Editing Pablo Escobar (section)

== Criminal career ==
{{See also|Illegal drug trade in Colombia|Illegal drug trade in Panama|Illegal drug trade in the Bahamas}}

=== Early ===
Escobar started his criminal career with his gang by stealing tombstones, sandblasting their inscriptions, and reselling them. After dropping out of school, Escobar began to join gangs to steal cars.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfAi3Tt1bygC&pg=PT18|title=Escobar|first=Roberto|last=Escobar|year=2012|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-1848942912|access-date=19 May 2023|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018200016/https://books.google.com/books?id=GfAi3Tt1bygC&pg=PT18|url-status=live}}</ref> Escobar soon became involved in violent crime, employing criminals to kidnap people who owed him money and demand ransoms, sometimes tearing up ransom notes even when Escobar had received the ransom. His most famous kidnapping victim was businessman Diego Echavarria, who was kidnapped and eventually killed in the summer of 1971, Escobar received a $50,000 ransom from the Echavarria family; his gang became well known for this kidnapping.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bowden |first1=Mark |title=Killing Pablo |date=2001 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84354-651-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/killingpablohunt0000bowd_a3w9 |url-access=registration |access-date=19 June 2023 |pages=33–37}}</ref>

=== Medellín Cartel ===
[[File:CIA Map of International illegal drug connections.gif|thumb|400px|International drug routes]]
Escobar had been involved in organized crime for a decade when the cocaine trade began to spread in Colombia in the mid-1970s. Escobar's meteoric rise caught the attention of the [[Administrative Department of Security|Colombian Security Service]] (DAS), who arrested him in May 1976 on his return from drug trafficking in Ecuador. DAS agents found 39&nbsp;kg of cocaine in the spare tire of Escobar's car. Escobar managed to change the first judge in the lawsuit and [[bribed]] the second judge, so he was released along with other prisoners. The following year, the agent who arrested Escobar was assassinated. Escobar continued to bribe and [[intimidate]] Colombian [[Law enforcement agency|law enforcement agencies]] in the same fashion. His [[Carrot and stick|carrot-and-stick]] strategy of [[Bribery|bribing]] public officials and political candidates in Colombia, in addition to sending [[Contract killing|hitmen]] to murder the ones who rejected his bribes, came to be known as "silver or lead", meaning "money or death".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Torres |first1=Rubén Ortiz |title=Plata O Plomo O Glitter |url=https://www.royaleprojects.com/exhib-plata-o-plomo-o-glitter |website=royaleprojects.com |access-date=19 June 2023 |date=9 February 2020 |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018195913/https://www.royaleprojects.com/exhib-plata-o-plomo-o-glitter |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="about" />{{sfn|Bowden|2001|pp=40–42}} The Medellín Cartel and the [[Cali Cartel]] both managed to bribe Colombian [[politician]]s, and campaigned for both the [[Colombian Conservative Party|Conservative]] and [[Colombian Liberal Party|Liberal]] parties.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Rubio |first=Mauricio |title=Colombia: Coexistence, Legal Confrontation, and War with Illegal Armed Groups |url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/dangerousliasons_ch4_colombia.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115171649/https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/dangerousliasons_ch4_colombia.pdf |archive-date=2021-11-15 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/11/14/colombias-drug-lords-waging-war-on-leftists/482456d3-9ec7-484d-adf1-d2c020d72124|title=COLOMBIA'S DRUG LORDS WAGING WAR ON LEFTISTS|first=Merrill|last=Collett|date=14 November 1987|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=13 August 2023|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315194406/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/11/14/colombias-drug-lords-waging-war-on-leftists/482456d3-9ec7-484d-adf1-d2c020d72124/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hence, Escobar and many other Colombian drug lords were [[Political corruption|pulling strings in every level of the Colombian government]] because many of the [[Candidate|political candidates]] whom they backed financially were eventually elected.<ref name=":0" /> Although the Medellín Cartel was only established in the early 1970s, it expanded after Escobar met several drug lords on a farm in April 1978, and by the end of 1978 they had transported some 19,000 kilograms of cocaine to the United States.<ref>{{cite book| author = Chepsiuk, Ron| title = The War on Drugs: An International Encyclopedia| year = 1999| page = 133| location = Santa Barbara, California| publisher = ABC-Clio| isbn = 978-0-87436-985-4| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=V1rjd3cBI84C| language = en| access-date = 2022-06-07| archive-date = 2022-06-07| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220607125129/https://books.google.fi/books?id=V1rjd3cBI84C}}</ref>

=== Rise to prominence ===
[[File:CocaineHydrochloridePowder.jpg|thumb|Powder cocaine was manufactured, packaged, and sold by Pablo Escobar and [[Medellín Cartel|his associates]], and eventually distributed to the U.S. drug market.|alt=]]
Soon, the demand for cocaine greatly increased in the [[United States]], which led to Escobar organizing more smuggling shipments, routes, and distribution networks in [[South Florida]], [[California]], [[Puerto Rico]], and other parts of the country. He and cartel co-founder [[Carlos Lehder]] worked together to develop a new trans-shipment point in the [[Bahamas]], an island called [[Norman's Cay]] about {{convert|220|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} southeast of the Florida coast. Escobar and [[Robert Vesco]] purchased most of the land on the island, which included a {{convert|1|km|ft|adj=on}} airstrip, a harbor, a hotel, houses, boats, and aircraft, and they built a refrigerated warehouse to store the cocaine. According to his brother, Escobar did not purchase Norman's Cay; it was instead a sole venture of Lehder's. From 1978 to 1982, this was used as a central smuggling route for the Medellín Cartel. With the enormous profits generated by this route, Escobar was soon able to purchase {{convert|7.7|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2|order=flip}} of land in Antioquia for several million dollars, on which he built the [[Hacienda Nápoles]]. The luxury house he created contained a [[zoo]], a lake, a sculpture garden, a private bullring, and other amenities for his family and the cartel.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1309.html|title=The godfather of cocaine|work=Frontline|publisher=WGBH|access-date=7 September 2017|archive-date=2 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402034547/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1309.html}}</ref>

=== Escobar at the height of his power ===
{{See also|Avianca Flight 203|DAS Building bombing}}
At the height of his power, Escobar was involved in philanthropy in Colombia and paid handsomely for the staff of his cocaine lab. Escobar spent millions developing some of Medellín's poorest neighborhoods. He built housing complexes, parks, football stadiums, hospitals, schools, and churches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latinpost.com/articles/148055/20201025/things-know-pablo-escobar.htm|title=Pablo Escobar: Interesting Facts You May Not Know About the King of Cocaine|date=25 October 2020|website=LATIN POST|access-date=13 August 2023|archive-date=18 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018195915/https://www.latinpost.com/articles/148055/20201025/things-know-pablo-escobar.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/pablo-escobar-biopic-cocaine-king-full-dizzying-contradictions-351645|title=Pablo Escobar Biopic: The Cocaine King Full of Contradictions|first=Rudolph|last=Herzog|date=9 July 2015|website=Newsweek|access-date=13 August 2023|archive-date=13 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813174640/https://www.newsweek.com/pablo-escobar-biopic-cocaine-king-full-dizzying-contradictions-351645|url-status=live}}</ref> Escobar also entered politics in the 1980s and participated in and supported the formation of the Liberal Party of Colombia. In 1982, he successfully entered the Colombian Congress. Although only an alternate, he was automatically granted parliamentary immunity and the right to a diplomatic passport under Colombian law. At the same time, Escobar was gradually becoming a public figure, and because of his charitable work, he was known as "Robin Hood Paisa". He alleged once in an interview that his fortune came from a bicycle rental company he founded when he was 16 years old.{{sfn|Bowden|2001|pp=48–57}}

[[File:LuisCarlosGalan RodrigoLaraBonilla NancyRestrepodeLara.jpg|thumb|left|The Justice Minister [[Rodrigo Lara]] (center) and presidential candidate [[Luis Carlos Galán]] (left) were both assassinated by orders of Escobar.]]
In Congress, the new Minister of Justice, [[Rodrigo Lara|Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla]], had become Escobar's opponent, accusing Escobar of criminal activity from the first day of Congress. Escobar's arrest in 1976 was investigated by Lara-Bonilla's subordinates. A few months later, Liberal leader [[Luis Carlos Galán]] expelled Escobar from the party. Although Escobar fought back, he announced his retirement from politics in January 1984. Three months later, Lara-Bonilla was murdered.{{sfn|Bowden|2001|pp=63–67}}

The Colombian judiciary had been a target of Escobar throughout the mid-1980s. While bribing and murdering several judges, in the fall of 1985, the wanted Escobar requested the Colombian government to allow his conditional surrender without extradition to the United States. The proposal was initially rejected, and Escobar subsequently founded and implicitly supported the ''Los Extraditable'' Organization, which aims to fight extradition policy. The ''Los Extraditable'' Organization was subsequently accused of participating in an effort to prevent the Colombian Supreme Court from studying the constitutionality of Colombia's extradition treaty with the United States. It supported the far-left guerrilla movement that attacked the Colombian Judiciary Building and killed half of the justices of the Supreme Court on 6 November 1985. In late 1986, Colombia's Supreme Court declared the previous extradition treaty illegal due to being signed by a presidential delegation, not the president. Escobar's victory over the judiciary was short-lived, with new president [[Virgilio Barco Vargas]] having quickly renewed his agreement with the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://historico.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Noviembre162006/pablo.html|newspaper=El Pais|title=Cali Colombia Nacional Pablo Escobar financió la toma del Palacio de Justicia Escobar financió toma del Palacio de Justicia|access-date=12 September 2015|archive-date=24 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024175428/http://historico.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Noviembre162006/pablo.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Bowden|2001|pp=82–85}}

Escobar still held a grudge against Luis Carlos Galán for kicking him out of politics, so Galán was assassinated on 18 August 1989 at Escobar's orders. Escobar then planted a bomb on [[Avianca Flight 203]] in an attempt to assassinate Galán's successor, [[César Gaviria|César Gaviria Trujillo]], who missed the plane and survived. All 107 people were killed in the blast. Because two Americans were also killed in the bombing, the U.S. government began to intervene directly.{{sfn|Bowden|2001|pp=93–94}}<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/28/world/crime-legal-world/25-years-colombia-still-mourns-escobar-plane-bombing-still-wants-answers/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160624082736/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/28/world/crime-legal-world/25-years-colombia-still-mourns-escobar-plane-bombing-still-wants-answers| url-status = dead| archive-date = 24 June 2016| title = 25 years on, Colombia still mourns Escobar plane bombing, still wants answers| work = The Japan Times| date = 2016-07-08| access-date = 2016-07-30| language = en}}</ref>

==== La Catedral prison ====
{{Main|La Catedral}}
After the assassination of Luis Carlos Galán, the administration of [[César Gaviria]] moved against Escobar and the drug cartels. Eventually, the government negotiated with Escobar and convinced him to surrender and cease all criminal activity in exchange for a reduced sentence and preferential treatment during his captivity. Declaring an end to a series of previous violent acts meant to pressure authorities and public opinion, Escobar surrendered to Colombian authorities in 1991. Before he gave himself up, the extradition of Colombian citizens to the United States had been prohibited by the newly approved [[Colombian Constitution of 1991]]. This act was controversial, as it was suspected that Escobar and other drug lords had influenced members of the Constituent Assembly in passing the law. Escobar was confined in what became his own luxurious private prison, [[La Catedral]], which featured a football pitch, a giant dollhouse, a bar, a Jacuzzi, and a waterfall. Accounts of Escobar's continued criminal activities while in prison began to surface in the media, which prompted the government to attempt to move him to a more conventional jail on 22 July 1992. Escobar's influence allowed him to discover the plan in advance and make a successful escape, spending the remainder of his life evading the police.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/23/world/colombian-drug-baron-escapes-luxurious-prison-after-gunfight.html?pagewanted=3&src=pm|title=Colombian Drug Baron Escapes Luxurious Prison After Gunfight|last=Treaster|first=Joseph B.|date=23 July 1992|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=21 July 2011|archive-date=2 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502091622/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/23/world/colombian-drug-baron-escapes-luxurious-prison-after-gunfight.html?pagewanted=3&src=pm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1992/jul/24/colombia.fromthearchive|title=Escobar escape humiliates Colombian leaders|first=Timothy|last=Ross|date=24 July 1992|via=www.theguardian.com|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=7 February 2017|archive-date=3 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403181537/https://www.theguardian.com/world/1992/jul/24/colombia.fromthearchive|url-status=live}}</ref>