The name Pablo Escobar echoes throughout history as an example of the charm and risks of unlimited power. His story is one of breathtaking ambition, fierce drive, and a spectacular climb to become one of the wealthiest.

He became the most feared man in the world as head of the Medellin Cartel. Medellin Cartel was a powerful and notorious Colombian drug trafficking organization.

Pablo was considered the biggest drug lord of all time. He is famous as the “King of Cocaine” and “Greatest of Outlaw”. Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar helped establish and operate the deadly Medellin cartel which killed thousands of people.

Early Life

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949 in Rionegro, Antiquia, Colombia. His family then relocated to the Envigado neighborhood. He belonged to a poor family and was the third of seven children. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a peasant in poverty.

From a young age, Pablo had a just only aim to rise beyond his modest roots and become President of Colombia one day.

Beginning Era of Crimes

Pablo reportedly began his criminal career by stealing tombstones and selling fake certificates. He didn’t take long to start stealing automobiles and then going into the smuggling industry.

Pablo rose to prominence during the “Marlboro Wars” when he played a major role in controlling Colombia’s illegal cigarette market. It served as an excellent training ground for the future of drug lord Pablo.

Establishing the Medellin Cartel

Pablo who had been involved in organized crime for a decade at this time, seized control of the cocaine trade fast. Fabio Restrepo was a major cocaine trafficker from Medellin, Colombia. Pablo assassinated him in 1975 to establish his dominance in the drug smuggling realm.

Afterward, Pablo soon seized the command and expanded Fabio’s operation into something uncommon in the world. Large volumes of coca paste were purchased in Bolivia and Peru and then processed and brought to America under the command of Pablo. Following this, Pablo established the famed Medellin cartel with a small group in 1976.

Marriage and Children

Pablo married Maria Victoria Henao around this time. Maria was 11 years his junior and still a teenager at the time of their wedding in 1976. They shared two children.

Rapid Rise in Power

The rapid rise of Pablo drew the attention of the Department Adminstativo de Seguridad (DAS) which arrested him in May 1976 upon his return from a drug trafficking journey in Ecuador. Authorities discovered 39kg of cocaine hidden in his truck’s spare tire.

English author Mark Bowden wrote a memoir of Pablo Escobar titled “Killing Pablo“. According to Mark Bowden’s book, Pablo dodged prosecution by bribing a judge, and the two DAS agents responsible for his detention were murdered the next year.

According to Mark, Pablo created his unique lifestyle of interacting with authorities known as “plate o plomo”. It is s Spanish phrase that means “money or bullet” in which authorities could either accept bribes from Pablo or be killed.

Notorious Crimes of Pablo

Pablo had a deep desire to become the President of Colombia and started a terror campaign for it. He was a member of the Liberal Party.

Pablo was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people including famous politicians, public servants, journalists, presidents, and ordinary civilians. When he realized he had little chance of becoming Colombia’s President and US pursued his capture and surrender for his horrific crimes. He started pouring his rage on his rivals to influence Colombian politics and get relief from law enforcement agencies.

His goal was a non-extradition agreement with the Colombian government not to hand over him to the United States and pardon his punishment owing to committed crimes in exchange for giving up his drug business.

The terror campaign of Pablo resulted in the deaths of three Columbian presidential candidates, an attorney general, hundreds of judges, and over 1,000 police officers. He planned a bomb blast on Avianca airplane 203 aiming to kill presidential candidate Cesar Gaviria Trujillo but he survived. However, this blast resulted in the deaths of 107 people.

Surrender and Luxury Prison

Pablo was under greater stress from President Cesar Gaviria’s administration in the 1990s to surrender particularly following Pablo’s hand in the murder of Presidential Candidate Luis Carlos Galan. So, Pablo arranged a surrender to Cesar’s administration in exchange for a shorter sentence in jail and special treatment while imprisoned in June 1991.

Columbian administration prohibited his extradition to the United States regarding Pablo’s surrender at that time. Pablo established his luxurious prison “La Cartel” which was guarded by personnel that he handpicked from his workforce. The prison nicknamed “Hotel Escobar” included a casino, spa, nightclub, football ground, jacuzzi, waterfall, and gigantic doll house.

Escape and Death

However, Pablo escaped in June 1992 when officials attempted to transfer him to a more normal jail center due to pressure from other politicians and the public. Colombian administration searched for sixteen months for the drug lord Pablo with the help of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Columbian law enforcement finally caught the most wanted criminal Pablo in a middle-class neighborhood of Medellin on Dec 2, 1993. Pablo attempted to run across several rooftops upon his capture when he and his bodyguard were shot and killed. Pablo had just turned 44 years old the day before his death.

Click here to read the story of Colombian serial killer Luis Garavito who killed 189 children

Conclusion

The life of Pablo Escobar shows the contradictory nature of power and its consequences. It leaves a legacy of undisputed wealth stained by violence and a desire for control.

Pablo’s death signaled the end of a terrible era. But his story remains an important reminder of the deadly heights of ambition which may turn to tragic fate when uncontrolled by morals or authority.

His lust for wealth and uncontrolled desire for power led him to the darkened depths of immorality and plagued his soul. It caused him to take the lives of several notable rightful and innocent people. May the departed souls rest peace in peace!