Summary
Highlights
When Escobar's family was denied asylum in Germany and returned to Colombia, they were placed under police protection but became effective prisoners, serving as bait. Worried about his family, Escobar abandoned basic security, making frequent phone calls to his son. This allowed the Special Investigation Unit to pinpoint his location.
On December 2, 1993, after days of tracking his phone calls, the Search Bloc located Escobar in a house in Medellín. A raid ensued, and Major Aguilar confronted Escobar, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Escobar was fatally shot in the head as he attempted to escape through a window, marking the end of the largest manhunt in history.
In December 1993, Pablo Escobar's family, including his son Juan Pablo, daughter Manuela, and wife Maria Victoria, were turned away from Frankfurt, Germany, and returned to Colombia. They became bait for the authorities to lure Escobar out of hiding, as his family was his Achilles' heel.
Sixteen years after Escobar's reign, Medellín still bears the scars of its violent past. Escobar's criminal career began with stealing tombstones, escalating to car theft, and eventually drug trafficking. He was ruthless, even assassinating rivals to consolidate power. Jhon Jairo Velásquez, known as Popeye, one of Escobar's loyal lieutenants, recounts the extreme violence and the fear Escobar instilled.
By the mid-1970s, Escobar led the Medellín Cartel, revolutionizing cocaine transportation via road, air, and even a submarine. His empire grew, making him the undisputed king of the world's cocaine trade, with an estimated net worth of $5 billion. He imposed a 'war tax' on other traffickers and ruthlessly eliminated those who didn't pay.
Escobar's actions, including buying real estate in Miami, led to US demands for his extradition. He formed 'Los Extraditables' with the motto 'A better coffin in Colombia than a prison cell in the United States,' initiating a brutal war against the Colombian government, targeting judges, journalists, politicians, and police, causing an estimated 10,000 deaths.
In June 1991, Escobar surrendered to authorities, but under his own terms, serving time in 'The Catedral,' a luxury prison he built and designed. It was a five-star facility where he continued to run his empire, with all the comforts and even a telescope to monitor the police. Rumors of his lavish parties and brutal acts, including the murder of women, eventually led to scandal.
Sensing a trap set by the government to move him to a real prison, Escobar, Popeye, and other henchmen escaped 'The Catedral' in July 1992. In response, the Colombian government formed the Bloque de Búsqueda (Search Bloc), an elite 1,000-strong unit, hand-picked for their personal vendettas against Escobar, to track him down.
The search for Escobar intensified with advanced technology, including AWACS surveillance aircraft and twin-engine planes to track vocal frequencies. Despite intercepting his calls, Escobar, often moving in a car or relying on the loyalty of the poor who saw him as a Robin Hood, managed to evade capture countless times, indicating a mole in the operation.
The Search Bloc changed tactics, focusing on eliminating Escobar's key lieutenants, weakening his network. Concurrently, a new enemy emerged: Los Pepes (People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar), a group of former cartel members seeking revenge, who targeted anyone close to Escobar, including his family, through bombings and assassinations.
After Escobar's death, 10,000 people attended his funeral, reflecting his complex public image. The fate of his estimated $5 billion fortune remains a mystery. His widow, Maria Victoria (now Maria Isabel), and son Juan Pablo (now Sebastian Marroquin) resettled in Argentina, changed identities, and faced accusations of money laundering. His son claims Escobar spent most of his fortune financing his war against the government.