Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was one of the most notorious villains of all time and is known as “The world’s greatest outlaw.” Escobar was born on December 1, 1949 in Rionegro, a small village close to Medellín, Columbia. He came from an extremely poor family; he and his brother Roberto were once sent home from school as they could not afford to buy any shoes. He briefly studied at Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana but was forced to leave as he was unable to pay the fees required. This was the point when his criminal career began. He and his brother allegedly stole gravestones and sanded them down to be resold. He then moved into other crimes, such as street scams and stealing cars.
In the 1970s, Escobar was introduced to smuggling by Alvaro Prieto, who was a local smuggler with many connections. Escobar then began to distribute powder cocaine himself, meaning he would make more money for himself. Escobar also established the first smuggling routes into the United States in 1975. His infiltration into the drug market of the U.S. expanded exponentially due to the rising demand for cocaine in the U.S. By the 1980s, it was estimated that 70 to 80 tons of cocaine were being shipped from Colombia to the U.S. monthly. His rise continued when infamous Medellín drug dealer Fabio Restrepo was murdered and all his workers were told that they now worked for Escobar, making him the head of the Medellín Cartel, one of the largest drug cartels in history. As the demand for cocaine in the US grew, so did Escobar’s empire. Escobar and his brother were soon organizing distribution networks through Panama, Bahama, and South Florida, among other areas in the U.S.1
At the height of his criminal career, Escobar and his cartel controlled over 80 percent of the global cocaine market. Escobar was the wealthiest criminal in history, with an estimated known net worth of US $30 billion by the early 1990s (equivalent to about $55 billion as of 2016). During the height of its operations, the Medellín Cartel made more than 70 million U.S. dollars per day (roughly $26 billion in a year), smuggling 15 tons of cocaine per day, with a street value of over half a billion dollars, into the United States. The cartel spent over $1000 per week purchasing rubber bands just to hold stacks of cash together to store in their warehouses. Ten percent of this cash had to be written off each year because it would be eaten by rats.1
During his early life, Escobar learnt that police were open to bribes, but as he became more powerful, he developed his own policy: ‘plata o ploma,’ simply meaning ‘silver or lead.’ This policy led to the death of hundreds of policemen and state officials, which solidified Escobar’s reputation as a cold ruthless killer as well as a drug lord. Escobar apparently said, “better a grave in Columbia than a gringo jail.” Being extradited to the U.S. was his biggest fear. After multiple failed attempts to capture Escobar, the government offered a $400,000 reward for whoever killed him. This resulted in Escobar declaring war on the Columbian government. His wealth was enough to start this war, as he offered a reward to anyone who murdered a police officer. Over 600 officers were killed, making Columbia the murder capital of the world in 1991 and 1992.1
However, there is another side of Pablo Escobar that we often fail to hear about, as it is clouded by all the bad things he did. He was always willing to give back to the people of Columbia. Many people in Columbia still believe that Escobar did a lot more to better the lives of the poor and less privileged than the Colombian government ever did. Many poor people in Columbia felt neglected by the government, whereas when Escobar was alive they had someone to help them. Coming from a background of poverty himself, he knew how tough life was for the poor, and always shared his money and wealth with the community. Escobar made sure everyone in his community was taken care of. He provided work and shelter for those who needed jobs or residences. Even to this day, Escobar is referred to as “The Godfather” or “Robin Hood” by his people because of the invaluable contributions he made for the society. For example, he constructed numerous housing projects so that everyone at least had a place to live. He is also responsible for establishing and funding soccer teams and leagues in Colombia as well as building countless numbers of churches, hospitals, and schools across the country. He advocated education for the children.4
There are two completely different sides to the story of Pablo Escobar. Most people know the story of a ruthless, atrocious criminal that ruined and took the lives of countless numbers of innocent victims. On the other hand, by some, especially the working class in Columbia, he is thought of as a very respectable human being who made irreplaceable contributions and gave back freely to the community genuinely out of his good will to better the lives of the poor and less fortunate. A large amount of the working and lower class of Columbia are grateful to Escobar because of all the things he did for them. Escobar came from nothing and made something out of his life, and although what he did was illegal, he used a large portion of his proceeds towards good causes. Escobar wanted to make Columbia better and improve the quality of life for the people. Although he achieved this through criminal activity, he did achieve his goals. During the era of Escobar, Columbia’s quality of life was on the rise.5
However, the good things Escobar did do not make up for all the innocent lives that he ended. Some people think that the Columbian government is partially to blame for the deaths of the officers by putting so many on the front line to try to capture him. Escobar was so powerful that he had so many people willing to fight against the officers for him that many of the officers had no chance in a firefight against the cartel. It is a matter of opinion as to how people see Pablo Escobar. Most people see him as a major criminal; however, many people in Columbia still believe that Escobar used his wealth for good intentions.
- Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, 2014, s.v. “Pablo Escobar Dominates the International Cocaine Trade,” by Jennifer Stock. ↵
- Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, 2014, s.v. “Pablo Escobar Dominates the International Cocaine Trade,” by Jennifer Stock. ↵
- Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, 2014, s.v. “Pablo Escobar Dominates the International Cocaine Trade,” by Jennifer Stock. ↵
- Ron Chepesiuk, Escobar Versus Cali: The War of the Cartels (South Carolina: Rock Hill, 2013), 48-50. ↵
- Aldona Bialowas Pobutsky, “Peddling Pablo: Escobar’s Cultural Renaissance,” Hispania Vol. 96, No. 4 (December 2013): 684-699. ↵
70 comments
Derek Esquivel
Pablo Escobar is and was the most insane person to ever live because of what he was able to do in his lifetime; even though it was illegal what he was able to do at that period of time is just so crazy to even fathom about. Escobar was such a smart person when it came down to what his next move was going to be and it always seemed like he was one step ahead of everyone that was trying to get in his way. I do believe that he was a good guy despite him being the criminal that he was and he still was at least able to give back to the people of Columbia and give them the voice and leadership that they were truly wanting.
Edgar Ramon
Escobar did give back to the people, but just as paid indulgences are not valid, paying off people to ignore the killing and torture going on around them does not exculpate them. This is a man who blew up planes with many innocent civilians, who took hostages, and killed witnesses who were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do not agree that Pablo was good because he gave money, I’m glad he was stopped, and hope that Colombians are safer for it.
Noah Laing
I’ve always seen Pablo Escobar as one of the most powerful criminals in history, due to the respect of the people that surrounded him, Escobar could do basically anything he wanted and get anything he wanted, a power that is pursued by many individuals. Since Escobar used drugs and manipulation to gain his power, many perceive him as an evil person. I’m not defending Escobar and his actions, however this article sheds some light on a few of Escobar’s motives, which include giving back to those in need and helping out the people he felt gave him the opportunity to be in the position he was, due to that I think people could see somewhat of an empathetic side to Escobar after reading this article.
Carlos Sandoval
It seemed like he tried to take a Robin Hood role in his country. However it was not all that good, the killings and drug trading were a bad way for it. It was good though that he gave back to the community to help them live better. It is insane that he had such a strong hold over the people of Colombia. I watched the Narcos documentary and thought that told a lot about him but I still learned some new information about him, from reading the article.
Austin Pena
Great Article! It was interesting read on how he began to expand his drug trade during the crack epidemic in the 80’s and how his work in the cartel eventually lead to him supply 80% of the worlds cocaine. Even though he was a ruthless criminal who was responsible for the deaths of many, the good that he did for the people in this country is something to always remember. He started from nothing, and built something to give back to those who were being neglected and forgotten about, and even though i do not agree with all the killings he was apart of apart of me is happy to see that he also used his money and power in a good way for his people.
Angelica Padilla
This article is very informative about the life of Pablo Escobar and his coming to be as a criminal. I never knew Pablo Escobar gave to the poor communities from where he grow up from, especially using illegal money. I’m sure he had the right intentions to helping the community around him building and fixing hospitals, schools, churches, etc., as well as being the type of person to hold a lot of power in the cartel business.
Carlos Vazquez
Pablo Escobar is a name known around the world. The magnitude of his drug empire was never seen before and perhaps has not been seen since. The “Robin hood” image he received, led the people to lose trust in the ineffective government of Columbia and is partially responsible for the level of power Escobar was able to achieve. Although he helped the poor citizens it is undeniable that he single handedly sparked the worst violence Columbia has ever experienced and launched the 1980s cocaine epidemic in the U.S.
Samuel Stallcup
This article provides a good and vivid description of what Escobar’s life was like, and what Escobar’s demeanor was. His beginnings are quite interesting too; I was not aware that Escobar almost immediately went to crime after he left schooling. His jump from small crimes to big, organized crime seemed pretty soon, too. Escobar will remain as one of the most important examples of how big and dangerous organized crime can be, and how much of an influence it can have.
Luis Morales
I have always wanted to know the story behind Pablo Escobar and how he came to power during his lifetime. It is absurd to think that a man so ruthless could be so loved by the people of Colombia. It was interesting to read about how Pablo won the love of his community by only giving back the money he illegally obtained. I guess it is good o help out your community when you have more resources than you can count.
Alexandra Cantu
Pablo Escobar is the worlds most famous drug lord. I thought I knew everything about him until I read this article. The amount of power one person must of have to have others do his crimes and take the lives of many innocent people is crazy. I was shocked to find out this ruthless criminal gave back to the needy and unprivileged. He gave the people a place to stay, relax, and be thankful for. I guess deep down way deep down he still had feelings.