Colombia-Pablo Escobar
12-2-1993
^Drug Lord Dies In The Way He Ruled Empire
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ Drug lord Pablo Escobar went down the way he ruled - with a barrage of bullets.
Escobar, 44, who rose from swiping cars and gravestones to commanding the largest cocaine-exporting syndicate in the world, was shot down by a federal manhunt squad in Medellin on Thursday.
Son of a farmer and schoolteacher, the paunchy, mustachioed Escobar was hailed by some as a drug trafficking Robin Hood when he emerged on the national scene in the early 1980s.
He used some of his billions to build housing projects and soccer fields for the poor in Medellin, and he won a seat as an alternate representative in the national Congress from his hometown, Envigado.
Escobar amassed fabulous wealth by controlling shipments of coca paste to a network of clandestine jungle laboratories in Colombia and arranged flights carrying the white powder to the United States and other countries.
For years, Forbes magazine listed the Medellin cocaine cartel boss as one of the world's richest men, with a fortune estimated at between $2 billion and $5 billion.
But it was his ruthless use of bombs and bullets against his enemies that earned him a violent reputation and gave Colombia its image as a bloody, cocaine-exporting country.
When he was forced to give up his congressional post by a justice minister and a crusading newspaper publisher who denounced him, Escobar hired killers to murder the whistle-blowers, authorities said. It was Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla's assassination in 1984 that catapulted Escobar to notoriety.
Escobar waged a murderous war against all who opposed him, and anyone who favored the extradition of Colombians to stand trial in the United States, where he faced nine indictments.
Still, the government stopped short of all-out war on Escobar until gunmen assassinated leading presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in August 1989 at a rally north of Bogota.
Then-President Virgilio Barco emptied the barracks, forcing Escobar into hiding and renewing extraditions of suspected traffickers to the United States. The drug lords struck back with a campaign of violence, bombing police stations and newspapers and terrorizing judges, killing about 300 people. The streets of Colombia's cities were deserted for fear of car bombs, and the country was listed as one of the most dangerous in the world.
On Nov. 27, 1989, the cartel set off a bomb aboard a Colombian jetliner, killing all 107 passengers and crew aboard, police say.
The drug boss's paramilitary force - know as "the Extraditables" - was weakened by arrests of his aides. Though he eluded capture, his cartel was gradually surpassed by the rival Cali cartel as the world's biggest cocaine producer, authorities say.
Still, Escobar remained in control of his smuggling operations and was responsible for a bit less than half of the 500 to 700 tons of cocaine smuggled out of Colombia each year, narcotics officials say.
In 1991, Escobar surrendered in exchange for leniency and a promise not to be extradited to the United States. Even in captivity, he enjoyed opulence, staying in a luxurious, custom-made prison that included a sauna and soccer field.
When it became clear Escobar was still running his empire from the jail, and possibly holding mock trials and executions of his enemies, the government decided to move him to a regular prison.
In July 1992, just as the transfer was to take place, he fled with nine lieutenants, disappearing again into a network of supporters in his native Antioquia state.
But in recent months, the circle closed on Escobar. A 3,000-member federal manhunt squad nearly caught him several times, and a vigilante group made up of his enemies - the People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar - was murdering his associates, destroying his properties and threatening his family.
Just last week, his wife and two children flew to Germany for refuge from hired killers, and rumors were flying in Colombia that he was about to give up. His family was turned away by Germany officials, and they were being protected in a Bogota hotel when he was gunned down.
^Drug Lord Dies In The Way He Ruled Empire
^By ANDREW SELSKY
^Associated Press Writer
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) _ Drug lord Pablo Escobar went down the way he ruled - with a barrage of bullets.
Escobar, 44, who rose from swiping cars and gravestones to commanding the largest cocaine-exporting syndicate in the world, was shot down by a federal manhunt squad in Medellin on Thursday.
Son of a farmer and schoolteacher, the paunchy, mustachioed Escobar was hailed by some as a drug trafficking Robin Hood when he emerged on the national scene in the early 1980s.
He used some of his billions to build housing projects and soccer fields for the poor in Medellin, and he won a seat as an alternate representative in the national Congress from his hometown, Envigado.
Escobar amassed fabulous wealth by controlling shipments of coca paste to a network of clandestine jungle laboratories in Colombia and arranged flights carrying the white powder to the United States and other countries.
For years, Forbes magazine listed the Medellin cocaine cartel boss as one of the world's richest men, with a fortune estimated at between $2 billion and $5 billion.
But it was his ruthless use of bombs and bullets against his enemies that earned him a violent reputation and gave Colombia its image as a bloody, cocaine-exporting country.
When he was forced to give up his congressional post by a justice minister and a crusading newspaper publisher who denounced him, Escobar hired killers to murder the whistle-blowers, authorities said. It was Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla's assassination in 1984 that catapulted Escobar to notoriety.
Escobar waged a murderous war against all who opposed him, and anyone who favored the extradition of Colombians to stand trial in the United States, where he faced nine indictments.
Still, the government stopped short of all-out war on Escobar until gunmen assassinated leading presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in August 1989 at a rally north of Bogota.
Then-President Virgilio Barco emptied the barracks, forcing Escobar into hiding and renewing extraditions of suspected traffickers to the United States. The drug lords struck back with a campaign of violence, bombing police stations and newspapers and terrorizing judges, killing about 300 people. The streets of Colombia's cities were deserted for fear of car bombs, and the country was listed as one of the most dangerous in the world.
On Nov. 27, 1989, the cartel set off a bomb aboard a Colombian jetliner, killing all 107 passengers and crew aboard, police say.
The drug boss's paramilitary force - know as "the Extraditables" - was weakened by arrests of his aides. Though he eluded capture, his cartel was gradually surpassed by the rival Cali cartel as the world's biggest cocaine producer, authorities say.
Still, Escobar remained in control of his smuggling operations and was responsible for a bit less than half of the 500 to 700 tons of cocaine smuggled out of Colombia each year, narcotics officials say.
In 1991, Escobar surrendered in exchange for leniency and a promise not to be extradited to the United States. Even in captivity, he enjoyed opulence, staying in a luxurious, custom-made prison that included a sauna and soccer field.
When it became clear Escobar was still running his empire from the jail, and possibly holding mock trials and executions of his enemies, the government decided to move him to a regular prison.
In July 1992, just as the transfer was to take place, he fled with nine lieutenants, disappearing again into a network of supporters in his native Antioquia state.
But in recent months, the circle closed on Escobar. A 3,000-member federal manhunt squad nearly caught him several times, and a vigilante group made up of his enemies - the People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar - was murdering his associates, destroying his properties and threatening his family.
Just last week, his wife and two children flew to Germany for refuge from hired killers, and rumors were flying in Colombia that he was about to give up. His family was turned away by Germany officials, and they were being protected in a Bogota hotel when he was gunned down.
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