting in 94 dead and
15360-449: Was one of the richest people in the world. In the 1982 Colombian parliamentary election , to excuse his immeasurable capital, Escobar was elected as an alternate member of the Chamber of Representatives as part of the Liberal Party . Through this, he was responsible for community projects such as the construction of houses and football fields, which gained him popularity among the locals of
15488-414: Was reduced to a total of 55 years. He is considered to be one of the most important Colombian drug kingpins to be successfully prosecuted in the United States. Before his downfall, estimates of Lehder's annual income ranged as high as $ 300 million. Griselda Blanco (1943–2012), known as the "Godmother of Cocaine", was a drug lord who operated between Miami and Colombia during the 1970s and 1980s. During
15616-538: Was related to the FARC and the M-19 , but these allegations haven't been proven. Lehder was one of the founding members of Muerte a Secuestradores , a paramilitary group whose focus was to retaliate against the kidnappings of cartel members and their families by the guerrillas. His motivation to join the MAS was to retaliate against the M-19 guerrilla movement, which, on 19 November 1981, attempted to kidnap him in order to ask for
15744-512: Was soon able to purchase 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) of land in Antioquia for several million dollars, on which he built the Hacienda Nápoles . The luxury house he created contained a zoo , with more than two hundred species of exotic animals for the region, such as hippos , giraffes , elephants , zebras and ostriches , all introduced into the country as a result of bribes to
15872-498: Was subsequently accused of participating in an effort to prevent the Colombian Supreme Court from studying the constitutionality of Colombia's extradition treaty with the United States. The Colombian judiciary had been a target of Escobar throughout the mid-1980s. While bribing and murdering several judges; beginning in June 1985, Los Extraditables ordered the death of Judge Tulio Manuel Castro Gil, in charge of investigating
16000-402: Was the 'Medellín without slums' neighbourhood, aimed at people living in slums at the Medellín municipal dump. Shortly before the presidential and regional elections of 1982 began, Escobar realized that he had to create a "cover" to protect his lucrative drug trade. He began to cultivate an image of a respectable man, making contacts with politicians, financiers, lawyers, etc. Considered until then
16128-476: Was the first of 18 that occurred until the end of July with a balance of 100 fatalities and 450 wounded. The 1990 presidential elections were marked by constant violence in which not only Galán was killed, but also Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa , of the leftist UP party; and Carlos Pizarro , leader of the dissolved M-19 guerrilla movement. Although the government blamed Escobar for the murders of Jaramillo and Pizarro, they were actually committed by paramilitaries under
16256-430: Was the second of seven children and grew up in poverty . His father was a small farmer and his mother was a teacher, and his siblings in order of birth were Roberto de Jesus 'El Osito', Gloria Inés, Argemiro, Alba Marina, Luz María and Luis Fernando (the latter born in 1958 and murdered at the age of 19 in 1977). Escobar's maternal grandfather, Roberto Gaviria Cobaleda, had already preceded him in illegal activities, as he
16384-466: Was warned at the last minute by the corrupt Lieutenant Colonel Plinio Correa of Police Intelligence B-2 and managed to escape. In July 1988, the Secretary General of the Presidency, Germán Montoya, had entered into talks with spokesmen for Los Extraditables. Subsequent statements by the government were interpreted by the drug lords as an invitation to dialogue, so on September 15, they responded with
#220779