Legends Never Die
The elite task force stands over dead Pablo Escobar.
Introduction
Pablo Escobar is one of the most notorious if not the most notorious drug dealers ever to walk this planet. Columbian born, Pablo Escobar was the leader of the largest cocaine processing and distributing organizations in the world (Thompson). With a net worth of over fifteen billion dollars in American currency he was listed on Forbes as the seventh richest man during his reign (In Medellin becomes tourist attraction). Pablo Escobar is one of the most influential and feared persons to ever live in Columbia. He had the money and the power to influence other people in Columbia that were also very well respected and powerful. For example, Pablo and his cartel had ties with two Columbian presidents as well as other politicians that were powerful (World-Theage.com.au). The question that surrounded Pablo and still lingers around even after his death is, if his giant illegal enterprise outweigh his legacy that still lives on today.
Beginning Of Pablo’s Crime
Pablo made cocaine a global drug of choice when it first came out and he globalized it very quickly (Watson). Pablo started getting into his drug scheme very early. At the age of twenty-two he started working for a local smuggler named Alvaro Pietro, in his hometown of Medellin, Columbia (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). While still twenty-two, he made around one million dollars (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo was a very violent man during his drug run but even with his violence, he still did many important things to his very poor town that help the surrounding community and brought together his hometown of Medellin. To think of someone amounting fifteen billion dollars all in a drug organization is, in my eyes someone who became very successful and had a niche for business.
Schooling
Pablo Escobar is a native of Columbia, he was born in Rionegro, Columbia and his family then moved to Medellin shortly after his death (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). While still a kid he grew up very poor, just like the rest of the area he was born in. From his birth he was just a normal kid living in a normal family that didn’t have much funds from his family to support him. Although he was very poor his family wanted him to get an education, and sent him to school many schools. Although his parents wanted to get him an education he was sent home from two schools for not having enough money to buy the right shoes and pay for the funds (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo, even while attending grade school people started the future man that he was soon about to become.
Crime
Pablo started off with small crimes with his younger brother Roberto (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). They started off with small crimes such as stealing and doing drugs (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). A little while later he started stealing gravestones from local graveyards, grinding them down and then selling them (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Although this was not just gravestones, he started selling fake cigarettes as well as fake lottery tickets (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Soon after his involvement with his brother stealing and selling fake contraband he soon met up with the local smuggler Alvaro Pietro. While making a quick million in his early twenties smuggling drugs he got in an argument with a local drug lord, bigger then Alvaro and killed him (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). This led to his take over of the Medellin gang, his reign of violence, and his smuggling of fifteen tons a day of cocaine (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia).
Violence
Pablo Escobar’s violence was strained from his involvement in the cocaine industry. He had a private so called “Army” of over 1,000 men that were hired and train specifically to protect him and his lucrative drug operation (Watson). Many people wanted part in his success and his private army was there to protect him if anything went wrong. His private army of over 1,000 men killed anyone that tried to take part in his drug operation that were not allowed, many included rivals, disloyal friends, prosecutors, judges, do-gooders, policemen and journalists (Watson). The ones that Pablo and his so called army targeted were the policemen that tried to interfere with him. Pablo very quickly went form being labeled as a criminal to a “narco-terrorist” in one action. This action killed 107 people when he blew an airplane straight out of the air (World- Theage.com.au). This action frightened many people in the area and especially around the globe. It left a lasting impression on everyone in the country not to mess with him and that he should be feared. To try to reverse the image he had on the globe and country he started bribing cops and civilians with a new policy he called “plata o plomo” (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). This policy meant money or bullets, with Pablo and his armys main focus on bribing rather then bullets because of all the money Pablo could blow on whatever he wanted (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo’s new policy led to his involvement in corruption around Columbia. With much of the country being very poor people were on his side with the help of his money. One of these was a presidential candidate, Alfonso Lopez that received a bribe from Pablo Escobar and Lopez gave some insight on his opponent who in return Pablo had killed (World- Theage.com.au).
Corruption, and Marriage
Pablo happened to marry a very respectable, model and actress in the Columbian pop culture. People still speculate as to why she would marry, as people would call Pablo, “fat and violent person” but she did and they stayed together until he passed. She was recently interviewed about Pablo’s involvement in corruption. The age.com writes about the interview with Pablo’s beautiful wife, “In Colombia, which produces most of the world's cocaine, Ms Vallejo's affair with Escobar is seen as a telling example of the establishment's easy relationship with drug traffickers — the legitimate businesses that launder drug earnings, the elite social clubs that open their doors to drug lords and the politicians who exchange favors for briefcases of cash” (World- Theage.com.au). Pablo’s corruption around the world however benefitted the surrounding community of Columbia and many other people struggling to survive in the poor areas of Columbia.
Giving Back and Support
Pablo was not only a corrupt, and violent person; he helped the surrounding community as well as Columbia as a whole. With his net worth estimated between five to fifteen billion dollars he put a lot of that money into things that helped the poor and his community (Thompson). Pablo did things to the community that everyone not just the poor endured for example, he built schools, churches, hospitals, soccer fields, and built strong public relations with the community (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). People looked past his violent past and really respected him for his big heart that was hidden for so many years. Pablo’s brother reported that he relied more on calm negotiations rather then violence even while he was a kid (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). People looked past his violent past and really respected him for his support that he showed towards the country he was from. For example, every time a shipment reached the United States from Pablo’s cartel, fireworks were sent into the sky by his hometown of Medellin to show how much they respected Pablo even though his reputation was horrendous.
Pablo’s Death
The death of Pablo Escobar shocked the world and left a huge impact on the town of Medellin and the country. Two men that were very influential in the death of Pablo were the Rodriguez brothers from California. These two brothers were very involved in the cocaine trafficking business and top rivals with Pablo. Their plan was to come together with the Columbian task force to try and take down and destroy his cartel (The Rise and Fall from the Gentlemen of Cali). The Rodriguez brothers used legal actions along with help from the task forces of Columbia and spy planes from the United States to gather intel on Pablo’s daily actions (The Rise and Fall from the Gentlemen of Cali). Once they gathered enough information the task force from Columbia specifically designed to take down Pablo stormed his house for the take down. While Pablo Escobar was talking on his phone with his sixteen year old son, the Columbian task force was sent in for the take down, Pablo heard them and dropped the phone, while he ran up the upstairs window and over the rooftop, he was immediately swarmed with gunfire and died on the spot(Watson). Although he did in such a vulnerable and almost thief way being barefoot, his legacy in the Columbian area out weighed his success and violence during his drug involvement.
Conclusion
Pablo Escobar’s legacy lives on in Columbia since his death in 1993. With Pablo’s mass amounts of murders and billions of dollars racked up in his drug trade of cocaine, he was able to give back to the public and help the very poor neighborhood of Medellin Columbia. People today in the town of Medellin call Pablo a type of “Robin Hood” for donating millions of dollars to this small town (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Today you can even take tours of where Pablo lived and died as well as his gravesite and many other places that Pablo did activities such as hiding spots (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Also you can meet with Pablo’s brother Roberto if you have 55,000 pesos and talk to him over a cup of coffee about many different stories he has about Pablo’s cocaine organization (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Although that the owners of these tours are saying that they are not trying to glamorize Pablo I believe that Pablo’s death and legacy will forever live on as long as these tours are kept in place. People are naturally curious and live to see things such as the places the world’s most notorious drug lord hung out and lived.
Word Count: 1746
Pablo Escobar is one of the most notorious if not the most notorious drug dealers ever to walk this planet. Columbian born, Pablo Escobar was the leader of the largest cocaine processing and distributing organizations in the world (Thompson). With a net worth of over fifteen billion dollars in American currency he was listed on Forbes as the seventh richest man during his reign (In Medellin becomes tourist attraction). Pablo Escobar is one of the most influential and feared persons to ever live in Columbia. He had the money and the power to influence other people in Columbia that were also very well respected and powerful. For example, Pablo and his cartel had ties with two Columbian presidents as well as other politicians that were powerful (World-Theage.com.au). The question that surrounded Pablo and still lingers around even after his death is, if his giant illegal enterprise outweigh his legacy that still lives on today.
Beginning Of Pablo’s Crime
Pablo made cocaine a global drug of choice when it first came out and he globalized it very quickly (Watson). Pablo started getting into his drug scheme very early. At the age of twenty-two he started working for a local smuggler named Alvaro Pietro, in his hometown of Medellin, Columbia (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). While still twenty-two, he made around one million dollars (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo was a very violent man during his drug run but even with his violence, he still did many important things to his very poor town that help the surrounding community and brought together his hometown of Medellin. To think of someone amounting fifteen billion dollars all in a drug organization is, in my eyes someone who became very successful and had a niche for business.
Schooling
Pablo Escobar is a native of Columbia, he was born in Rionegro, Columbia and his family then moved to Medellin shortly after his death (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). While still a kid he grew up very poor, just like the rest of the area he was born in. From his birth he was just a normal kid living in a normal family that didn’t have much funds from his family to support him. Although he was very poor his family wanted him to get an education, and sent him to school many schools. Although his parents wanted to get him an education he was sent home from two schools for not having enough money to buy the right shoes and pay for the funds (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo, even while attending grade school people started the future man that he was soon about to become.
Crime
Pablo started off with small crimes with his younger brother Roberto (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). They started off with small crimes such as stealing and doing drugs (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). A little while later he started stealing gravestones from local graveyards, grinding them down and then selling them (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Although this was not just gravestones, he started selling fake cigarettes as well as fake lottery tickets (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Soon after his involvement with his brother stealing and selling fake contraband he soon met up with the local smuggler Alvaro Pietro. While making a quick million in his early twenties smuggling drugs he got in an argument with a local drug lord, bigger then Alvaro and killed him (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). This led to his take over of the Medellin gang, his reign of violence, and his smuggling of fifteen tons a day of cocaine (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia).
Violence
Pablo Escobar’s violence was strained from his involvement in the cocaine industry. He had a private so called “Army” of over 1,000 men that were hired and train specifically to protect him and his lucrative drug operation (Watson). Many people wanted part in his success and his private army was there to protect him if anything went wrong. His private army of over 1,000 men killed anyone that tried to take part in his drug operation that were not allowed, many included rivals, disloyal friends, prosecutors, judges, do-gooders, policemen and journalists (Watson). The ones that Pablo and his so called army targeted were the policemen that tried to interfere with him. Pablo very quickly went form being labeled as a criminal to a “narco-terrorist” in one action. This action killed 107 people when he blew an airplane straight out of the air (World- Theage.com.au). This action frightened many people in the area and especially around the globe. It left a lasting impression on everyone in the country not to mess with him and that he should be feared. To try to reverse the image he had on the globe and country he started bribing cops and civilians with a new policy he called “plata o plomo” (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). This policy meant money or bullets, with Pablo and his armys main focus on bribing rather then bullets because of all the money Pablo could blow on whatever he wanted (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). Pablo’s new policy led to his involvement in corruption around Columbia. With much of the country being very poor people were on his side with the help of his money. One of these was a presidential candidate, Alfonso Lopez that received a bribe from Pablo Escobar and Lopez gave some insight on his opponent who in return Pablo had killed (World- Theage.com.au).
Corruption, and Marriage
Pablo happened to marry a very respectable, model and actress in the Columbian pop culture. People still speculate as to why she would marry, as people would call Pablo, “fat and violent person” but she did and they stayed together until he passed. She was recently interviewed about Pablo’s involvement in corruption. The age.com writes about the interview with Pablo’s beautiful wife, “In Colombia, which produces most of the world's cocaine, Ms Vallejo's affair with Escobar is seen as a telling example of the establishment's easy relationship with drug traffickers — the legitimate businesses that launder drug earnings, the elite social clubs that open their doors to drug lords and the politicians who exchange favors for briefcases of cash” (World- Theage.com.au). Pablo’s corruption around the world however benefitted the surrounding community of Columbia and many other people struggling to survive in the poor areas of Columbia.
Giving Back and Support
Pablo was not only a corrupt, and violent person; he helped the surrounding community as well as Columbia as a whole. With his net worth estimated between five to fifteen billion dollars he put a lot of that money into things that helped the poor and his community (Thompson). Pablo did things to the community that everyone not just the poor endured for example, he built schools, churches, hospitals, soccer fields, and built strong public relations with the community (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). People looked past his violent past and really respected him for his big heart that was hidden for so many years. Pablo’s brother reported that he relied more on calm negotiations rather then violence even while he was a kid (Pablo Escobar-Life and Influence of Pablo Escobar on Columbia). People looked past his violent past and really respected him for his support that he showed towards the country he was from. For example, every time a shipment reached the United States from Pablo’s cartel, fireworks were sent into the sky by his hometown of Medellin to show how much they respected Pablo even though his reputation was horrendous.
Pablo’s Death
The death of Pablo Escobar shocked the world and left a huge impact on the town of Medellin and the country. Two men that were very influential in the death of Pablo were the Rodriguez brothers from California. These two brothers were very involved in the cocaine trafficking business and top rivals with Pablo. Their plan was to come together with the Columbian task force to try and take down and destroy his cartel (The Rise and Fall from the Gentlemen of Cali). The Rodriguez brothers used legal actions along with help from the task forces of Columbia and spy planes from the United States to gather intel on Pablo’s daily actions (The Rise and Fall from the Gentlemen of Cali). Once they gathered enough information the task force from Columbia specifically designed to take down Pablo stormed his house for the take down. While Pablo Escobar was talking on his phone with his sixteen year old son, the Columbian task force was sent in for the take down, Pablo heard them and dropped the phone, while he ran up the upstairs window and over the rooftop, he was immediately swarmed with gunfire and died on the spot(Watson). Although he did in such a vulnerable and almost thief way being barefoot, his legacy in the Columbian area out weighed his success and violence during his drug involvement.
Conclusion
Pablo Escobar’s legacy lives on in Columbia since his death in 1993. With Pablo’s mass amounts of murders and billions of dollars racked up in his drug trade of cocaine, he was able to give back to the public and help the very poor neighborhood of Medellin Columbia. People today in the town of Medellin call Pablo a type of “Robin Hood” for donating millions of dollars to this small town (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Today you can even take tours of where Pablo lived and died as well as his gravesite and many other places that Pablo did activities such as hiding spots (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Also you can meet with Pablo’s brother Roberto if you have 55,000 pesos and talk to him over a cup of coffee about many different stories he has about Pablo’s cocaine organization (Pablo Escobar Tours of Medellin). Although that the owners of these tours are saying that they are not trying to glamorize Pablo I believe that Pablo’s death and legacy will forever live on as long as these tours are kept in place. People are naturally curious and live to see things such as the places the world’s most notorious drug lord hung out and lived.
Word Count: 1746