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When people think of Pablo Escobar’s death, they mostly think about the blaze of glory often portrayed in movies. Or they think about the vicious man that Colombia and America painted in the 90s. Others even think about the “Narcos” kingpin that blew up an Orejuela wedding.

However, the books written by Pablo Escobar’s son, Sebastián Marroquín (Juan Pablo Escobar) show a different side to the famed monster.

Don’t get us wrong, he is the same man that killed over hundreds of people. However, there’s another side of him that the Colombian people knew more intimately. So much so that the Colombians mourned his death all night. As the New York Daily News describes, after Pablo Escobar’s death, the “locals wailed and moaned, hailing the dead drug lord as a savior of the poor.”

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So who is the real man behind the persona?

Well, firstly, Pablo came from a humble background traced all the way back to his hometown, Rionegro, Colombia. Ati states that Pablo Escobar’s father, Abel de Jesús Escobar Echeverri, was a farmer, while his mother, Hermilda de los Dolores Gaviria Berrío, was a school teacher.

Pablo Escobar’s Life

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Robin Hood

His humble beginning lends significantly to the man he became with time. Pablo Escobar wanted a different future for his children, where money was no object. However, when he made it to his high position as the Medellin cartel’s leader, he never forgot the little people.

In his latest book, “The Accountant’s Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellín Cartel” by Roberto Escobar, Pablo Escobar’s brother explains how Pablo’s generosity always extended to the people. He built entire towns. The kingpin gave away thousands of homes for the less fortunate. He also funded people’s medical expenses, built schools so more Colombian children could enjoy an education and built more hospitals.

In fact, according to Ati, “Escobar’s open support for the poor and his wish to become Colombia’s president earned him the nickname ‘Robin Hood.’ Robin Hood robbed and sometimes murdered the rich, to give their money to the poor. However, unlike the heroic outlaw in English folklore, not all of Pablo’s murders were selfless.”

The Family Man
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He was not only the Colombian people’s Robin Hood, but he was also his family’s knight in shining armor. Pablo Escobar catered to his wife, Maria Victoria Henao, and his family to supply for all their needs. Ati supplied many examples of his familial efforts.

In one of Pablo’s houses, he built a zoo exclusive for his family and friends. It contained giraffes, elephants, hippos and other animals so that his family could have a fun day at the zoo at their leisure. Another heartwarming incident came from when Pablo and his family were on the run. Apparently, when Pablo and his family were hiding in a cave away from his cartel and governmental pursuers, he burned around 20 million dollars to keep his daughter from getting cold.

Some say she had pneumonia, and others say it was to prevent that occurrence. However, this situation shows that the monster mask Pablo wore for his enemies and the people who simply stood in his way was different from the man that provided for the poor and doted on his family.

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Pablo Escobar Interesting Facts:
  • He married his wife in 1976, right before his cartel career began at 27. She was only 15.
  • Pablo was a huge supporter of Medellin’s Atletico Nacional soccer team. According to NY Daily Times, he funded the team and went to many games. Atletico Nacional won the Copa Libertadores, a revered tournament in South America,
  • The Medellin cartel leader escaped from prison on July 22, 1992. This happened when Colombian officials tried to transfer him to a traditional prison after they found out the prison he created was more like a resort where he could continue his drug operations, reports The Daily Beast. Who knows, maybe El Chapo learned his prison disappearing acts from Pablo.

His Last Days

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His Brother’s Involvement

According to the Los Angeles Times and Business Insider, five different entities had to come together to take Pablo Escobar down: Pablo’s brother, the Cali cartel, Los PEPES and both the Colombian and U.S. governments.

Yes, you read that right, Pablo’s brother turned on him in the end. Sebastián Marroquín, Pablo’s son, wrote the following excerpt in his book, “Pablo Escobar: My Father”:

“My uncle Roberto Escobar, the official informant of the DEA, actively contributed to delivering him to his enemies. Him, his siblings, and even his own mother. It is a story that I’m not proud of, and I wish it had been … a story about family values, respect, and company, and affection, but sadly it was not like that.”

We agree with Sebastián, we wish it had been a story about family values as well. It’s easy to expect your enemies to stab you in the back, but not your own flesh and blood.

And Pablo surely accumulated a lot of enemies during his reign.

Los PEPES and the Cali cartel’s Involvement
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For a detailed explanation of the Cali cartel’s involvement, read our article that explains who they are and all they did to take down their competition. But in short, they were former members of the Medellin cartel who didn’t like that Pablo ruled like a monarch. They funded and headed the people that didn’t conform to laws in their pursuit: Los PEPES and British mercenaries.

According to this “Information paper on Los PEPES,” PEPES fittingly stands for “People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar.” They became a paramilitary group after Pablo murdered the Moncada and Galeano brothers. Apparently, this action split up the Medellin cartel and created the enemies that would act as the muscle in Pablo’s take-down. Los PEPES, on the other hand, mostly acted as the footmen. They set the bombs and murdered Pablo’s running men to add extra pressure to the kingpin.

However, beyond ill will, the Colombian and U.S. governments had broader motives in their Pablo pursuit. Colombia wanted to avenge the public officials that Pablo killed, but they also wanted to prove to the world that all of their problems with violence and drugs came from Pablo and his cartel.

As Antonio Caballero from the Semana Magazine aptly explained, “The assassinations, the bribes, and the corruption will continue [after Pablo’s Death] because the [drug trafficking] business will continue … The only novelty is that with Pablo Escobar dead there will be no one to blame for everything that happens.”

As for the issue the United States had with Pablo, it all boils down to the bottom line. The U.S. did not like how much money was leaving the country. Money spent on cocaine from Pablo was the exact same amount not spent on local businesses and the U.S. economy.

Pablo Escobar’s Death and What He Left Behind

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December 2, 1993

According to the LA Times, after chasing him for 16 months, they found Pablo hiding out in one of his apartments after they traced a call he made to his son. When Pablo found out everyone was hot on his tail, he tried to escape via the roof. However, he was instantly met with dozens of bullets. Los PEPES, the Cali cartel and the Colombian and U.S. governments claim they made the final shot that ended the cartel leader. Apparently, the bullet pierced through his ear into his brain and killed the kingpin instantly. However, Pablo’s family, the weapon and the entry of the wound indicate that it may have been Pablo himself that made the final shot.

Sebastián Marroquín wrote in “Pablo Escobar: My Father” that Pablo told him multiple times that he would shoot himself in the ear before he let his enemies catch him alive. Additionally, the gun that belonged to the lethal bullet matched the make of Pablo’s own weapon.

When the World Still Turns
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After Pablo Escobar’s Death, about 25,000 Colombian people held a funeral procession. The pain and sadness were palpable under the barrage of rain. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Douglas Farah explained that “‘thousands of bereaved admirers’” celebrated Pablo’s life. They would keep alive the memory of the man who spent millions of dollars on the people of Colombia.

But these moments of peace to grieve their Robin Hood didn’t last long. Soon his family had to go on the run to avoid Pablo’s enemies. But although the family found some of the money the cartel leader stashed for his family in the event of his death, they couldn’t stay in one place long enough to settle down and build a new life. And most family members chose to stay out of the spotlight after Pablo Escobar’s death, except his son.

Sebastián Marroquín went on to write a book, create a documentary titled, “Sins of my Father,” and talk with many journalists about his experiences as the infamous Medellin cartel leader’s son.

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Pablo Escobar Interesting Facts:

And for those of you who still want to know more, here are some other facts we’ve compiled about Pablo Escobar.

  • EMGN reports that Pablo’s responsible for the hippo population in Colombia. Some hippos from his personal zoo wandered off during the transition to a more established Zoo after Pablo Escobar’s death. These few wanderers turned into 50 to 60 hippos that currently swim in Colombian waters.
  • In memory on Pablo Escobar, his Colombian home was turned into a theme park, Ati shares. It contains his collection of cars, huge dinosaur statues and a few of the original animals from his zoo.
  • As they repossessed most of his belongings, the authorities confiscated a self-help book titled, “The Power of Positive Thinking.”
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