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The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 12:25pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and leader of one of the most powerful criminal organizations ever assembled. During the height of his power in the 1980’s, he controlled a vast empire of drugs and murder that covered the globe. He made billions of dollars, ordered the murder of hundreds, if not thousands of people, and ruled over a personal empire of mansions, airplanes, a private zoo and even his own army of soldiers and hardened criminals. -EARLY YEARS OF PABLO ESCOBAR Born on December 1, 1949, into a lower-middle-class family, young Pablo grew up in the Medellín suburb of Envigado. As a young man, he was driven and ambitious, telling friends and family that he wanted to be President of Colombia some day. He got his start as a street criminal: according to legend, he would steal tombstones, sandblast the names off of them, and resell them to crooked Panamanians. Later, he moved up to stealing cars. It was in the 1970’s that he found his path to wealth and power: drugs. -ESCOBAR AND THE RISE OF POWER In 1975, a local Medellín drug lord named Fabio Restrepo was murdered, reportedly on the orders of Escobar himself. Stepping into the power vacuum, Escobar took over Restrepo’s organization and expanded his operations. Before long, he controlled all crime in Medellín and was responsible for as much as 80% of the cocaine transported into the United States. In 1982, he was elected to Colombia’s Congress. HEIGHT OF POWER During the height of its operations, the cartel brought in more than $60 million per day (making roughly $22 billion in a year). Smuggling fifteen tons of cocaine per day, worth more than half a billion dollars, into the United States, the operation spent $1000 per weekpurchasing rubber bands to wrap the stacks of cash, storing most of it in their warehouses. Ten percent had to be written off per year because of "spoilage" by rats that crept in at night and nibbled on the hundred dollar bills. Pablo Escobar said that the essence of the cocaine business was "Simple: you bribe someone here, you bribe someone there, and you pay a friendly banker to help you bring the money back." In 1989, Forbes magazine estimated Escobar to be one of 227 billionaires in the world with a personal net worth of close to US$3 billion while his Medellín Cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine market. [18] It is commonly believed that Escobar was the principal financier behind Medellín's Atlético Nacional who won South America's most prestigious football tournament, the Copa Libertadores , in 1989. While seen as an enemy of the United States and Colombian governments, Escobar was a hero to many in Medellín (especially the poor people [citation needed ]); he was a natural at public relations and he worked to create goodwill among the poor people of Colombia. A lifelong sports fan, he was credited with building football fields and multi-sports courts, as well as sponsoring children's football teams. Escobar was responsible for the construction of many hospitals, schools and churches in western Colombia, which gained him popularity inside the local Roman Catholic Church.He worked hard to cultivate his Robin Hood image, and frequently distributed money through housing projects and other civic activities, which gained him notable popularity among the poor. The population of Medellín often helped Escobar by serving as lookouts, hiding information from the authorities, or doing whatever else they could to protect him. At the height of his power, drug traffickers from Medellín and other areas were handing over between 20% and 35% of their Colombian cocaine-related profits to Escobar, because he was the one who shipped the cocaine successfully to the US. The Colombian cartels' continuing struggles to maintain supremacy resulted in Colombia quickly becoming the world’s murder capital with 25,100 violent deaths in 1991 and 27,100 in 1992.This increased murder rate was fueled by Escobar's giving money to his hitmen as a reward for killing police officers, over 600 of whom died as a result. -ESCOBAR'S PERSONAL LIFE In 1976, he married 15 year old Maria Victoria Henao Vellejo, and they would later have two children, Juan Pablo and Manuela. Escobar was famous for his extramarital affairs, and he tended to prefer underage girls. One of his girlfriends, Virginia Vallejo, went on to become a famous Colombian Television personality. In spite of his affairs, he remained married to María Victoria until his death. -LEGAL TROUBLES OF THE DRUG LORD Ecobar’s first serious run-in with the law was in 1976, when he and some associates were caught returning from a drug run to Ecuador. Escobar ordered the killing of the arresting officers, and the case was soon dropped. Later, at the height of his power, Escobar’s wealth and ruthlessness made it almost impossible for Colombian authorities to bring him to justice. Every time any attempt was made to limit his power, those responsible were bribed, killed, or otherwise neutralized. Pressure was mounting, however, from the United States government, which wanted Escobar extradited to face drug charges. Escobar had to use all of his power and terror to prevent extradition. -LA CATHEDRAL PRISON In 1991, due to increasing pressure to extradite Escobar, the Colombian government and Escobar’s lawyers came up with an interesting arrangement: Escobar would turn himself in and serve a five-year jail term. In return, he would build his own prison and would not be extradited to the United States or anywhere else. The prison, La Catedral, was an elegant fortress which featured a Jacuzzi, a waterfall, a full bar and a soccer field. In addition, Escobar had negotiated the right to select his own “guards.” He ran his empire from inside La Catedral, giving orders by telephone. There were no other prisoners in La Catedral. Today, La Catedral is in ruins, hacked to pieces by treasure hunters looking for hidden Escobar loot. -ESCOBAR ON THE RUN Everyone knew that Escobar was still running his operation from La Catedral, but in July of 1992, it came out that Escobarhad ordered some disloyal underlings brought to his “prison,”where they were tortured and killed. This was too much for even the Colombian government, and plans were made totransfer Escobar to a normal prison. Fearing he could be extradited, Escobar escaped and went into hiding. A massive manhunt was organized, with help from the United States Government. By late 1992, there were two organizations searching for him: the Search Bloc, a special, US-trained Colombian task force, and “Los Pepes,” a shadowy organization of Escobar’s enemies, made up of family members of his victims and financed by Escobar’s main business rival, the Cali Cartel. -THE END OF PABLO ESCOBAR On December 2, 1993, Colombian security forces using US technology located Escobar hiding in a home in a middle- class section of Medellín. The Search Bloc moved in, triangulating his position, and attempted to bring him into custody. Escobar fought back, however, and there was a shootout. Escobar was eventually gunned down as he attempted to escape on the rooftop. He had been shot in the torso and leg, but the fatal wound had come through his ear, leading many to believe that he committed suicide, and many others to believe that one of the Colombian policemen had executed him. With Escobar gone, the Medellín Cartel quickly lost power to its ruthless rival, the Cali Cartel, which remained dominant until the Colombian government shut it down in the mid 1990’s. Escobar is still remembered by the poor of Medellín as a benefactor. He has been the subject of numerous books,movies and websites, and fascination continues with this master criminal, who once ruled one of the greatest crime empires in history. oga lalasticlala come and see snake kindly move these to FP And enlighten my people ishilove mynd44 www.latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/20thcenturylatinamerica/a/bioescobar.htm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Escobar
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Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 12:37pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
a great man ... |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 12:48pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
bonechamberlain:lol how is he great?? |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 2:54pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
olarhtunji: the only difference between him and some government is that some rule with laws and decrees with limits but his got no limit. most of what he built in Columbia like hospitals are still being used today to provide good healthcare for the people. if he hadn't been carried away by power and wealth. he would have changed his city to paradise 1 Like |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 4:02pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
bonechamberlain: so what about those he killed??...police officials, journalists,servants and in fact killed a Presidential candidate and you saying such a person should live because he helps d poor...... |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 7:08pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
olarhtunji:what about the millions of innocent people the govt has killed especially the u.s govt with its phony wars. the society made escoba what he is, if the govt has done the right thing there wouldn't have been no Escobar, do u know that there are more dangerous drug kingpins who walk freely in the u.s than Escobar today, the are given few minimum sentences and released, but the u.s is always quick to pit their noses in other people's business. if Escobar were to be in the u.s the highest thing that would be done to him is a minimum jail sentence and seizure of most of his wealth, as long as he pays certain taxes and remains non violent his drug activities might be overlooked. the CIA was also known to sell drugs to raise funds for some of their activities. imagine Escobar being an American he would be a middle man for the cia. 2 Likes |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 8:06pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
bonechamberlain: I still find it difficult to agree with u on that terms though but I hope diz post gets to FP so we can hear others opinion |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by kennycanny: 8:24pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
bonechamberlain: Trash. Don't know why people always blame united state for everything. Very soon someone will still blame US for not been able to impregnate his wife! 1 Like |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 8:52pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
kennycanny: no need to display ur incivility here, if u have another counter argument state it, instead of saying trash. no one is blaming the u.s, if u had read and assimilated well. |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 8:52pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
kennycanny: no need to display ur incivility here, if u have another counter argument state it, instead of saying trash. if u don't have state it no one is blaming the u.s, if u had read and assimilated well. |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 8:55pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
olarhtunji:no qualms, but I would urge u to browse on the CIA activities and how they raise funds for most of their campaigns, especially in the 20th century |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 9:37pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
bonechamberlain: but come to think about how is it possible 4 u to know stuffs about the CIA......when they are not a public figure like d police or FBI ...so ur news might b false....its just people giving there opinions on how they think the CIA might b raising funds. at least they also run or on the us budget just as d mi6 and d rest |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by olarhtunji(m): 9:39pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
kennycanny: oga take am softly ooo... |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by bonechamberlain(m): 9:43pm On Feb 15, 2016 |
olarhtunji:do u know there are some declassified CIA documents u can get online, that they are no public figure doesn't make them or their activities sacrosanct or unknown. do u know how the bay of pigs was funded. do a little research. |
Re: The King Of Cocaine "Pablo Escobar"-life And Death by iamord(m): 3:03pm On Mar 08, 2016 |
olarhtunji:he was a very great man. Only negative |
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