pablo escobar biography series

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Narcos on Netflix: Who is Pablo Escobar? Meet the real people behind the drama

New drama is based on unbelievable true story of colombian drug lord, article bookmarked.

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Elite Squad director José Padilha’s new series for Netflix is being talked up as one of hottest – and most original – TV offerings to grace the small screen for some time.

You can expect eye-watering violence and drug smuggling on a scale that makes Breaking Bad’s Gus Fring look like a two-bit criminal.

Narcos might sound stranger than fiction in principal – and believe me the stories behind it are hair-raising – but the drama is firmly rooted in truth.

Based on real-life Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, it is told in English and Spanish from Escobar’s perspective and that of American DEA agent, Steve Murphy and his partner Javier Peña, the Mexican agent who brought Escobar down.

Padilha, who has directed documentaries as well as film and television dramas, created Narcos from extensive research. He waded through news articles and archival footage as well as interviewing police officers, lawyers, civilians and others who experienced the events first-hand.

Who is Pablo Escobar?

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (born 1 December 1949; died 2 December 1993) was reputedly the wealthiest criminal in history having amassed an estimated $3bn by the early Nineties.

Known as the “king of cocaine” because he exclusively trafficked the drug into America (and his export reach is believed to have extended as far as Asia), the Colombian drug lord gained notoriety as the head of the Medellin cartel.

Born into a poor but middle class family, the third of seven children, Escobar reputedly started his career by stealing gravestones and sanding them down for resale to smugglers.

He made forays into kidnapping, petty street scams and stealing cars before entering the drug trade working for Alvaro Prieto.

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According to his brother, Roberto Escobar, who wrote an account of Pablo’s life called The Accountant’s Story , at the height of Medellin drug cartel’s power it was bringing in $60m per day.

Hilariously Roberto claims the cartel spent $1,000 a week on rubber bands to hold the stacks of cash being brought in; and that 10 per cent of the dollar bills had to written off to “spoilage” every year because they were nibbled by rats.

As can be seen in the trailer for Narcos, Escobar reputedly had an effective policy in dealing with law enforcement and government, known as “plata o plomo”, meaning accept the “silver” money, or take a “plomo” lead bullet to the face.

He is believed to have murdered hundreds of individual, mostly policemen and state officials, and is also alleged to have been responsible for the death in 1989 of Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan – whom the DEA agents investigating Escobar believe was killed because Galan intended to bring back extradition to the US, which would have left the cartel boss vulnerable.

But his life wasn’t entirely characterised by money and violence and Escobar developed something of a Robin Hood image among Medellin folk.

He used his position and wealth to take over a local newspaper, built houses for the poor and football pitches and a zoo for the public. He went on to become influential in politics and even successfully ran for public office.

He died following a firefight with Colombian National Police who found him hiding in a middle-class area of Medellin. Escobar and his bodyguard, Alvaro de Jesús Agudelo, attempted to escape by running across the roofs of adjoining houses but both were shot and killed.

He received gunshots to his leg, back and a fatal one to his ear – but it has never been proven who fired that final shot and Escobar’s family has since claimed he committed suicide. “During all the years they went after him, he would say to me every day that if he was really cornered without a way out, he would shoot himself through the ears," his brother claimed.

“Escobar marks the beginning of the inflow of cocaine with volume into America and Europe,” Padilha says. “He shaped history. … So, where else to begin?”

Brazilian actor Wagner Moura isn’t an immediately obvious choice to play Escobar. He had to learn Spanish and gain a considerable amount of weight for the role. He also spent a long time in hair and makeup every day having the trademark moustache applied.

“I love the fact that he’s a very contradictory character: He loved his family. He was loved – he’s still loved by a lot of people in Medellin. And he’s still one of the most terrible killers in modern history,” Moura says.

Pedro Pascal as Javier Peña and Boyd Holbrook as Steve Murphy in the Netflix Original Series "Narcos."

Who is Steve Murphy?

Special Agent Murphy began his law enforcement career in 1975 as a police officer in Bluefield, West Virginia. He joined the DEA in 1987 and was assigned to the Miami Field Division.

In 1991 Murphy was promoted and assigned to the DEA Office in Bogota, Colombia. While there he was assigned as one of two primary case agents targeting Escobar.

“We’ve never had the opportunity to fully tell our side of the story,” says Murphy, now retired from the DEA, who worked closely with producers on Narcos.

“Pablo was the first recognized narco-terrorist in the world – in fact, Javier and I coined that phrase. This guy was responsible for thousands of murders, simply because of his ego. We (also) wanted to portray the commitment of the Colombian National Police to go after this guy.”

“Escobar was very invincible. In other words, nobody thought, you know, they could ever take him down. So people were afraid to talk. They were afraid to go up against his cause they know they would end up dead,” Murphy said previously.

Boyd Holbrook, the Gone Girl actor who plays Murphy in Narcos , observes: “Steve is a great man in general, but I think what is really honourable about him is that he went down to the lion’s den himself."

“(Steve) begins as a slightly naïve, uniquely American character who thinks, ‘This is easy … I’m gonna go down to Colombia like John Wayne,’ Newman says. “And what he starts to realize is that it is much more complicated than that. There are good-bad guys and bad-bad guys … and the gray-area guys. And, frankly, at the end of the day, we’re all gray-area guys.”

Who is Javier Peña?

Special Agent Peña began his career in 1977 with the Webb County Sheriff’s Office, joining the DEA in 1984. In 1988 he volunteered for assignment in the DEA office in Bogota, Colombia, and became the co-case agent in the investigation of the cartel leader Escobar.

“To me, it’s an important lesson in history,” says Peña who also worked closely with producers on Narcos. “And this story has everything, that’s what I (tried) to tell the writers: lying, bribery, sex, love...This is a chronology. This is what happened. And I think they’ve done a good job.”

“Escobar had a lot of money. He was also a very charismatic person. He was considered the Robin Hood of Colombia. He built a lot of homes for the poor, gave the poor a lot of money. The church, I even hate to admit it, the Catholic Church had a PR ampaign saying he was just misguided, that he was a good person,” Peña revealed in a drug enforcement lecture series some years back.

Peña is played by Game of Thrones actor Pedro “Oberyn” Pascal (last seen with his head being crushed by Gregor Clegane) . “It’s uncanny the way he resembles me,” says Peña.

“I tried to tell Pedro [Padilha] my role as far as exchanging intelligence, helping out the cops. I think he really understood where I was coming from. We really hit it off.”

Narcos season 1 hits Netflix on 28 August

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Pablo Escobar

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar helped create and run the notorious Medellín cartel and was responsible for killing thousands of people.

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Who Was Pablo Escobar?

Quick facts, establishing the medellín cartel, rapid rise in power, escobar’s short-lived stint in politics, a large body count, escobar’s luxury prison, wife and children, pop culture portrayals.

Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug trafficker who collaborated with other criminals to form the Medellín cartel in the early 1970s. Eventually, he controlled over 80 percent of the cocaine shipped to the United States, earning the nickname “The King of Cocaine.” He amassed an estimated net worth of $30 billion and was named one of the 10 richest people on Earth by Forbes . He earned popularity by sponsoring charity projects and soccer clubs, but later, terror campaigns that resulted in the murder of thousands turned public opinion against him. After surrendering to the Colombian authorities in 1991, Escobar escaped detainment in 1992 and was a fugitive until his dramatic death in December 1993.

FULL NAME: Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria BORN: December 1, 1949 DIED: December 2, 1993 BIRTHPLACE: Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia SPOUSE: Maria Victoria Henao (1976-1993) CHILDREN: Juan Pablo and Manuela ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949, in the Colombian city of Rionegro, Antioquia. His family later moved to the suburb of Envigado. He was the third of seven children born in poverty to a schoolteacher mother and a peasant farmer father. From an early age, Escobar packed a unique ambition to raise himself up from his humble beginnings and dreamed of becoming the president of Colombia one day.

Escobar reportedly began his life of crime early, stealing tombstones and selling phony diplomas. It wasn’t long before he started stealing cars, then moving into the smuggling business. Escobar’s early prominence came during the “Marlboro Wars,” in which he played a high-profile role in the control of Colombia’s smuggled cigarette market. This episode proved to be a valuable training ground for the future narcotics kingpin.

It wasn’t by chance that Colombia came to dominate the cocaine trade. Beginning in the early 1970s, the country became a prime smuggling ground for marijuana. But as the cocaine market flourished, Colombia’s geographical location proved to be its biggest asset. Situated at the northern tip of South America between the thriving coca cultivation epicenters of Peru and Bolivia, the country came to dominate the global cocaine trade with the United States, the biggest market for the drug and just a short trip to the north.

Escobar, who had already been involved in organized crime for a decade at this point, moved quickly to grab control of the cocaine trade. In 1975, the drug trafficker Fabio Restrepo from the city of Medellín, Colombia, was murdered. It was widely believed his death came at the orders of Escobar, who immediately seized power and expanded Restrepo’s operation into something the world had never seen. Under Escobar’s leadership, large amounts of coca paste were purchased in Bolivia and Peru then processed and transported to America. Escobar worked with a small group to form the infamous Medellín cartel.

Also around this time, Escobar started a family with his marriage to Maria Victoria Henao, who was 11 years his junior and still a teenager at the time of their 1976 wedding. They went on to have two children.

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw

Escobar’s rapid rise brought him to the attention of the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS), who arrested him in May 1976 upon his return from a drug trafficking trip in Ecuador. Authorities found 39 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the spare tire of his truck. Escobar escaped the charges by bribing a judge, and the two DAS agents responsible for his arrest were killed the next year, according to Mark Bowden book Killing Pablo . Around this time, Escobar developed his signature pattern of dealing with authorities called plata o plomo , Spanish for “silver or lead,” in which they could accept bribes or be assassinated, according to Bowden.

In 1978, Escobar spent millions to purchase 20 square kilometers of land in Antioquia, Colombia, where he built his luxury estate Hacienda Nápoles . It contained a sculpture garden, lake, private bullring, and other amenities for his family and members of the cartel. It also featured a collection of luxury cars and bikes, as well as a zoo with antelope, elephants, giraffes, hippos, ponies, ostriches, and exotic birds. After Escobar’s death, it was turned into a theme park. (Today, the hippo population—which traces back to Escobar’s original transplants—has swelled in the country , causing environmental destruction and providing tourism opportunities.)

As the demand for cocaine grew in the United States, Escobar established additional smuggling shipments and distribution networks in various locations. That included establishing a shipment base on a private island in the Bahamas with the help of cartel cofounder Carlos Lehder. By the mid-1980s, Escobar had an estimated net worth of $30 billion and was named one of the 10 richest people on Earth by Forbes . Cash was so prevalent that Escobar purchased a Learjet for the sole purpose of flying his money. At the time, Escobar controlled more than 80 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States; more than 15 tons were reportedly smuggled each day, netting the Medellín cartel as much as $420 million a week.

As Escobar’s fortune and fame grew, he dreamed to be seen as a leader. In some ways, he positioned himself as a Robin Hood–like figure, a description was echoed by many locals, by spending money to expand social programs for the poor. He spent millions to develop Medellín’s poor neighborhoods, where its residents felt he helped them far more than the government ever had. He built roads, electric lines, soccer fields, roller-skating rinks, and more, and paid the workers in his cocaine labs enough money that they could afford houses and cars, according to Bowden.

Still harboring his youthful ambition to become the nation’s president, Escobar entered politics and supported the formation of the Liberal Party of Colombia. In 1982, he was elected as an alternate member of Colombia’s Congress, but Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla investigated him and highlighted the illegal means by which he had obtained his wealth, forcing Escobar to resign two years after his election. A few months later, Lara-Bonilla was murdered, according to the book Kings of Cocaine , by Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen.

Escobar was responsible for the killing of thousands of people, including politicians, civil servants, journalists, and ordinary citizens. When he realized that he had no shot of becoming Colombia’s president, and with the United States pushing for his capture and extradition, Escobar unleashed his fury on his enemies in the hopes of influencing Colombian politics. His goal was a no-extradition clause and amnesty for drug barons in exchange for giving up the trade.

Escobar’s terror campaign claimed the lives of three Colombian presidential candidates, an attorney general, scores of judges, and more than 1,000 police officers. In addition, Escobar was implicated as the mastermind behind the bombing of a Colombian jetliner. In November 1989, Escobar arranged for a bomb to be planted on Avianca Flight 203, a domestic passenger flight, as part of an assassination attempt against one of his political enemies, presidential candidate César Gaviria Trujillo. He missed the flight and avoided injury, but the bomb detonated and killed all 107 people on board.

Nine days after the airplane bombing, more than 50 people were killed and more than 2,200 were injured when a truck bomb detonated outside a DAS building in Bogotá, Colombia. The Medellín cartel was also believed to be responsible for this attack. Escobar’s terror eventually turned public opinion against him.

By the 1990s, Escobar was facing increasing pressure from the administration of President César Gaviria, particularly after Escobar’s alleged assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in 1989. In June 1991, Escobar negotiated a surrendered to Gaviria’s government in exchange for a reduced sentence and preferential treatment during his captivity. A law at the time prevented his extradition to the United States.

Escobar built his own luxury prison called La Catedral , which was guarded by men he handpicked from among his employees. Often called “Hotel Escobar,” the prison came with a casino, spa, nightclub, football field, jacuzzi, waterfall, and giant doll house.

In June 1992, however, Escobar escaped when authorities attempted to move him to a more standard holding facility. A manhunt for the drug lord, with help from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, was launched that would last 16 months. During that time, the monopoly of the Medellín cartel, which had begun to crumble during Escobar’s imprisonment as police raided offices and killed its leaders, rapidly deteriorated.

Escobar’s family unsuccessfully sought asylum in Germany and eventually found refuge in a Bogotá hotel. Escobar was not so lucky: Colombian law enforcement finally caught up to the fugitive Escobar on December 2, 1993, in a middle-class neighborhood in Medellín. A firefight ensued, and as Escobar tried to escape across a series of rooftops, he and his bodyguard were shot and killed. Escobar had just turned 44 years old the previous day.

Escobar’s death accelerated the demise of the Medellín cartel and Colombia’s central role in the cocaine trade. His end was celebrated by the country’s government and other parts of the world, and his family was placed under police protection. Still, many Colombians mourned his killing. More than 25,000 people attended Escobar’s burial. “He built houses and cared about the poor,” one funeral-goer said at his funeral, according to The New York Times . “In the future, people will go to his tomb to pray, the way they would to a saint.”

In 1976, when he was 26, Escobar married 15-year-old Maria Victoria Henao. She was so young that before marrying her, Escobar had to get a special dispensation from the bishop, which was obtainable for a fee, according to Bowden. They were married until Escobar’s death. The couple had two children together: a son, Juan Pablo, and a daughter, Manuela.

Pablo Escobar: My Father

Today Escobar’s son is a motivational speaker who goes by the name Sebastian Marroquin. Marroquin studied architecture and published a book in 2015, Pablo Escobar: My Father , which tells the story of growing up with the world’s most notorious drug kingpin. He also asserts that his father was not shot and killed, but rather committed suicide.

“My father’s not a person to be imitated,” Marroquin said in an interview. “He showed us the path we must never take as a society because it’s the path to self-destruction, the loss of values, and a place where life ceases to have importance.”

Escobar has been the subject of several books, films, and television programs. Among them was the popular 2012 Colombian television mini-series Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal , which was produced by Camilo Cano and Juana Uribe, both of whom had family members who were murdered by Escobar or his assistants.

Escobar was also portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem in the film Loving Pablo (2017), which also starred Penelope Cruz as his girlfriend Virginia Vallejo.

The 2015 Netflix television series Narcos was based upon the Escobar’s life, told largely from the perspective of Steve Murphy and Javier Peña , two American drug enforcement agents who worked on the Escobar case for years. In 2016, Escobar’s brother Roberto announced he was prepared to sue Netflix for $1 billion for its portrayal of his family in Narcos . He later abandoned those efforts.

• What is worth most in life are friends, of that I am sure. Unfortunately, along life’s paths one also meets people who are disloyal.
• In Colombia, people enter [drug trafficking] as a form of protest. Others enter it because of ambition.
• I want to be big.
• Better a tomb in Colombia than a prison cell in the United States.
• There have been many accusations, but I’ve never been convicted of a crime in Colombia.
• [Terrorism is] the atomic bomb for poor people. It is the only way for the poor to strike back.

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy . He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.

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‘narcos’: tv review.

Netlfix's series does more than trace the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar — it portrays various people entangled in his larger-than-life story, on both sides of the law and around the globe.

By Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman

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Narcos Trailer Still - H 2015

The world doesn’t seem to lack for Pablo Escobar biopics , so it should come as no surprise that Netflix also gets in on the action with 10-part series  Narcos , which separates itself from the pack with an impressive breadth and depth.

In many ways, this series could end up being the critically acclaimed international breakthrough for the streaming site that Marco Polo wasn’t (though it got a second season), partly because the writing, acting and directing are superior and it has a grittier and more grounded feel to it.

The Bottom Line Cuts through the clutter of so many biopics with a wider focus and deeper dive.

Those factors are essential, since there have been so many movies about the Colombian drug kingpin already and the series is coming into a very crowded drama landscape. What Narcos has going for it is that Escobar’s story is, on so many levels, so stunning and strange that the drama doesn’t have to be truncated or rushed, and the narrative can cover far more than just his rise and fall. In fact, Narcos is rumored to be well on its way to second-season renewal.

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The series looks to have helped itself with an interesting and informative session at the recently wrapped Television Critics Association summer press tour. That’s where the series’ director, Jose Padilha , brought a rare enthusiasm and openness about the creative choices for the series, from its obviously  Goodfellas -inspired   narrative structure to its ability (because Netflix is available worldwide) to cast top-notch actors from around the globe — Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Peru — to embracing the concept of “magical realism” that Colombia is well known for.

Both Padilha and star Wagner Moura (who plays Escobar) are from Brazil, while co-stars  Pedro Pascal ( Game of Thrones ) and  Boyd Holbrook ( Gone Girl ) are from Chile and the U.S., respectively.

It helps to know that Padilha’s Goodfellas -esque voiceover narration choice is an intentional nod, since the conceit is so prevalent in the Narcos episodes I’ve seen. “I, myself, loved Goodfellas , and there’s no reason for me to shy away from it,” Padilha said at TCA , adding that Brazilian movies have a history of using the device. Beyond that, Padilha said the voiceovers would help tell what amounts to a complex story featuring lots of interconnected characters as Narcos widens out the Escobar history to include many people around him.

Early on in the series it might seem like writers Chris Brancato and Samir Mehta perhaps embraced history a little too tightly, as the first hour opts for the global perspective in a very granular way — for example, focusing on how the United States embraced Chilean dictator  Augusto Pinochet as a way to fight off communism and how Pinochet cracked down on Chile’s massive cocaine trade (but effectively moved it to Colombia).

With 10 hours to play with,  Narcos  indulges in a loping, book-like narrative cadence. That said, the series begins to find its pacing not long after, and we see the strength of Moura’s acting, which to his credit never races, in the early going, toward over-the-top menace or the drug-lord cliches we’re all used to at this point.

Credit also the fact that Padilha brings a documentary feel to Narcos , often switching to archival images of the real Escobar or buildings and monuments in Colombia that played a part in the tale, then flashing back to Moura . 

Given the Escobar overload in pop culture, Narcos smartly concerns itself with telling the story from a number of perspectives, but with an overriding care to never depict Americans as the heroes – as the film makes clear, most of the deaths resulting from Escobar’s reign were Colombian, as were many of the key people tracking him.  Narcos also realizes that including the perspectives of real-life DEA agents Javier Pena (Pascal) and Steve Murphy (Holbrook) gives the material more relevance for viewers. (The actors met with both Pena and Murphy for their roles; Pena has described Escobar as the “founder of narcoterrorism” ).

It’s a big slice, but as Narcos  finds its rhythm — and viewers get acclimated to a more global story and that heavy use of voiceover — it credibly grows as a series and (yet another) good viewing option.

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The Best Documentaries About Pablo Escobar

Sep 12, 2023 | Best Of , Celebrities , Crime

Learn about the life and legacy of one of the world’s most notorious drug lords. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, known as the King of Cocaine, was a Colombian drug lord who founded and led the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s and 90s. His wealth, criminal activities and political ambitions had an influence on the history of Colombia that is still felt today. To learn more about this enigmatic figure, check out these 10 best documentaries about Pablo Escobar to get an in-depth look into his life and the impact he made on the world. From longform interviews with family members and trusted associates to stories from those who experienced firsthand the violence of the drug wars, these documentaries provide an honest and unflinching look into Escobar’s life.

The Private Archives Of Pablo Escobar (2017)

Killing Pablo  (2001)

Finding Escobar’s Millions (2017)

The Hunt for Escobar’s Hippos (2020)

The Rise and Fall of Pablo Escobar (2018)

Pablo Escobar: The Terror Of Colombia (2002)

1. Pablo Escobar – The Colombian Cartel King

Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord and one of the most notorious figures in history. He gained huge influence in the illegal cocaine industry during the 1980s and 90s, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest criminals. This documentary dives into his life to explore how he rose to power, as well as his eventual downfall. Through interviews with family members, associates, law enforcement, and journalists who reported on Escobar’s story, the film gives a unique insight into “The King of Cocaine”.

2. THE LIFE OF PABLO

Backed by his fearsome army of loyal followers, Pablo Escobar made his way into the darkness of Colombia’s underworld and left an indelible mark on its people. His reign of terror saw Colombian citizens subject to unimaginable violence and corruption. But one DEA agent was determined to bring down the notorious drug kingpin and put an end to his ruthless enterprise.

3. Craziest Things Pablo Escobar Has Done

Welcome to Top Discovery! Here, you’ll find some of the world’s most fascinating stories and discoveries. Our content is packed with engaging videos designed to awe and entertain our viewers. From strange phenomena to ground-breaking scientific advancements, we cover it all. So why not join us on this exciting journey and experience the wonders of the world?

4. ABLO ESCOBAR  BECAME THE RICHEST CRIMINAL

Pablo Escobar was one of the most iconic figures that ever lived. He rose from humble beginnings in the slums of Medellin to becoming one of the top ten richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine. His power and influence had spread far and wide, so much so that he was hunted by both Colombia’s elite forces and American special services.

5. The Real Story Of The Infiltrator

Explore the fascinating and sometimes dangerous life of Pablo Escobar with Our History. We take you on a journey through his rise to power as one of the world’s most notorious drug lords and subsequent fall from grace, culminating in his death at the hands of Colombian police in 1993. From interviews with those who knew him best to detailed accounts of key events leading up to his demise.

6. A Personal Insight Into The Drug Lord Pablo Escobar

This gripping documentary explores the life and legacy of the world’s most infamous drug lord, Pablo Escobar. For the first time in 25 years, his family members, including his widow ‘Tata’ and son Sebastian Marroquin, are able to tell their stories safely without fear of reprisal. This two-hour special is overflowing with never-before-seen footage from their personal archives, as well as first-hand accounts of what it was like to be a part of the epic Escobar empire. The documentary also visits Pablo’s former haunts and hometowns in Colombia to examine his influence on Colombian culture, politics and social structure.

7. The Legendary Drug Lord Pablo Escobar

Sebastian and Tata, along with a variety of insiders from the criminal underworld, present an exclusive look into the world of Pablo Escobar. Through never-before-seen archive footage and personal recollections, this special dives deep into Escobar’s life and legacy. From his humble beginnings in rural Colombia to becoming one of the most powerful drug lords in the world, this documentary offers an inspiring look into every aspect of Escobar’s life. Interviews with family members and associates detail his rise to power and provide insight into how he changed Colombia forever. Sebastian and Tata illustrate Pablo’s journey with vivid details, painting a larger-than-life portrait of ambition and success.

8. Pablo Escobar’s Final 24 Hours

Pablo Escobar’s life was a chaotic and tumultuous one, rife with evasions from capture and a reign of terror on Colombia’s notorious Medellin Cartel. However, all good things must come to an end—and for Pablo, that fateful day came on December 2nd, 1993. He had been living in a decrepit safehouse located on the outskirts of Medellin, and on that day he had made a desperate last-ditch effort to escape capture by fleeing into a nearby slum. Unfortunately for Pablo, he was tracked down by police and military forces who engaged him in a shootout.

9. The king of Coke National Geographic

Pablo Escobar’s life was something out of a movie. A small-time criminal who rose to the heights of power and wealth, he became one of the most notorious drug lords in history. His cocaine empire made him one of the richest men on the planet, and his ruthlessness enabled him to maintain control over Colombia’s lucrative narcotics trade. But how did it all begin?

10. Pablo Escobar- The Drug Lord

Shot in HD definition with a cinematographic lens, the series is the most ambitious production ever produced in Colombia. It tells Pablo Escobar’s incredible life story, from his beginnings as a son of a school teacher in a small town near Medellín to becoming one of the wealthiest and feared men in the world. Relying on complete journalistic facts and real life testimonies, the series dives into Escobar’s world, from how he started by stealing tombstones and engaging in contraband to how he monopolized the drug trade. His ambition didn’t stop there, as he even offered to pay Colombia’s foreign debt. The power became too overwhelming for him and so he infiltrated authorities and declared war on the State.

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A documentary about the most notorious drug baron in the world - Pablo Escobar, head of the Colombian Medellin Cartel - from the perspective of his son Juan Pablo Escobar. A documentary about the most notorious drug baron in the world - Pablo Escobar, head of the Colombian Medellin Cartel - from the perspective of his son Juan Pablo Escobar. A documentary about the most notorious drug baron in the world - Pablo Escobar, head of the Colombian Medellin Cartel - from the perspective of his son Juan Pablo Escobar.

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Pablo Escobar

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Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (December 1, 1949 – December 2, 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who led the Medellín cartel , and amassed a fortune of $30 billion at the time of his death (equivalent to $56 billion in 2019).

Pablo began his criminal career during his teenage years, and became a well-known smuggler by the 1970s. He began smuggling cocaine into the United States in 1973, and founded The Medellín cartel in 1976 by entering into an alliance with other Medellín-based smugglers. Using his drug wealth, he began engaging in social charity to cement his political career. He was elected as an alternate representative in the Chamber of Representatives, but his political career came to an abrupt end when he was outed as a drug trafficker.

After his resignation, Escobar ordered several kidnappings, assassinations and bombings across Colombia; starting a war with the Colombian government. He ordered the Avianca Flight 203 bombing , resulting in the death of 106 civilians, and also ordered the Palce of Justice siege . Concurrently, he also fought a war with the Cali cartel , Colombia's second largest drug cartel. On June 19 1991, Escobar surrendered to the Colombian authorities, and struck a no-extradition deal with President César Gaviria , and was subsequently imprisoned in his self-built prison, La Catedral .

After Escobar murdered two of lieutenants inside his prison, President Gaviria attempted to move him into a standard prison. Escobar refused, and held Eduardo Sandoval hostage in the prison, prompting the Colombian special forces to lay siege upon the prison, resulting in Escobar's escape on July 22 1992. Following his escape, a nation-wide manhunt was organized by the government. The Medellín cartel was also targeted by the Los Pepes , a paramilitary vigilante organization financed by the Cali cartel. The Medellín cartel crumbled by the middle of 1993; and Escobar was killed in action while attempting to escape from the Colombian police.

Escobar was one of the wealthiest drug traffickers, and left a controversial legacy in Colombia. While he is vilified for his terrorism campaign against the government, he was considered as a "Paisa Robin Hood" by many of Colombia's poor.

• 1.1 Early life
• 1.2.1 Rise to prominence
• 1.2.2 Starting the cocaine empire
• 1.2.3 Political career
• 1.2.4 Palace of Justice siege
• 1.2.5 War against extradition

Biography [ ]

Early life [ ].

Pablo Escobar was born on December 1, 1949 to farmer Abel de Jesús Escobar Echeverri and school teacher Hermilda Gaviria in the town of Rionegro. His parents separated a few years after his birth, and he moved to Medellín with his mother and cousin Gustavo Gaviria . Pablo took part in small-time criminal activities during his childhood to support his family.

Criminal career [ ]

Rise to prominence [ ].

Pablo and Gustavo continued their criminal activities throughout their adolescence, and established a smuggling operation in which they smuggled consumer electronics, cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana across Colombia . By 1973, his organization became one of Colombia's three most powerful smuggling operations.

Starting the cocaine empire [ ]

In October 1973, Gustavo introduced him to Mateo 'Cockroach' Moreno , a Chilean drug chemist who fled the Pinochet regime . Moreno wanted to produce and sell Cocaine in Colombia, however, Pablo called him out for his lack of ambition, and proposed to sell the cocaine in Miami .

Pablo and Gustavo standing outside The Kitchen .

Pablo and Gustavo established their cocaine smuggling operation, in which taxis owned by Escobar would ship cocaine paste from Peru into a processing lab in Medellín called The Kitchen , and the finished product would be smuggled to the United States by Gustavo's friend The Lion using commercial airliners, where marijuana smuggler Carlos Lehder would sell it and The Lion would bring the profits back to Colombia. This operation proved to immensely successfull, and soon, Pablo replaced his taxis with trucks, had Lion use pilots and pregnant women as drug mules. After a few trips, Pablo closed The Kitchen and established a bigger cocaine lab in the jungle. At the dawn of the new decade, pretty much every legitimate Colombian export had cocaine stashed inside. Efficieny further improved when Lehder quit the marijuana business and began filling up his fleet of planes completely with cocaine.

Escobar introducing other smugglers to the cocaine business.

Pablo's success attracted the attention of other smugglers, including infamous emerald smuggler José Rodríguez Gacha and the Ochoa brothers: Jorge Luis and Fabio . Pablo called all smugglers together and invited them into the cocaine business to lower production, refining and smuggling costs. As per their agreement, Pablo would smuggle cocaine produced by the other smugglers to the United States, in exchange for 30% of the sales value.

However Cockroach was displeased at Pablo inviting more smugglers into his organization, and was indignant that he had to spend months living in a cocaine lab in the jungle while Escobar and Gaviria bought mansions for themselves.

Sometime in 1979, Gustavo informed that DAS (Administrative Department of Security) Colonel Jose Luis Herrera seized 390 kilos of cocaine paste worth over $4 million. When Pablo stormed into Herrera's office, he was arrested, and Pablo's infamous mugshot was subsequently taken. Afterwards, he was freed and Herrera demanded a renogotiation. Escobar deduced that someone in his own organization leaked the street value to the police, and offers Herrera $1 million in exchange for the source of the leak. Herrera accepts and reveals that it was Cockroach. Pablo discovered that Cockroach also stole cocaine from him and sold it separately in Miami with German Zapata. Pablo sent La Quica to kill Zapata, unaware that Zapata was walking into a DEA sting operation. Quica was captured by DEA Agent Steve Murphy after he killed Zapata and DEA Agent Kevin Brady . Pablo paid Quica's bail money, helping him escape unpunished. Pablo then personally executed Cockroach, along with Herrera and several other DAS officers; cementing his strength over the country's law enforcement.

With the flow of cocaine into Miami, the city hosted a drug war that lasted from 1979 to 1986 that claimed more than 2000 lives. American businessmen feared that the cocaine would destroy the city's formal economy, and urged US President Ronald Reagan to start a war on drugs. This led the DEA to send Murphy to investigate the drug trade.

Escobar hired journalist Valeria Velez to cultivate an image of the 'Paisa Robin Hood'.

Escobar began pulling in $5 million a week, and after Gustavo informed him that their 3-car taxi company can't act as a front any longer, Escobar ordered Gustavo to bury the excess cash which couldn't be laundered across Colombia. However, the cartel leader's excessive show of opulence got them featured in the Forbes magazine. M-19 , a communist guerilla group kidnapped Marta Ochoa on March 13, 1981; the same day The Lion completed 100 trips to Miami. Pablo and Gustavo refused to pay the ransom money; and called for a meeting at the Las Margeritas hotel in Medellín, where they officially proclaimed the formation of the Medellín cartel . Escobar took advantage of the kidnapping, and united all of the narcotraffickers to form the Muerte a Secuestradores , an organization led by Escobar which aimed to end the kidnapping. Using his army of sicarios , Pablo clamped down on M-19, forcing them to release Marta. Despite this, Pablo continued on with the bloodshed until Iván Torres , the leader of the M-19, presented Escobar with the sword of Simón Bolívar, a historical relic which they had stolen earlier.

At some point in the early 1980s, Escobar met with Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela of the Cali cartel , a rival drug enterprise whereupon they came up in an agreement in which the Cali cartel would sell cocaine in New York City, while Miami would be held by the Medellin cartel.

A few years later, the Cali cartel grew up to be second-largest drug cartel in Colombia. After Mexican drug trafficker Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo finalized an agreement in which he would smuggle cocaine through Mexico for the Cali cartel, Escobar had Blackie kidnap him and his associate Isabella Bautista . At the Hacienda Napoles, he introduced Félix to his hippos, heard his backstory and had him smuggle an equal amount of cocaine for the Medellin cartel too.

Political career [ ]

Pablo, after being revealed as a narcotrafficker by Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara.

With a large inflow of cash, Pablo decided to fulfill his lifelong ambition of becoming a politician. He also wanted to use his power to provide protection to his allies. In the Colombian general election in the early 1980s, he ran as alternative for former Congressman Jairo Ortega as a part of the New Liberalism party. Pablo hired lawyer Fernando Duque to donate massive amounts of money to the New Liberalism party to get them to overlook his drug career.

Escobar campaigned for Ortega across the poor districts of his electorates, and built schools, houses and hospitals for the poor. His men distributed money to the poor as bribes. This resulted in a landslide victory for Ortega, who immediately resigned from his post and appointed Escobar as his successor.

However, at his first parliamentary session, Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla ousted Escobar as a drug trafficker by displaying Escobar's 1979 mugshot to the entire room and claimed that the fortune he made from his taxi company was a lie. Escobar aggressively stared down Lara, and walked out of the hall. Lara did not stop there, and actively went after the cartel. He fined Escobar for the illegal importation of elephants, denied flying permits to 57 planes of the Ochoa brothers' air fleet, and revealed that six of the country's eight soccer teams were owned by narcotraffickers, prompting Gacha to give up ownership of Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). Escobar attempted to slander Lara, but his attempts were in vain, and he finally resigned from his post.

Escobar retaliated by ordering his men to assassinate Rodrigo Lara On April 30 1984.

Palace of Justice siege [ ]

The M-19 agreed to help Escobar.

Escobar was indicted for the murder of Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, and the Colombian government agreed to an extradition treaty with the United States for anyone related to narcotic trafficking charges. Escobar feared extradition the most, and formed Los Extraditables with his partners to fight extradition.

Escobar began buying off or scaring politicians to repeal the extradition treaty during the next elections, but was unable to do neither to Luis Carlos Galán . Pablo sent out hostile letters to politicians and judges, but his efforts were in vain; and ultimately resorted to violence by assassinating lawyers and judges; beginning his history of terrorism against government.

Pablo is informed by La Quica that the police are on their way to Hacienda Napoles , his ranch. Pablo orders an immediate evacuation. Gustavo blamed Pablo's political ambitions for ruining their organization, but they reconcile. DEA Agent Murphy found the address of Fernando Del Valle , one of Pablo's top accountants and the one who knew where most of Pablo's buried cash was, and the CNP quickly arrested him. Fernando testified against Escobar in custody, and tons of evidence related to Escobar recovered from Fernando's safehouse were stored at the Palace of Justice. This threatened Pablo's empire, which at that point made $60 million a day.

The DEA captured Barry Seal , an ex-CIA pilot who worked as a pilot for the cartel. Seal provided photographs which showed Pablo loading a plane full of cocaine along with Nicaraguan officials, who were a part of the left-wing Sandinista movement. When the narco-communist connection reached Washington D.C., the US government roped in the US Armed Forces and the CIA with the DEA's fight against the cartel. Escobar responded by sending hitmen to assassinate Seal, who was killed in Baton Rouge on February 19 1986.

The DEA tracked a shipment of ether to Tranquilandia, one of Escobar's biggest labs, and soon raided the complex and captured Lehder, who was immediately extradited to the United States. Fearing the same would happen to them, in November 1985 Escobar and his allies paid $2 million dollars to Ivan Torres to attack the Palace of Justice and destroy evidence related to the cartel. The M-19 were successful, and destroyed over 6000 pages of evidence against Escobar. Escobar expressed his gratitude by killing all of the surviving M-19 members, including Torres.

Pablo, Gustavo, Gacha, the Ochoa brothers and their families then fled to Panama in 1989, which was then under the control of General Manuel Noriega , an important CIA ally. Pablo offered to pay the national debt of Colombia in exchange for repealing the extradition treaty, though his offer was turned away. Pablo planned to move to Europe, but his wife convinced him to return back to their home country. On August 18 1989, under Pablo's orders, Galán was assassinated at one of his rallies. The assassination triggered a rift between Pablo and Fabio Ochoa, who felt that Escobar was taking erratic decisions without consulting others members of the cartel. At Galán's funeral, his son named his campaign manager César Gaviria as his successor. Escobar sent Duque and Velez to force Gaviria into repelling the extradition treaty once he came into power, else promised all-out war. Pablo began doubting the loyalty of the Ochoa brothers.

Pablo began recruiting children in hope for a possible war against the government.

While waiting for Gaviria's response, Pablo began ordering the assassinations of judges, politicians, editors and journalists who opposed him. Escobar's men began recruiting children from the slums to work as scouts, delivery boys and killers for the cartel. In the meantime, Colonel Horacio Carrillo began recruiting an army of incorruptible men to form the Search Bloc ; the organization dedicated to bring Escobar down.

War against extradition [ ]

• 1 Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
• 2 Judy Moncada
• 3 Javier Peña

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• 20th Century

Pablo Escobar: The Rise and Fall of the ‘King of Cocaine’

06 Nov 2023

In the annals of criminal history, the name Pablo Escobar looms large. A charismatic and ruthless Colombian drug lord, Escobar rose from humble beginnings to become the world’s most powerful and feared criminal. Yet, his meteoric rise was matched only by his cataclysmic fall.

Here we delve into the life and death of the infamous Pablo Escobar. 

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on 1 December 1949, in Rionegro, Antioquia in Colombia and came from a humble background. Raised in Medellín as the third of seven children, his father was a farmer and his mother worked as a teacher. 

Early on, Escobar demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit (and criminal tendencies), engaging in various schemes like selling fake diplomas, smuggling stereo equipment and selling stolen tombstones.

He left school in 1966 just before he turned 17, but returned two years later. His hard life on the streets of Medellín had shaped his teachers’ view of him, and a year later, Escobar dropped out of school again. Nevertheless, having forged a high school diploma, Escobar briefly studied in college with dreams of becoming a criminal lawyer, politician and even president, but gave up due to financial constraints.

Before long, he started stealing cars (resulting in his first arrest in 1974), and played a prominent role in controlling the smuggled cigarette market. 

In the 1970’s, Colombia emerged as a key location for marijuana smuggling, and Escobar initially worked as a small-time marijuana dealer for various drug smugglers. (During this time, Escobar notably kidnapped businessman Diego Echavarria, later killing him in 1971, despite having received the $50,000 ransom.)

He gradually transitioned to the cocaine trade, recognising the immense profit potential due to Colombia’s strategic position between coca cultivation centres in the south, and the lucrative North American market. 

Pablo Escobar’s mugshot, taken by the regional Colombia control agency in Medellín in 1976

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Colombian National Police / Public Domain

Cocaine empire

Escobar’s ascent in the world of narcotics was spectacular. In 1976, he founded a criminal organisation that evolved into the infamous Medellín Cartel, a drug trafficking organisation based in Medellín, Colombia, which would go on to become one of the most powerful and influential criminal groups in history. 

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Escobar played a pivotal role in the ‘cocaine cowboy’ era in Miami. H is network of smugglers used ingenious methods to establish the first smuggling routes, transporting vast quantities of cocaine from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador through Colombia and into America. This operation involved various means, from submarines to small aircraft landing in remote fields.

Escobar’s meteoric rise caught the attention of the Colombian Security Service, leading to his arrest in May 1976 when a significant amount of cocaine was discovered in his car. Managing to influence the legal process, he was released; the following year the agent who had arrested him was assassinated.

Escobar’s infiltration of the drug market created unprecedented demand for cocaine in America. Under his leadership, the Medellín Cartel came to dominate the global cocaine trade, controlling over 80% of the cocaine shipped to America. This immense operation earned him an estimated $420 million a week, and the nickname ‘The King of Cocaine’. By the 1980’s, the sheer volume of cocaine entering the US (approximately 70-80 tonnes per month)  made Escobar one of the ten wealthiest people on the planet, with an estimated net worth of around $30 billion, according to Forbes .

Escobar’s vast wealth afforded him a lavish lifestyle, including private planes, a Caribbean getaway on Isla Grande, and numerous luxurious homes and safe-houses, including a 7,000 acre estate in Antioquia which he bought for $63 million. It was here he built his luxurious ranch, Hacienda Nápoles , which included a zoo featuring around 200 animals (including elephants, giraffes, and hippos), a lake, sculpture garden, air-strip, private bullring, football pitch, tennis court, artificial lakes, and numerous other amenities for his family and the cartel.

Escobar paid his staff generously, and gained a reputation for philanthropic efforts, spending millions developing some of Medellín’s most impoverished neighbourhoods, building housing, parks, football stadiums, hospitals, schools, and churches, leaving a complex legacy of both criminality and social investment.

By the late 1980s, Escobar’s wealth was such that he reportedly offered to pay off Colombia’s $10 billion debt in exchange for exemption from any extradition treaty. During his final years on the run, he famously reportedly burned $2 million to keep his daughter warm.

Entrance to Hacienda Nápoles, the luxurious estate built and owned by Pablo Escobar in Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia Department, Colombia

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / XalD / CC BY 3.0

‘Plata o plomo’

Escobar’s dominance of the cocaine trade was characterised by corruption, intimidation, and violence. His guiding principle was ‘plata o plomo’ (‘silver or lead’) – effectively meaning ‘bribes or bullets’. Throughout his reign, he systematically  bribed and intimidated Colombian law enforcement agencies, public officials and political candidates.

The financial backing provided by both the Medellín Cartel and its rival, the Cali Cartel, to political candidates had a profound impact on Colombian politics. These cartels were able to exert influence at every level of government, enabling them to manipulate political processes, bribe politicians, and effectively control the political landscape.

The Medellín Cartel was not only engaged in a battle against rival drug cartels, but also resorted to a reign of terror when Escobar introduced the concept of ‘narco-terrorism’, employing tactics such as bombings, assassinations, and extortion to maintain control over Colombia and to intimidate rivals and enemies. The Medellín Cartel’s ruthlessness knew no bounds, operating with total impunity.

Escobar’s criminal empire resulted in the deaths of around 4,000 people who dared to challenge his reign, including police officers, government officials, journalists, and judges. Under his influence, Colombia became the murder capital of the world, marked by unimaginable violence and corruption.

In the 1980s, Escobar’s influence and popularity amongst many Colombians prompted him to enter politics, where he played a significant role in the formation of the Liberal Party of Colombia. He was elected to an alternate sea in the country’s Congress in 1982, and in this capacity, further developed community projects, earning him popularity and support among the local population in the areas he frequented. Now a public figure, his philanthropic efforts led to his nickname as a modern-day ‘ Robin Hood Paisa’ . 

Escobar’s political position granted him parliamentary immunity and a diplomatic passport. However, his political career faced opposition when t he new Minister of Justice, Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla, accused him of criminal activities. Lara-Bonilla launched an investigation into Escobar’s 1976 arrest, and a few months later, Liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán expelled Escobar from the party. 

Although Escobar fought back, after a campaign to expose his criminal activities he announced his retirement from politics in January 1984. Three months later, Lara-Bonilla was assassinated.  Escobar’s political ambitions were further thwarted by the Colombian and America governments, who continually pushed for his arrest and extradition to America.

Left: Pablo Escobar Gaviria, circa (1984). Right: Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara (centre) and presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán (left) were both assassinated by orders of Escobar

Image Credit: Left: Alamy / The Hollywood Archive. Right: Wikimedia Commons / Flickr.com/people/ivanmarulanda/ CC BY 2.0

Fight against extradition and ‘narco-terrorism’

In the mid-1980s, Escobar waged a campaign against the Colombian judiciary, bribing and murdering several judges to further his objectives. In 1985, Escobar requested the Colombian government allow his conditional surrender without extradition to America.

When this was denied, Escobar founded the Los Extraditable Organisation to fight extradition policies. This organisation was subsequently implicated in obstructing the Colombian Supreme Court from studying the constitutionality of Colombia’s extradition treaty with America.

In retaliation, the Colombian Judiciary Building was attacked, resulting in the deaths of half of the Supreme Court’s justices. The violence escalated, leading the Supreme Court to subsequently declare that the previous extradition treaty was illegal in late 1986 because it had been signed by a presidential delegation, not the president.

However, Escobar’s victory over the judiciary was short-lived, as the new Colombian president, Virgilio Barco Vargas, promptly renewed the extradition agreement with America.

Escobar’s grudge against Luis Carlos Galán, who had removed him from politics, led to Galán’s assassination in August 1989. In further retaliation, one of Escobar’s most notorious acts of narco-terrorism included his alleged orchestration of the bombing of Avianca Flight 203 in 1989, which killed all 107 people on board in an attempt to assassinate Galán’s successor, César Gaviria Trujillo. Gaviria missed the plane and survived. Escobar’s involvement in this, as well as the bombings of DAS (Department of Security) buildings, prompted direct US government intervention due to the killing of two Americans in the Avianca bombing.

La Catedral

The US government recognised the grave threat posed by the Medellín Cartel and initiated a massive effort to apprehend Escobar and dismantle his cartel empire. American and Colombian authorities cooperated extensively in an unprecedented manhunt, spanning years and involving multiple countries. 

The newly approved Colombian Constitution of 1991 prohibited the extradition of Colombian citizens to America. However, this was a controversial act, as it was suspected that Escobar and other drug lords had exerted influence over members of the Constituent Assembly to pass the legislation.

Nevertheless, later that year , Escobar negotiated with the government, offering to turn himself in to authorities and cease all criminal activity in exchange for a reduced sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and preferential treatment during this captivity.  Colombian officials agreed to the terms, and Escobar was housed in his own, luxurious, self-built private prison, La Catedral . This ‘prison’ featured a football pitch, giant dollhouse, nightclub, bar, jacuzzi, sauna, and even a waterfall.

The bedroom of the luxurious private prison, La Catedral, where Pablo Escobar was confined

The kingpin’s fall

Despite this highly reasonable deal, reports emerged that Escobar had tortured and killed two cartel members while at La Catedral , prompting the government’s decision to move him to a more conventional jail on 22 July 1992. However, Escobar’s influence had enabled him to discover the plan in advance, and he successfully escaped, abandoning his opulent lifestyle and living in hiding while on the run as a fugitive.

This led to a nationwide manhunt; Escobar faced threats from the Colombian police, the US government, and the rival Cali Cartel – leading to the Medellín Cartel’s downfall. A period of intense surveillance and tracking culminated in a large-scale operation on 2 December 1993 when Colombian special forces, with technological assistance from America, located Escobar’s hideout in a middle-class neighbourhood in Medellín.

An attempt to arrest Escobar quickly escalated, leading to gunfire exchanges. In the end, authorities stormed the building, resulting in the death of Pablo Escobar and his bodyguard as they tried to escape from the rooftop. Escobar sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. This prompted speculation that Escobar had killed himself, especially as he had once expressed a preference for a grave in Colombia over a jail cell in America.

Nevertheless, his death, one day after his 44th birthday, marked the end of an era.

Pablo Escobar’s legacy continues to loom large – not only as a notorious criminal but as a cultural phenomenon.

While many decried the heinous nature of his crimes, in Colombia, he was perceived by some as a Robin Hood-like figure, particularly in Medellín, where he was credited with providing amenities to the city’s poor that the government had not. Indeed Escobar’s funeral drew over 25,000 people, and his memory remains influential.

His former private estate, Hacienda Nápoles , was given to low-income families by the government, and also converted into a theme park surrounded by four luxury hotels overlooking Escobar’s zoo. (Most of the zoo’s animals were transferred to other zoos, yet 4 hippos were left behind. By 2014, 40 hippos were reported to exist in the area, and by 2021, Colombian authorities began a chemical sterilisation program to control the hippo population.)

The city of Medellín, Colombia, where Escobar grew up and began his criminal career

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / seth pipkin 2007 / CC BY-SA 2.0

Escobar’s life story has been the subject of numerous books, films, and television series, most notably Narcos , serving as a cautionary tale about the immense power organised crime can amass, the devastating consequences and effects of the drug trade, the corruption it breeds, and its tragic human cost.

Although Escobar’s death marked the end of his reign, it did not signal the end of the drug trade, or its challenges. The Cali Cartel dominated the cocaine market in the years following Escobar’s demise. In Colombia, memories of Escobar’s reign of terror remain vivid. While Colombia has made significant progress in curbing drug violence and improving security since his death, the drug trade and associated violence have not been entirely eradicated, and challenges persist.

In America, the pursuit and eventual downfall of Pablo Escobar represented a turning point in the fight against drug cartels, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing transnational crime, and laying the groundwork for further efforts to combat the drug trade .

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An exploration of Pablo Escobar that culminated in the largest manhunt in history

An exploration of the criminal life of Pablo Escobar that culminated in the largest manhunt in history and the controversial 1993 killing of Escobar on a rooftop in Medellin, Colombia. Based on his book Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw, author Mark Bowden anchors the program, guiding us through pivotal moments of Escobar’s life and sharing startling revelations he uncovered during the research for his book. Features interviews with key officials of Colombia and the US.

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Netflix Bags New Pablo Escobar Documentary for July 2024

500 Days of Escobar is set to hit Netflix in multiple countries (including the US) on July 19th, 2024.

Picture: Caracol Television

500 Days of Escobar ( Los 500 días de Escobar ) has been added to the Netflix lineup for July 2024, having initially aired in Colombia in 2023.

Providing perhaps one of the most definitive versions of the life of the Colombian drug kingpin, the documentary features new testimony from Gustavo Salazar Pineda, Alonso Salazar, María Emma Mejía Vélez, Óscar Naranjo, Javier Peña, and Nicolas Escobar Urquijo to document the reign of terror he had over Colombia and the 500-day manhunt to bring him down between 1992 and 1993.

Simon Hernandez is behind the documentary, serving as director and co-writer alongside Jorge Cardona Alzate.

The documentary first aired last December in Colombia and has been picked up by Netflix to air worldwide this July.

The documentary adds to the growing content library on Netflix surrounding the drug kingpin. Naturally, Pablo Escobar was at the center of the first few seasons of the scripted series Narcos , plus Netflix still licenses 74 episodes of Pablo Escobar, El Patron del Mal , in the majority of countries around the world. More recently, Netflix in the United States licensed the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary The Two Escobars , first released in 2010.

The title wasn’t initially confirmed by Netflix for release in July 2024; however, it will soon be included on our list, which we maintain throughout the month to ensure we bring you every new title on the way.

Other documentaries Netflix has lined up throughout July 2024 include The Man with 1000 Kids , Simone Biles Rising , Skywalkers: A Love Story , Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam , and LALIGA: All Access .

Will you check out the Pablo Escobar documentary series when it drops on Netflix on July 19th, 2024? Let us know in the comments down below.

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The Real Griselda Blanco Was So Notorious, Even Pablo Escobar Feared Her

Sofia Vergara stars as the infamous drug trafficker in a new Netflix series.

Spoilers below for Griselda .

Griselda Blanco wasn’t that kind of godmother. There were no baptisms on her schedule, and no pumpkins transformed into horse-drawn carriages in her garage. Instead, imagine an IRL version of the Godfather —complete with a lengthy list of criminal activity and millions of dollars in her bank account.

With Netflix’s new limited series Griselda , viewers are introduced to a semi-fictionalized version of Blanco’s real life. Played by a prosthetic-donning Sofia Vergara, the six-episode mini series delves into the dark and murderous world of one of the most notorious ( and successful ) cocaine traffickers in the world.

When we first meet Blanco in Griselda , she’s taping a pad onto an oozing gash on the side of her abdomen. The scene is a stark contrast from the sparkling tiger-striped dress and thick gold collar around her neck. She’s frantically hunting for pain medicine, her hair disheveled, but when we finally see her face she’s in pain, but somehow remains calm and collected. If not a bit vacant. Unhinged. Determined.

Over the course of the next few episodes we’ll find all of these things to be true. Blanco is not one to be messed with and she won’t let anyone stand in her way. Motivated by money, a hunger for success, and her family, Blanco—better known as La Jefa (The Boss), was a savvy business woman and one of the most prominent drug lords the U.S. has ever seen. Her reputation was so renowned that even Pablo Escobar once said the only person he feared was Blanco herself.

“There has never been a woman who came close to achieving the power, wealth, and respect that Griselda did. And no trafficker, woman or man, ever elicited the same level of fear,” showrunner Eric Newman, the brains behind Narcos and Narcos: Mexico , previously told Tudum . “Griselda is a rise-and-fall story like none we have ever seen before. It’s thrilling, emotional, funny, scary, and tragic. Griselda is an antihero of the highest order and a series of contradictions at odds with herself.”

Set during the late 1970s and early ’80s, the series follows Blanco as she struggles as a single mother and attempts to start a new life in Miami after she and her three sons flee Colombia. But this isn’t nearly the hardest thing Blanco’s ever had to go through.

Born in 1943 in Cartagena, Colombia, Blanco was introduced to the criminal lifestyle at a young age. By the time she was 11 years old living in Medillín, she had kidnapped, ransomed, and killed a young boy from a wealthy family. She allegedly became a pickpocket and sex worker after running away from home.

After killing her first husband and helping the second build a drug empire in New York, Blanco fled back to Colombia in 1975 to escape conviction in Queens. There, she murdered her second husband and immigrated to Miami to build her solo empire.

“Most of the people know of Griselda as the ruthless, violent drug lord that she was,” Vergara said previously . “So we were very careful not to glorify her in the series. But we also wanted to take time to uncover the deeper story of Griselda, how beyond all odds, a poor, uneducated woman from Colombia managed to create a massive, multi-billion dollar empire in a male-dominated industry, in a country that was not her own, through tactics that she devised that were both ingenious and cruel.”

More of an origin story on the makings of a monster, Griselda investigates this era of Blanco’s life, not shying away from the nitty-gritty details. She’d go on to re-marry and have a fourth son, each milestone depicted in the show. The series also emphasizes Blanco’s drug use and hints towards her bisexual identity .

From her forcing people to have sex at gunpoint to creating the “Cocaine Cowboys,” the Netflix show is bloody and unflinching in the depiction of Blanco’s reign. And yet, it’s almost a tamer version of what was actually happening in Miami during this time. “She liked to be at war,” Blanco’s top hitman Jorge Ayala would later testify in court .

In one episode, Blanco orders the death of one of her henchmen, but the hit goes awry and ends up killing the man’s two-year-old son. This isn’t a dramatization for TV. Nor is the female Miami PD intelligence analyst June Hawkins, who helped secure the governmental aid that would lead to Blanco’s downfall, both of which were detailed in a 2017 podcast .

In 1985, Blanco would be caught and sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture, import, and distribute cocaine. She’d also be charged with three counts of murder and receive 20 years for the offenses . She was eventually released and deported back to Colombia in 2004. Her three eldest sons were murdered and she was eventually killed in 2012 by a motorcycle assassin—ironically a murderous technique she’d made infamous during her heyday. At the peak of her career, her fortune was estimated to be a whopping $1.5 billion .

Marilyn La Jeunesse is a freelance journalist, audience development strategist, and author with words in Elle, Bustle, Teen Vogue, Allure, Glamour, People, InStyle, and more. A Mexican-American writer dedicated to uplifting Latinx voices, she has over 10 years of experience covering entertainment, beauty, fashion, wellness, and more.  

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