Escobar remained a fugitive for 16 months, during which time an extraordinary number of people were murdered. It was a joint team of Colombian police and army, headed by police Colonel Hugo Martinez, and backed by agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the CIA and later the Navy SEALS. On 26th July 1992, American Delta Force operatives joined the Medellin Search Bloc. The United States finally felt authorised to participate in the manhunt, which they helped direct and finance. On 22nd July 1992, after a year of living at La Catedral, Escobar made his escape whilst being transferred and went on the run. Secret tunnels, helicopters and fake grenades are just some of the ways these prisoners escaped jail Escapeĭue to growing public pressure, Colombian officials made plans to move Escobar to a regular prison. For these reasons, he imposed a tax on other drug dealers in his area, forcing them to pay him a percentage of their profits. Secondly, he cited his involvement in the battle for the nullification of the 1979 American-Colombian Extradition Treaty. Firstly, he claimed to be solely responsible for both the setting up and the huge success of the Colombian cocaine trade.

For his own protection, Escobar bought the support of other criminals, who also acted as his guerrilla army, carrying out any violence he demanded.Īs time went on, Escobar developed a more leisurely way of making money from cocaine trafficking. He also owned apartments, banks and large tracts of land. He owned numerous cars, helicopters and aeroplanes, a private zoo for which he imported exotic wild animals, and a massive garden filled with hundreds of fruit trees.

He invested much of his money in real estate, splashing out on luxurious homes, many with private helicopter ports. He certainly loved to display his wealth and lived an extravagant lifestyle. In 1989, Escobar was listed as the seventh richest man in the world by Forbes magazine, with a fortune rumoured to be around $24 billion. This served to turn public opinion against him and resulted in a breakdown in the alliance of Colombian drug traffickers. He mounted a terror campaign, with further killings, including innocent citizens. In his usual manner, Escobar tried to sway the Colombian authorities towards a no extradition clause and to grant amnesty to drug barons in exchange for giving up the drug trade. There was growing public suspicion as to the origins of his enormous wealth and American authorities felt duty-bound to investigate further. It was in the autumn of 1985 when the United States really increased their pressure on Colombia to extradite Escobar. He went on to sponsor various charities and football clubs in the Medellin area. In 1982 Escobar was elected as a deputy representative to the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia’s Congress, as part of the Colombian Liberal Party. He also had an affable side and due to his growing wealth and influence, enjoyed a certain amount of public popularity and political standing. In this way, Escobar’s power grew and he was associated with many kidnaps and assassinations over the years. He always did exactly as he pleased and would, more often than not, kill anyone who dared oppose him. Whilst they remained married until Escobar’s demise, he was known to have constant affairs, most frequently with underage girls. The couple had two children, Juan Pablo and Manuela. In order to marry in 1976, they had to seek approval from the local bishop. Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is.Įscobar seemed to have a preference for young girls and at age 26 he fell in love with a 15-year-old, Maria Victoria Henao Vellejo.

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