Pablo Escobar

Leadership, Inspiration, Dilemmas and Actions

(LIDA)
Term Paper Report

Submitted by:
Dyad 10
Megha Bepari (PGP/20/330)
Riju Pathak (PGP/20/342)

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 Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Pablo Escobar ............................................................................................................................................... 6

Character Traits.16

The Reasons for fall of Pablo Escobar...20

Conclusion.22

References.23

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 Executive Summary

His name was Pablo Escobar: ruthless Colombian drug lord, folk hero, and beloved family
member. Growing up, he was driven and ambitious, often telling people about his dreams of
becoming the President of his country. So how did this young man, who started his career as a
petty criminal on the streets of Medelln, turn into the most feared man in all Colombia?

Escobar was raised on the Medelln suburb of Envigado, in an atmosphere of violence. By the
1960s, he was a smalltime racketeer and marijuana dealer. And it is rumored that he truly
began his criminal career, stealing tombstones, removing the names off of them, and later
reselling them to crooked Panamanians. Later, he dabbled in car theft. It wasnt until the 1970s
that he finally found his pathway to the wealth and power that he has so passionately preached
about in his youth: Drugs. Through bribery, back handed schemes, and murder he had found
himself the leader of the Medelln cartel. And as time would tell, he controlled an empire that
would turn out be one of the most powerful in history. The sudden popularity of cocaine in the
U.S. made him the most powerful man in Colombia. Escobar funded his own army, lived on an
extravagant estate, owned a private zoo, planes, and automobiles.

He took control of the cartel in 1975, ordering the leader in place to be shot. He possessed the
aurora of a king, and his net worth proved it too. Pablo Escobar held a net worth of 10 billion
dollars. At his cartels height he controlled four fifths of the world of the cocaine market, seeing
an annual revenue of 30 billion. He operated in Colombia, but his products expanded far
beyond this country. His clients were almost all of North, Central, and South America, the
Caribbean, Western Europe, and possibly Asia.

His use of intimidation and terror, sparked immediate attention from Colombia, and the most
powerful country in the world: The United States of America. The two countries came together
on the sole purpose of capturing the King of Cocaine. Aware of the authorities inching closer to
claiming his life, he proceeded to make a deal. He surrendered after forcing the members of
the Colombian government to rewrite their constitution, so that he could not be extradited to
the United States. He was then placed inside prison. The correct term might be a mountain
side resort, due to the fact that he has constructed it himself, still experiencing all the luxuries

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of life, including a soccer field, a jacuzzi, and his family was able to fly in an out as they pleased.
The name of this prison was La Catedral, and it was an exchange for not being extradited to
the U.S. (where he would surely serve hard time). This is a gripping example of the power of
Mr. Escobar, who was at the time, probably the most notorious criminal in the world, and who
is still regarded today as the most powerful drug lord of all time.

After suspecting two associates of his of foul play, he killed them. The move landed Escobar in
an actual prison. But before he could be transferred, he managed to escape. The manhunt had
resumed, and it was with ten times the effort. The United States offered men and equipment,
and other massive assistance to aid in the capture and the eventual murder of the man. On the
run he resorted to his usual tactics, senselessly claiming the lives of hundreds. In the midst of
the horror, a group known as Los Pepes (Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar: people persecuted by
Pablo Escobar). This shadowy group killed key figureheads in Escobars cartel, crippling his
drug empire.

Soon, Escobar was backed into a corner. At any time, his cartel was losing its most important
members, one of the biggest super powers in the world was on a relentless hunt for him, they
were speaking of targeting his family (which was his prized possession) and he starting to lose
the trust of the citizens of Colombia. It wasnt until December 2nd 1993, a phone call to his son
allowed him to be tracked by officials.

He then died in a gun fight, of which the authorities took great pride in. To further more
emphasize Escobars ruthlessness, he has a policy known as Plata o Plomo. In Spanish, that
directly translates to silver or lead. If one were to get in his way, his first attempt would be to
bribe them- and for the hundreds of honest politicians, men, and women who did not accept
would have to face the wrath of the cartel, along with their families. The exact number of
subject to the harsh treatment will never be known, but it well into the hundreds, and may
enter into the thousands, and even with his first run in with the law, when he was caught.

At his height, Forbes magazine listed him the seventh richest man in the world, with a vast
empire of private estates all over the country of Colombia, privately owned army of ambitious
criminals and soldiers, private planes and airways, an astounding personal wealth of $ 24

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billion. He was known as the Worlds Greatest Outlaw. And was truly the most effective drug
lord to ever walk the face of the Earth. With a word he was able to control the moves of people,
and force the government as well as the officers to abide by his will. His cartel was charged with
racketeering, terrorism, murder, kidnapping, political corruption, money launderings, extortion,
bombing, and much more. And yet, they still set an example for the rest of the cartels to come.
Despite the allegations, can we still consider him a folk hero- a robin hood of the sorts? To gain
the trust of the Medelln people, he spent millions on housing, parks, schools, and more.

In the eyes of the Medelln, he was a local man who had made it in life, and was giving back to
community he grew up in. This, indeed, was noble. To some the underlying tone would make it
doubtful. But in our opinion, his tense love for his family, which he displayed on a daily basis
shows that one can have the desire to spend money without having another motive to it.
Perhaps he was attempting to kill two birds with one stone.

In fact, the New York Times reported, just two days after the death of Escobar, the ruthless
cocaine baron to the outside world, To chants of "Viva Pablo!" thousands of mourners
crowded a muddy hilltop cemetery today to bury Pablo Escobar Gaviria. This obviously displays
a love, and appreciation for the man. The unruly crowd chanted: You can feel it! You can feel
it! Pablo is present! And to this day, it remains true.

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 Pablo Escobar

My father always told me that he never forgot his humble origins. He never expected anything
from politicians. Instead, he said he was going to help the poor and give them the dignity they
always deserved, Juan Escobar said.

Pablo Escobar came from humble beginnings. Having a mostly absentee father, Pablo Escobar
was brought up by his mother Hermilda. During the day, Hermilda worked as a teacher and there
after spent her day cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her family. Resources were scarce and
she struggled to feed her seven kids.

Defining moments of Pablos life

Pablo was exposed to the vagaries of poverty very early in his life. At only six years of age, Pablo
and his brothers had to walk for over an hour every day to reach their school. Their shoes
would give away and have huge holes in the soles. Young Pablo, decided that there was no
point in wearing his torn shoes and went to his school bare feet. But on reaching, his teacher
ridiculed him and punished him by sending him home. He came home and told his mother
about what had happened. Unable to afford a new pair of shoes for her son, Hermilda had to
shoplift a pair. However she noticed that she had shoplifted two shoes of different sizes. She
was extremely disappointed and on insistence of her priest she returned them and got a new
pair on credit instead. Seeing his mother constantly battle abject poverty to overcome their
circumstances and provide for her kids, Pablo felt utterly humiliated and hence stemmed his
determination to overcome their impecuniosity at any cost. He would always say Dont worry,
mom, wait until I grow up, I will give you everything.

Growing up during a period of La Violencia in Colombia, Pablo started to develop a sense of

political conscience. This was a period of unrest in which the nation was divided between the
Conservatives and the Liberals. The antagonism was high and this unleashed a wave of massacres
and political assassinations. He was raised in an environment filled with death, violence and fear.
The social inequality created a deep impact on him.

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The conditions surrounding him created deep rooted antagonistic feelings in his young mind. He
was unanimously elected the President of Council for Student Wellness, at his school, which was
engaged in arranging food and transportation for the deprived. This period served a major role
in shaping Escobars character. He learnt anti-imperialist and anti-oligarchic phrases that he
believed in any repeated for the rest of his life. Escobar also began to understand the pivotal role
the United States played in every sector of Colombia. Rumors of killing of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a
leftist presidential candidate whose political motivations revolved around eliminating social in
justice, by the CIA solidified Escobars views. It was Gaitans death that triggered the unrest of
La Violencia.

He was aware of injustices prevalent in the society. Pablo believed that poverty was the root
cause of all misfortunes, and bad things happened only to the impoverished. Half of Colombias
population lived in poverty. He developed severe hatred towards the Colombian society, and
despised his social status. Pablo made a resolve to himself that if he did not make a million pesos
by the age of thirty, he would kill himself.

According to his elder brother Robert, Pablo was a quiet thinker but he started getting
increasingly restless. He distrusted the authority and joined several gangs. He started hustling
money. He felt that school was a major waste of time for him. He played truant for two years,
and his spent time on the streets lapping up the real education that Pablo craved. The streets
with all its tricks, people, the constant risks, was the teacher Pablo wanted. Though he returned
to school subsequently at his mothers insistence, he had lost all zeal to continue with a high
school education. He constantly argued and fought with his teachers and thought the lessons
they taught were irrelevant and completely absurd. He was finally expelled from school due to
his utter disregard towards education. His mother was not happy with this and when she tried to
reprimand him he would say Mother, I keep on telling you, I want to be big, I want to be bigand
I will be Im poor but I will never die poor, I promise.

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Major influencers of Pablo Escobars life

Roberto Gaviria: Though Escobar had never met his grandfather, his mother would reiterate to
him the stories about his grandfather, who made quite a fortune smuggling whiskey. She told her
son that his grandfather was a shrewd and intelligent businessman who outsmarted the
authorities every step of the way with his ingenious schemes and tactics. Roberto Gaviria always
had a contingency plan and thought two steps ahead of everyone else. These stories had a
profound impact on impressionable Pablo and he aspired to be like his maternal grandfather.

Al Capone and The Godfather: Escobars aim in life was to become a famous bandido. He
idolized Al Capone and the Godfather and started believing that outlaws were much more
powerful than the Government. He thought that outlaws in the eyes of the society could actually
be much more humane than the authorities. He thought being a bandit he could not only
overcome his poverty but also provide the much needed resistance to the social inequality and
the oppressive social circumstances.

Pablos tryst with crime

Pablo wanted to build a complete a repertoire of crime. He wanted to be successful in everything

he did from selling fake lotto tickets, selling banned cigarettes, smuggling commodities, grand
theft auto, running scams to assaulting people.

By 20, Pablo had already become addicted to marijuana and remained stoned during the day. He
became even quieter than before and became almost meditative. In this process he lost every
sense of fear he had. He acquired a rifle and started looting banks. He was never scared of the
policemen as he always thought ahead just like his grandfather and focused on his next target.

Escobar soon realized that grand theft auto was the most profitable business in Medellin He
would steal used cars and dismantle them and sell their individual parts. Escobar had already
recruited a large gang to do his bidding. He would never do the dirty work by himself. He would
just dictate his orders from the comfort of his abode, his henchmen would do whatever he asked
and Escobar would collect all the spoils.
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With an increase in police power in Medellin, Escobar soon realized that his power would get
greatly restrained unless he could exert control over the authorities. It had become almost
impossible to resell the stolen cars once they were reported stolen. So Escobar started offering
bribes to cops to form alliances. Within a year, his reach within the police department became
so strong that official complaints against Escobar were left unattended and those authorities who
received those complaints were even complicit in Escobars crimes.

Plata o Plomo: Silver or Lead

Pablo Escobar expanded his reign of terror and ordered the killings of any hindrances, that is,
anyone who refused to do his bidding. He instilled fears in peoples minds and started murdering
without the slightest remorse. He believed this killings would be the best and fastest way to
expand his dominion and build his reputation.

His famous expression Plata o Plomo started to gain ground. One could either accept the bribe
or die by a lead bullet.

The magnitude of dread Escobar had instilled in people had become so high that car factory
workers would give away cars to Pablos associates just at the mention of Escobars name. Even
car owners started paying Escobar a fee to prevent their cars from getting stolen. This taught
Pablo new strategies. He learnt that he could amass wealth even from the cars he didnt steal.

Pablo soon wanted to expand his expertise. Pablo already harbored utter hatred towards the
wealthy. His gang then started abducting the rich. Pablo only started getting more merciless with
time. Even after the collecting ransom, he would end up killing their victims regardless. He started
committing murders just to communicate a point. Pablo would say In this country, where only
the poor die murdered, the only thing that I have democratized is death, he said.

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Pablo Escobar Becomes The Doctor

Diego Echavarria was among the most powerful industrialists in Colombia. Respected in high
social circles, he posed as a philanthropist, inaugurating schools and hospitals in rural areas. In
reality, he made the workers in his textile mills work long hours amidst inhumane conditions
and gave slave-wages. He had laid off hundreds of workers sans any severance pay. Any
peasant rebel either was murdered or imprisoned. Pablo had also heard of his torments
towards poor.

A news broke out one day that Diego Echavarria had been kidnapped. A ransom of 50,000
pesos were demanded. In spite of ransom being paid, Echavarrias body was found in a hole not
far from the place Pablo was born, six weeks later. The body was in a bad shape with visible
signs of torture. Nevertheless, the poor in Medellin rejoiced at the news. They figured it was
Pablo who had brought them justice. People began worshipping Pablo and either shook his
hand or bowed down. They began referring to him as Doctor Escobar or simply The Doctor.
His age was only 22 years then.

Pablo Escobar, the Smuggler

Pablo was guided by various high smuggling bosses as a teenager. Gradually, with increasing
power, he began working alongside them. The consortium, illegally brought into Colombia,
massive loads of cigarettes, whiskey, clothing, and housing appliances that came from La Zona
Franca de Coln in Panama. Pablos connections allowed his trucks to cross all the inspection
points with no issues. His smuggling business prospered. By the age of 25, Pablo already owned
more than forty trucks. Still dissatisfied, he wanted to expand the business further.

A life changing opportunity: Americans Are Crazy about Cocaine

Around the same time, Escobar caught wind of rising cocaine demand. A friend, named Roberto
Escobar nicknamed Cucaracho (The Cockroach) told Pablo that cocaine was in high demand
among Americans and they spend fortunes for a few ounces. Cocaine was sniffed heavily not
only in posh parties of Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and California but also during the day by
bankers, doctors and corporate lawyers in New York. Escobar realized the huge business

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opportunity. Few pounds of cocaine would bring in business similar to the worth of his existing
business in large, voluminous shipments.

Cucaracho informed Escobar about the existence of the Huallaga Valley. The Upper Huallaga
Valley, in the jungles of Northern Peru, was a major area of coca cultivation. Huallaga peasants
were experts and produced a high output. Pablo recognized that the Huallaga fields were
immensely profitable.

Visit to Peru

Pablo visited Peru to ensure the routes used to transport the cocaine were safe since he would
have to buy and transport the cocaine himself. He first entered Ecuador and stopped on the
border to pass the Peruvian inspection point. Then Escobar traveled down south to Lima and
acquired his first kilogram of cocaine. While driving back to Ecuador, he bribed the inspections
officers.

Pablo started the drug trade on a modest note, selling small amounts of cocaine and
transported himself. With the increasing income, he expanded the amount of cocaine
transported. His trucks freely passed the Peru-Ecuador border zone with more precautions
being taken in crossing the frontier of Ecuador and Colombia. In the border city of Nario, the
trucks were loaded with potato sacks for disguise. The trucks passed the inspection point and
reached the town of Belen, Colombia. In Belen, Pablo had set up a place filled with laboratory
equipment. The cocaine base was then crystallized into pure powder. The drug was packed into
luggage bags. In addition, the mules carried it to the US on commercial flights. Americans
paid 60,000 dollars for just one kilogram of cocaine resulting in huge margins for Pablo.

Hurdles along the way

The cocaine transportation wasnt without setbacks. On one occasion, Pablos trucks were
stopped by the Nario police, his trucks confiscated and men arrested. Escobar didnt think
much of it. Soon it became a repetitive occurrence. Pablo realized that someone was tipping off
the police. Post investigating the matter, Pablos men found out about his Ecuadorian
connections who were betraying him. The bodies of many Ecuadorian men were found dead.

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There was a note beside the bodies: This Is for You to Know Who You Are Dealing With. Few
days later, Pablo traveled to Ecuador to make new business contacts. However, in the middle of
his trip, he got suspicious. The Ecuadorians thugs were actually poor devils who did not know
much. There had to be someone influential who was after him. When once again, in June 1976,
one of his trucks got impounded on the border, the Medellin police apprehended him. Due to
lack of sufficient evidence, Pablo was just convicted for the possession of 29 pounds of cocaine.

He remained in jail for three months. After his bribed release in September, Escobar had
discovered the enemys identity having spent enough time behind bars to meditate and figure
out.

When Pablo Escobar left jail, he tried to get a hold of the Ochoa Brothers. The Ochoas and
Fabio Restrepo were unapproachable, so Pablo made a plan to get to them. Escobar, in 1975,
had casually met a wealthy young boy nicknamed Rubin. Rubin lived in Miami, but he
regularly traveled to Medellin to visit his family. He was a licensed pilot. Rubin made the
acquaintance of the Ochoa brothers in one of Miami parties. The existing cocaine leaders,
Ochoa brothers: Fabio, Juan Davis and Jorge were known to be eccentric. After discovering that
Rubin could fly airplanes, the brothers hired him to assist them in the transportation of cocaine.
Rubin purchased small planes and hired other pilots to make the low-level flights. From the city
of Medellin, Fabio Restrepo sent the Ochoas two cocaine shipments per year.

Pablo as the head of Medellin Cartel

The Ochoa were part of Colombias elite. By the end of 1976, when Rubin and the Ochoas were
visiting Medellin, Pablo Escobar approached Rubin. He made a proposal to Rubin that he could
sell his boss, Fabio Restrepo, 14 kilos of cocaine at a good price. Rubin agreed to the deal and
arranged to pick up the merchandise at Escobars apartment. On that day, Jorge Ochoa
accompanied Rubin to the appointed address to meet Escobar. Jorge was repulsed by seeing
Escobars looks. Pablo was wearing a big pullover shirt, tennis shoes, and had unkempt hair. The
rich folks were repulsed by Escobars rough manners and considered him a small-time hoodlum.
They paid Escobar for the 14 kilos of cocaine and left the apartment very unimpressed.

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Two months later, Rubin and the Ochoa Brothers were ordered to appear at Escobars
apartment. This time, Pablo plainly told them that they will be working for him from now on.
The Ochoa brothers did not get intimidated. They replied they work under Fabio Restrepo.
Pablo told them that their boss, Fabio Restrepo, had been killed an hour ago.

The Ochoa brothers and Rubin were speechless. They were intimidated by Pablos audacity and,
years later, Jorge Ochoa said: Frankly, he intimidated us and many other people in Medellin,
Cali, and Bogota. He intimidated Colombia and all of the United States. He thought that
whatever he wanted is the way it should be done, and he didnt ask anyone for an opinion. He
didnt take anyone into account to do this or that.

This is how the legendary Medellin Cartel emerged. Against all odds and expectations, Pablo
Escobars leadership along with his small band of men brought the whole country to its knees
and left a mark in Colombian history.

The death of Pablo Escobar

Escobar managed to evade the Search Block for 6 months but the death of his security chief
Leon Puerta Muoz "The angel" in October 1993 had left him unprotected. The concerns about
the situation of his wife and children in refugee residences under strict police surveillance, after
unsuccessfully finding asylum in Argentina and Germany, had left him vulnerable. The
government saw that his family was his weakness and used this as a bait to lure him.

The Search Bloc gave the task to locate Escobar to the concerned parties and after a year and
four months of intensive intelligence work, On 1 December 1993, he got tracked when Escobar
made six calls to his son.

When cornered he tried to escape, but died during trying to flee.

However, the account of his death has several hypotheses and controversies surrounding it:

1. Pablo Escobar killed himself

Claims were made by Escobars son, Sebastian Marroquin, that the narco kingpin committed
suicide. He said in an interview: I dont believe in coincidences. The bullet happened in exactly

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the same place where my dad told me that he had set the date where he would be trapped.
He always mentioned that of the 15 bullets in his gun, 14 would be for his enemies and one for
him. Marroquin, formerly Juan Pablo Escobar, added his family had been told of this from
Pablo as well and that there is a transcript to prove it. This, however, is not the official
standpoint.

2. Search Bloc killed him

According to official statements, Bloque de Busqueda (Search Bloc) fired the fatal shot over the
rooftops of Medellin. The hardened task force was created in 1992 by President Cesar Gaviria
with the sole objective of apprehending Escobar. In 1993, post tracking Escobar, they stormed
the house, before chasing him across an orange-tiled roof. Shots were fired from Search Bloc,
with one hitting him in his right ear and killing him instantly. However, reports surfaced
suggesting that Pablo had gone down firing his weapon and the confusion of the encounter has
left the question of who fired the fatal shot open to speculation. While the accuracy of this is
questionable, Netflixs show also follows the line of thinking that Search Bloc fired the final
shot.

It is also said that Carlos Castao Gil, the leader of the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia
(AUC) was responsible for the death of Escobar, according to a confession of a paramilitary
named Antonio Hernandez, known by the alias John.

3. Los Pepes killed him

While Search Bloc were tracking down Escobar, another group was formed that launched a
small-scale war against him. Los Pepes, Persecuted by Pablo Escobar composed of enemies of
Pablo and there have been claims in the past they had worked in cooperation with Search Bloc.
Carlos Castao led the paramilitary organisation with his brothers and said in an interview:
There was a strategy outlined by the United States in which each one would do what each one
would have to do. These claims went one step further, when another member of the group,
Diego Murillo (Don Berna), quoted that he and his brother were at the scene when Escobar was
killed. He communicated in his book How We Killed the Boss that it was in fact his brother

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Semilla who fired the fatal shot. This has been categorically denied by officials who took part in
the hunt.

Perhaps it will never be truly known who fired the fatal shot to kill Escobar on December 2,
1993.

Escobar's death generated different reactions: his family and protected mourned his death, and
his funeral was attended by thousands of people, mostly from the slums of Medellin.

But the press and the government considered a triumph in the fight against drugs and the
beginning of the end of drug trafficking, which has not happened so far. Almost immediately
after Pablo met his death, Cali Cartel took control of the drug business.

Among the myths about his death, it is also said that no one died. He hired a double and is
enjoying his hidden riches. Among those who consider him dead, his image is still very much
alive and is used politically. In some places, he still is revered as a saint in his grave offerings. His
legend is part of the tour of Medellin. His farm in the countryside is now a museum visited by
thousands of tourists each year.

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 Character Traits

Pablo Escobar was extremely confident and gained notoriety on the streets of Medellin. He
exuded an aura which made other thugs almost look up to him. A deep thinker since his childhood
days, Pablo Escobar was scheming and shrewd but was always maintained a calm and cheerful
demeanour. One of Pablos associates said: He was like a God, a man with a very powerful aura.
When I met him for the first time it was the most important day of my life.

Pablo Escobar was an extremely high machievellian person. To him ends justified all his means.
He always had a clear vision and he persevered to achieve it irrespective of anything or anyone
who came in his way.

Escobar was highly ambitious. He had a clear vision of how he wanted his life to turn out to be
and persevered hard to achieve it. When his associate introduced him to the cocaine paste in
Peru and told him that Escobar could earn several pesos per gram of cocaine in Bogota, Escobar
famously said that If this powder fetches several pesos in Bogota, imagine how much more it
will fetch in Miami.

In a period when US Officials were concerned with marijuana trafficking within the US borders,
Pablo Escobar brought cocaine into the shores of Miami, transporting an average of about 80
tons per week. He was very opportunistic and never failed to seize any window of opportunity.

Pablo the Family man

Irrespective of his feared image amongst the locals, Pablo Escobar was a family man through and
through. In 1976, much to the dismay of her family, he married fifteen year old Mara Victoria
Henao. Soon after his first son, Juan Pablo, was born. Pablo fiercely defended his family and never
failed to provide for his kin and friends. He never exhibited the slightest amount of hesitation in
sharing his overflowing resources with everyone around him. Irrespective of his demanding
business requirements, he always took care of his family and is even remembered as a loving and

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caring father. He never wanted to expose his children to marijuana or any drugs and infact hid
away everytime he smoked his joints.

According to his son Juan Pablo, when Pablo Escobar was on the run from authorities, he burnt
bundles of cash worth US$2 million just to keep his daughter, Manuela, warm at night.

The Robinhood image and the social endeavours of Pablo Escobar

Post the death of Echavarra, Pablo Escobar became a very popular character among the
Colombians. But this social image which he had in front of the most impoverished classes of
Colombia, had just started to grow.

A strong believer of social justice, Escobar wanted to eradicate all issues created by poverty. He
dedicated himself and his enormous wealth to establishing social development programs to
assuage the suffering of the poor folk of Medellin.

In 1979, Escobar with his uncle Hernando Gaviria, started his first project Civismo en Marcha, a
civic welfare program and radio show. Through this initiative, trees were planted along avenues,
sports and medical facilities were built and developed for the poorest strata of the society. He
built around one hundred soccer fields and constructed lighting towers in the neighborhood he
grew up in. He always ensured to be a part of all the inaugurations of the same. Meanwhile public
awareness about his social endeavours was increased to the local folk through his uncles
newspaper, Medelln Cvico, under the title In the public neighborhoods night became day.

Escobars lifelong dream was to remove the concept of slums. He wanted every member of the
society to have the basic necessities of life. Through Medelln sin tugurios : Medelln without
slums, Pablo led to the construction of Barrio Pablo Escobar. The neighborhood of Moravia was
a slum built around a dump. Its inhabitants lived in extremely terrible conditions, mountains of
trash, and disease breeding surroundings. The inhabitants made their living picking scrap items
from the load refused by the garbage trucks. Escobar was astonished and thought that the
conditions the people were living in were downright preposterous. The neighborhood also caught
fires regularly destroying the decrepit houses. He felt deeply about it and immediately drafted a
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plan to build a thousand houses for the inhabitants. Barrio Pablo Escobar exists even today, It
houses about 12,700 people in around 2,800 aboddes. The residents of Barrio Pablo Escobar are
the most ardent admirers of Pablo Escobar who hail him as their savior and their leader. Murals
painted on building walls of the neighborhood, feature Escobars face and read Welcome to
Barrio Pablo Escobar. Here there is peace. Other images of Escobar spray painted on walls read
the caption San Pablo (Saint Pablo).

For the documentary, Pablo Escobar: ngel o demonio, a woman inhabitant of the barrio was
interviewed. She showed the filmmakers a portrait of Escobar, explaining the filmmakers that the
two people who she admires most in her life are her mother and Escobar who gave her a home.
She considers him her husband because she states that he was the only man in life who ever
provided for her.

In order to support his social programs, Escobar had also developed a public relationship with
the Catholic Church which in turn became his biggest supporter. All his projects had the Churchs
blessing and he would walk around the slums accompanied by two priests. He would also make
heavy donations to construct streets and electricity lines. In turn Pablo Escobar brought in more
investment for the community than the Colombian Government ever did. He would even hand
out cash to the residents of slums whenever he would make his visits. To increase his clout
amongst the locals, whenever he spoke to the media or to the public, he would often highlight
his generosity, his patriotism and his connection to the popular class.

He also used his popularity among the masses to gain support for his campaign against
extradition. He organized a forum where he publicly spoke against the extradition treaty
Colombia had signed with the USA in 1979, saying it violated Colombias sovereignty. This move
clearly indicated how Pablo was slowly and steadily using his clout over the public to gain support
to meet his personal agenda. Later Escobar even campaigned for election to public office, and
efforts to denounce the extradition treaty was his main agenda. He even started making efforts
to consciously clean up his public image and started to remove any evidence linking him to any
criminal activities. He hired publicists to promote his image as a generous and caring friend of

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the impoverished and rewarded news journalists to concoct stories that portrayed him in the
best light possible. He also used his uncles newspaper extensively in order to propagate the best
representations of himself.

In April of 1983, one of Colombias most reputable magazines, ran a report on Escobar titled A
paisa Robin Hood, emphasizing on his passion to eradicate social injustice, his love for exotic
animals and his campaign against anti-sovereignty through extradition. Who is Don Pablo, this
sort of paisa Robin Hood that arouses so much excitement among hundreds of wretches that
reflect in their faces a sudden hope that is not easy to explain in the midst of this sordid
environment? The article also spoke of his enormous wealth, citing that an important north
American magazine had listed Escobars net worth as USD 5 billion making him one of the five
richest people in the world, whose origin never ceases to be an object of speculation.

By then Pablo had become an expert in keeping his public image and his business independent.
To his supporters in Colombia he was a benevolent businessman who wanted the best for the
society. With no suspicion about his cocaine racket and, his previous arrests long forgotten in the
piles of old records, Pablos popularity soared to new heights. Summer of 1978 saw Pablo getting
elected to a substitute position on the Medelln city council. In 1980 he backed the formation of
the New Liberal Party, led by a popular progressive politician named Luis Carlos Galn. Soon after
in 1982, he was elected as a standby to Envigado representative Jairo Ortega, on the New Liberal
Party ticket. Pablo had achieved the status of a congressman by then. He automatically received
diplomatic and judicial immunity, which meant that the Colombian courts could not prosecute
him. He was also provided with a diplomatic visa, which allowed him to travel to the United States
without suspicion. He even bought a mansion in Miami. Galns party, on one hand, seemed like
a natural fit for Escobar. He spoke against corruption and the political oligarchy and was popular
among the poor as a harbinger of renaissance, a position that Escobar could have identified with.
Publicly he denounced the drug traffickers and any politician who indulged in corruption and
accepted any support from drug traffickers. Perhaps Escobars biggest misgivings was that he
thought he could successfully hide the elephant in the room indefinitely.

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 The reasons for fall of Pablo Escobar

1. Over expansion of the cartel Escobar expanded his cartel and kept it too centralized.
This made it relatively simple for the law enforcement to track and crack down the
Medellin cartel. There was a single point of failure.
2. Not making the best use of public impression Escobar was a revered public figure
among the locals for various acts of generosity. Even though he tried to turn the people
against the Government in general and manipulate them to completely support his
cause, he was not fully successful in his endeavor.
3. Bombing Avianca flight to California Even though US officials such as the DEA, FBI
were in pursuit of Pablo Escobar, but they could never find any definitive proof against
him. He did smuggle Cocaine into US, but the US officials failed to implicate him
directly. He always got his dirty work done by various networks and mules. The
Colombian Government also had not signed the extradition treaty with US Government
till then. But during this safe haven, Escobar very erroneously bombed Avianca airlines
in a ploy to kill his political competitor who wasnt even on that flight. A total of 176
people died on that flight including two USA citizens. USA officials found all the motive
and proof they needed; a reason to go behind Escobar directly. Escobar was always
very fearful of US prisons. He always said Better a grave in Colombia than Jail in USA.
So at this point he surrendered to Colombian Government.
4. Killing his partners in crime - Escobar had four of his closest associates tormented and
killed within La Cathedral, his personal residence. Prior to that event, Colombian
government had always turned a blind eye towards Escobars multitude of crimes.
Inspite of pressure from USA, the government maintained a non-committal stance on
Escobar. But when these murders were reported, the Govt. could no longer ignore
Escobars crimes. The Colombian government decided it had to move Escobar to a
standard prison, an order Escobar refused. He was on a run, again.
5. Getting too insecure about his family The biggest reason why the authorities could
capture Escobar was his attachment towards his family. He wanted to protect his family
come what may. a) When the government was keeping his family for safekeeping in a

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 hotel. But Escobar knew that the government was keeping them as a leverage against
him. Any step Pablo were to take against then, the Government could harm his family.
b) His family was not allowed to enter Germany. c) All his loyal associates such as his
cousin Gustav, his devoted accountant were either killed or captured. He was an
emotional wreck at that point of time. He used to talk to his son, Juan Pablo on the
phone. Pablo even ended up revealing his location on the phone. Had he laid low and
gone underground, the authorities would have never been able to capture him.
6. Gathering too many enemies- Escobar had many enemies, there were the Cali cartels,
and few other cartels in Colombia itself. They were his competitors and they wanted
him dead to further their own business. Cali cartel and other cartels in fact assisted
authorities to track down Pablo. Escobar should have thought ahead in this regard ad
made alliances with the other cartels to fight against their common enemy- law
enforcement.

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 Conclusion

Just as Escobar had envisaged, his life story is reminiscent of those of the bandits of the period
of La Violencia, such as Efran Gonzlez and Chispas who inspite of their endeavours to secure
amnesty could not escape their fate and were eventually hunted down and by shot dead by the
authorities. In many ways even though they were outlaws and violent criminals by definition, but
they also stood for the people who put their trust in them. When their agenda opposed that of
the ruling authority they not only became wanted criminals, but also victims of political
persecution, flag bearers who stood against the governments agenda. Escobar was beyond
doubt a menacing criminal and a threat to public safety, but he was also a very small pawn in a
much larger political game. When he was killed, many Colombians celebrated and applauded the
end of a violent era and Americans lauded the accomplishment as a major step forward in the
fight against the illegal drug trafficking. But hundreds of other Colombians mourned the loss of
their savior and hero, the only person that protected and cared for them in a social construct that
ignored them and stole every hope for improvement. His funeral saw a deliriously upset the mob
of mourners seizing his coffin and carrying it to the graveyard. They hailed Viva Pablo and
lauded his benevolence and giving nature, calling the authorities murderers and expressing
concern over their future now that their leader had been assassinated. The crowd of mourners
were devastated and pushed against each other to touch his coffin. They fought each other to
catch one last glimpse of their leader. The social constructions of Pablo Escobar have outlived
him, and have strengthened since his death through the media, including documentaries, books,
and TV. Even though Colombian media, does present Escobar as a ruthless criminal and killer and
an enemy of the state who murdered thousands of innocent people. This construct does ignores
the other aspect of his generosity, or dismisses it as an orchestration to manipulate the gullible
public. His character however has grown to legendary proportions, becoming one of the most
dreaded yet famous criminals of all time for the scale of his power and power. Even to this date
neighborhoods in Colombia, people preserve his memory as their leader, a Robin Hood of sorts.
His death made him a martyr to them and this martyrdom did fuel his image of a leader. Their
construct depicts Escobar as the outlaw leader; a reincarnation of the legendary bandits of yore,
except his legend is even more detailed and vivid. He remains the man who came from nothing

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and made his success by taking advantage of the vices of the rich. Perhaps Escobars biggest
failing was his thought that one day cocaine would become legalized just as cigarettes and alcohol
and all his crimes would indeed get washed away. Pablos supporters only see the leader who
very generously shared his wealth and resources with the people who were disenfranchised and
exploited by the wealth, like a real life Robin Hood. When the Governments in Bogot and
Washington persecuted him for his several crimes, to Escobars supporters, they became the real
villain of the story. Escobar still lives on as a glorious outlaw in the lyrics of many narcocorridos,
Several Colombian and Mexican ballads still romanticize the life of the outlaw. So however
labyrinthine Escobars vision might have been, his people still see him as a leader: A Leader as a
mirror and his legacy continues.

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 References

Series: Narcos

Documentaries: King of Cocaine, The true story of killing Pablo, Sins of my father, The life of a
king of drug

Book: Pablo Escobar, My Father

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