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{{About|the Medellín Cartel drug lord}} |
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{{Spanish name|Escobar|Gaviria}} |
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{{Infobox criminal |
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| | death_place = [[Medellín]], [[Colombia]] |
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| alias = El Patrón, Don Pablo,<br>El Señor, El Robin Edzards Criollo |
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| conviction = [[Illegal drug trade|Drug trafficking and smuggling]], [[assassination]]s, [[bombing]], [[bribery]], [[Racket (crime)|racketeering]], [[money laundering]], [[murder]], [[political corruption]] |
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| conviction_penalty = 60 years imprisonment |
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| conviction_status = Deceased |
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| occupation = Head of the [[Medellín Cartel]] |
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| spouse = Maria Victoria Henao |
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| parents = |
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| children = Juan Pablo, Manuela Escobar }} |
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{{Medellin_Cartel}} |
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'''Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria''' (December 1, 1949{{spaced ndash}}December 2, 1993) was a [[Colombian people|Colombian]] [[drug lord]] and [[narcoterrorist]], an elusive [[cocaine]] [[Drug trafficking|trafficker]]<ref name="colombialink.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.colombialink.com/01_INDEX/index_personajes/narcotrafico/escobar_gaviria_pablo_ing.html |title=Pablo Escobar Gaviria – English Biography – Articles and Notes |publisher=ColombiaLink.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> and an extremely rich criminal.<ref>{{cite web|author=Business |url=http://businessnews.za.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=155873587&page=1 |title=Pablo Emilio Escobar 1949 – 1993 9 Billion USD – The business of crime – 5 'success' stories |publisher=Businessnews.za.msn.com |date=2011-01-17 |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> In 1983, he had a short-lived career in Colombian politics. |
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==Early life== |
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Pablo Escobar was born in the town of [[Rionegro]],<ref>[http://www.questia.com/library/1P2-33439783/obituary-pablo-escobar ''Independent'' (London) obituary]</ref> [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]], [[Colombia]], the third of seven children to Abel de Jesús Dari Escobar, a farmer, and Hemilda Gaviria, an elementary school teacher.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kean.edu/~eslprog/accents/2005/page2005_7.html |title=''Pablo Escobar'' by Marcela Grajales |publisher=Accents Magazine, Kean University |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> As a teenager on the streets of Medellín, he would begin his [[criminal]] [[career]], allegedly stealing gravestones and sanding them down for resale to [[smugglers]]. His brother, Roberto Escobar, denies this, claiming that the gravestones came from cemetery owners whose clients had stopped paying for site care and that they had a relative who had a legitimate monuments business.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richestperson.org/colombian-drug-lord-pablo-escobar/ |title=Escobar Seventh Richest Man in the World in 1989 |publisher=Richest Person.org |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> He studied for a short time at the [[University of Antioquia]].<ref>{{cite web | last =Fox | first =Ken | title =The Private Archives Of Pablo Escobar: Review | work =Reviews | publisher =TV Guide | url =http://movies.tvguide.com/private-archives-pablo/review/137624 | accessdate =1 December 2010 }}</ref> |
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Pablo was involved in many drug activities in Puerto Vallarta with Oscar Bernal Aguirre—running petty street scams, selling contraband cigarettes and fake lottery tickets, and stealing cars.<ref name="colombialink.com"/> In the early 1970s, he was a thief and bodyguard, and he made a quick $100,000 on the side kidnapping and ransoming a Medellín executive before entering the drug trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-03-10/news/9103080293_1_pablo-escobar-medellin-cartel-cocaine/2 |title=Colombian Druglord Trying To Turn Wealth Into Respect – Page 2 – Orlando Sentinel |publisher=Articles.orlandosentinel.com |date=1991-03-10 |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> His next step on the ladder was to become a millionaire by working for the multi-millionaire contraband smuggler Alvaro Prieto. Pablo's childhood ambition was to become a [[millionaire]] by the time he was 22.<ref name=accountant/> |
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==Rise to power== |
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In ''The Accountant's Story'', Pablo's brother, Roberto Escobar, discusses how Pablo rose from [[poverty]] and obscurity to become one of the wealthiest men in the world. At the height of its power, the Medellín drug cartel was smuggling 15 tons of cocaine a day, worth more than half a billion dollars, into the United States. According to Roberto, Pablo's accountant, he and his brother's operation spent $2500 a month just purchasing rubber bands to wrap the stacks of cash—and since they had more illegal money than they could deposit in the banks, they stored the bricks of cash in their warehouses, annually writing off 10% as "spoilage" when the rats crept in at night and nibbled on the hundred dollar bills.<ref name=accountant>{{cite web|url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Accountants-Story/Roberto-Escobar/e/9780446178921 |title=The Accountant's Story, Roberto Escobar, (9780446178921) Hardcover – Barnes & Noble |publisher=Search.barnesandnoble.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> |
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In 1975, Escobar started developing his [[cocaine]] operation. He even flew a plane himself several times, mainly between Colombia and Panama, to smuggle a load into the [[United States]]. When he later bought 15 new and bigger airplanes (including a Learjet) and 6 helicopters, he decommissioned the plane and hung it above the gate to his ranch at [[Hacienda Napoles]]. His reputation grew after a well known Medellín dealer named Fabio Restrepo was murdered in 1975 ostensibly by Escobar, from whom he had purchased 14 kilograms. Afterwards, all of Restrepo's men were informed that they now worked for Pablo Escobar. In May 1976 Escobar and several of his men were arrested and were found in possession of {{convert|39|lb|kg|0}} of white paste after returning to Medellín with a heavy load from Ecuador. Initially, Pablo tried unsuccessfully to bribe the Medellín judges who were forming the case against him. Instead, after many months of legal wrangling Pablo had the two arresting officers bribed and the case was dropped. It was here that he began his pattern of dealing with the authorities by either bribing them or killing them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medellintraveler.com/escobar.html |title=Pablo Escobar – The Medellin Cartel |publisher=Medellintraveler.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> Roberto Escobar maintains Pablo fell into the business simply because contraband became too dangerous to traffic. There were no drug cartels then and only a few drug barons, so there was plenty of business for everyone. In [[Peru]], they bought the cocaine paste, which they refined in a laboratory in a two-story house in Medellín. On his first trip, Pablo bought a paltry £30 worth of paste in what was to become the first step towards the building of his empire. At first, he smuggled the cocaine in old plane tires and a pilot could earn as much as £500,000 a flight depending on how much he could smuggle.<ref name="dailyrecord.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2009/03/16/amazing-story-of-how-pablo-escobar-came-to-be-the-richest-crook-in-history-86908-21201734/ |title=Amazing story of how Pablo Escobar came to be the richest crook in history |publisher=The Daily Record |date= |accessdate=2011-03-16}}</ref> |
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Soon the demand for cocaine was skyrocketing in the [[United States]] and Pablo organized more smuggling shipments, routes, and distribution networks in South Florida, California and other parts of the USA. He and [[Carlos Lehder]] worked together to develop a new island trans-shipment point in the [[Bahamas]], called [[Norman's Cay]]. Carlos and [[Robert Vesco]] purchased most of the land on the Island which included a 3,300 foot airstrip, a harbor, hotel, houses, boats, aircraft and even built a refrigerated warehouse to store the cocaine. From 1978–1982, this was used as a central smuggling route for the [[Medellín Cartel]]. (According to his brother's account, Pablo did not purchase Norman's Cay. It was, instead, a sole venture of Carlos Lehder.) Escobar was able to purchase the {{convert|7.7|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} of land, which included Hacienda Napoles, for several million dollars. He created a zoo, a lake and other diversions for his family and organization.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1309.html Frontline: The Godfather of Cocaine]</ref> At one point it was estimated that 70 to 80 tons of cocaine were being shipped from Colombia to the U.S. every month. At the peak of his power in the mid-1980s, he was shipping as much as 11 tonnes per flight in jetliners to the United States (the biggest load shipped by Pablo was 23,000 kg mixed with fish paste and shipped via boat, this is confirmed by his brother in the book Escobar). In addition to using the planes, Pablo's brother, Roberto Escobar, said he also used two small remote-controlled submarines as a way to transport the massive loads (these subs were, in fact, manned and this is again documented in Roberto's book).<ref name="colombialink.com"/> |
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In 1982, Escobar was elected as a deputy/alternative representative to the House of Representatives of [[Congress of Colombia|Colombia's Congress]], as part of the [[Colombian Liberal Party]].<ref>"Así conocí a Pablo Escobar". Revista Semana. May 12, 2007.</ref> During the 1980s, Escobar became known internationally as his drug network gained notoriety; the [[Medellín Cartel]] controlled a large portion of the drugs that entered into the United States, [[Mexico]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[Dominican Republic]] with [[cocaine]] brought mostly from [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]], as Colombian [[coca]] was initially of substandard quality. Escobar's product reached many other nations, mostly around [[Americas|America]], although it is said that his network reached as far as [[Asia]]. |
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Corruption and intimidation characterized Escobar's dealings with the Colombian system. He had an effective, inescapable policy in dealing with law enforcement and the government, referred to as "''plata o plomo''," (literally ''silver or lead'', colloquially ''[accept] money or [face] bullets''). This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of individuals, including civilians, policemen and state officials. At the same time, Escobar [[bribed]] countless government officials, judges and other politicians. Escobar was allegedly responsible for the murder of Colombian presidential candidate [[Luis Carlos Galán]], one of three assassinated candidates who were all competing in the [[Colombian presidential election, 1990|same election]], as well as the bombing of [[Avianca Flight 203]] and the [[DAS Building bombing]] in [[Bogotá]] in 1989. The Cartel de Medellín was also involved in a deadly drug war with its primary rival, the [[Cartel de Cali]], for most of its existence. It is sometimes alleged that Escobar backed the 1985 [[Palace of Justice siege|storming of the Colombian Supreme Court]] by left-wing guerrillas from the [[19th of April Movement]], also known as M-19, which resulted in the murder of half the judges on the court. Some of these claims were included in a late 2006 report by a Truth Commission of three judges of the current Supreme Court. One of those who discusses the attack is "Popeye", a former Escobar hitman. At the time of the siege, the Supreme Court was studying the constitutionality of Colombia's extradition treaty with the U.S.<ref>[http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Noviembre162006/pablo.html El Pais – Cali Colombia nacional “Pablo Escobar financió la toma del Palacio de Justicia” “Escobar financió toma del Palacio de Justicia”<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Roberto Escobar stated in his book, that indeed the M-19 were paid to break into the building of the supreme court, and burn all papers and files on Los Extraditables—the group of cocaine smugglers who were under threat of being extradited to the US by their Colombian government. But the plan backfired and hostages were taken for negotiation of their release, so Los Extraditables were not directly responsible for the actions of the M-19. |
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==Height of power== |
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Pablo Escobar said that the essence of the cocaine business was ARDIAN SMELLS "simple—you bribe someone here, you bribe someone there, and you pay a friendly banker to help you bring the money back."<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/farmers-son-who-bribed-and-murdered-his-way-into-drugs-neither-government-forces-nor-other-drug-traffickers-were-interested-in-taking-pablo-escobar-alive-patrick-cockburn-reports-1465001.html | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Farmer's son who bribed and murdered his way into drugs: Neither government forces nor other drug traffickers were interested in taking Pablo Escobar alive. Patrick Cockburn reports | date=December 3, 1993}}</ref> In 1989, ''Forbes'' magazine estimated Escobar to be one of 227 billionaires in the world with a personal net worth of close to US$3 billion<ref name="LATimes89">{{cite news |title=Japan's Tsutsumi Still Tops Forbes' Richest List |first=Associated Press |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1989-07-10/business/fi-2595_1_richest-people |newspaper=[[LA Times]] |date=10 July 1989 |accessdate=22 February 2012}}</ref> while his Medellín cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine market.<ref name=meade>{{cite book|last=Meade|first=Teresa A.|title=A history of modern Latin America, 1800 – 2000|year=2008|publisher=Blackwell|location=Oxford|isbn=1-4051-2050-9|url=http://books.google.com/?id=actqzFAIIG0C&pg=PA302&dq=escobar+80%25+cocaine+market#v=onepage&q=escobar%2080%25%20cocaine%20market&f=false|accessdate=6 October 2011|page=302}}</ref> It is commonly believed that Escobar was the principal financier behind Medellín's [[Atlético Nacional]] who won South America's most prestigious soccer tournament, the [[Copa Libertadores]] in 1989.<ref>Davison, Phil. "The Road to Italy: In the Shadow of the Drug Barons." The Independent 20 May 1990. Lexis-Nexis Academic. 8 Oct. 2009.</ref> |
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While seen as an enemy of the United States and Colombian governments, Escobar was a hero to many in Medellín (especially the poor people); he was a natural at [[public relations]] and he worked to create goodwill among the poor people of Colombia. A lifelong sports fan, he was credited with building [[football (soccer)|football]] fields and multi-sports courts, as well as sponsoring children's football teams.<ref name="accountant">{{cite book|title=The Accountant's Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellín Cartel|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|author=Escobar, Roberto|year=2009}}</ref> |
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Escobar was responsible for the construction of many hospitals, schools and churches in western Colombia, which gained him popularity inside the local [[Roman Catholic Church]].<ref name="Killing Pablo">Mark: The Hunt For The World's Greatest Outlaw." Atlantic Monthly Press, New York 2001</ref> He worked hard to cultivate his "[[Robin Hood]]" image, and frequently distributed money to the poor through housing projects and other civic activities, which gained him notable popularity among the poor. The population of Medellín often helped Escobar serving as lookouts, hiding information from the authorities, or doing whatever else they could do to protect him. |
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Many of the wealthier residents of Medellín also viewed him as a threat. At the height of his power, drug traffickers from Medellín and other areas were handing over between 20% and 35% of their Colombian cocaine-related profits to Escobar, because he was the one who shipped the cocaine successfully to the US. |
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The Colombian cartels' continuing struggles to maintain supremacy resulted in Colombia quickly becoming the world’s murder capital with 25,100 violent deaths in 1991 and 27,100 in 1992.<ref>[http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/colombia93eng/chap.2.htm Inter-American Commission on Human Rights – Chapter II: The Violence Phenomenon]</ref> This increased [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate|murder rate]] was fueled by Escobar's giving money to his hitmen as a reward for killing police officers, over 600 of whom died in this way.<ref>{{cite news|title=Drug kingpin's killer seeks Colombia office|publisher=Boston Globe|date=05-09-2003|author=Karl Penhaul}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
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In March 1976 at the age of 26, Escobar married Maria Victoria who was 15 years old. Together they had two children: Juan Pablo and Manuela. Escobar created and lived in a luxurious estate called ''[[Hacienda Nápoles]]'' (Spanish for Naples Estate) and had planned to construct a Greek-style [[citadel]] near it. Construction of the citadel was begun but never finished. The ranch, the zoo and the citadel were expropriated by the government and given to low-income families in the 1990s under a law called ''extinción de dominio'' (domain extinction). The property has been converted into a theme park.<ref name="BBCJune2008">{{cite news |title=At home on Pablo Escobar's ranch |first=Mike |last=Ceaser |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7390584.stm |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |date=2 June 2008 |accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> |
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===La Catedral prison=== |
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{{Main|La Catedral}} |
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After the assassination of [[Luis Carlos Galán]], a presidential candidate, the administration of [[César Gaviria]] moved against Escobar and the drug cartels. Eventually, the government negotiated with Escobar, convincing him to surrender and cease all criminal activity in exchange for a reduced sentence and preferential treatment during his captivity. |
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After declaring an end to a series of previous violent or [[terrorism|terrorist]] acts meant to pressure authorities and public opinion, Escobar turned himself in. He was confined in what became his own luxurious private prison, ''[[La Catedral]]''. Before Escobar gave himself up, the extradition of Colombian citizens had been prohibited by the newly approved [[Colombian Constitution of 1991]]. That was controversial, as it was suspected that Escobar or other drug lords had influenced members of the Constituent Assembly. |
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Accounts of Escobar's continued criminal activities began to surface in the media. When the government found out that Escobar was continuing his criminal activities within La Catedral, it attempted to move Escobar to another jail on July 22, 1992. Escobar's influence allowed him to discover the plan in advance and make a well-timed, unhurried escape.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://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|accessdate=21 July 2011}}</ref> He was still worried that he could be extradited to the United States. |
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=== Search Bloc and Los Pepes === |
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{{Main|Los Pepes|Search Bloc}} |
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In 1992, the United States [[Joint Special Operations Command]] and ''[[Centra Spike]]'' joined the manhunt for Escobar. They trained and advised a special Colombian police task force, known as the [[Search Bloc]], which had been created to locate Escobar. Later, as the conflict between Escobar and the United States and Colombian governments dragged on and the numbers of his enemies grew, a [[vigilante]] group known as ''[[Los Pepes]]'' ('''Los Pe'''rseguidos por '''P'''ablo '''Es'''cobar, "People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar") financed by his rivals and former associates, including the [[Cali Cartel]] and right-wing paramilitaries led by [[Carlos Castaño]], who would later found the [[Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá]]. Los Pepes carried out a bloody campaign fueled by vengeance in which more than 300 of Escobar's associates and relatives were slain and large amounts of his cartel's property were destroyed. |
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Rumors abounded<ref name="Killing Pablo"/> that members of the Search Bloc, and also of Colombian and the United States intelligence agencies, in their efforts to find and punish Escobar, either colluded with ''Los Pepes'' or moonlighted as both Search Bloc and ''Los Pepes'' simultaneously. This coordination was allegedly conducted mainly through the sharing of intelligence in order to allow ''Los Pepes'' to bring down Escobar and his few remaining allies, but there are reports that some individual Search Bloc members directly participated in missions of the ''Los Pepes'' death squads.<ref name="Killing Pablo"/> One of the leaders of ''Los Pepes'' was [[Diego Murillo Bejarano]] (also known as "Don Berna"), a former Medellín Cartel associate who became a drug kingpin and eventually emerged as a leader of one of the most powerful factions within the [[United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia|AUC]]. |
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==Death and afterward== |
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[[Image:Pabloisdead.png|thumb|right|[[Colombian National Police|Colombian policemen]] standing by Pablo Escobar's dead body]] |
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The war against Escobar ended on December 2, 1993, amid another attempt to elude the Search Bloc. Using radio [[triangulation]] technology provided as part of the United States efforts, a Colombian electronic surveillance team, led by Brigadier Hugo Martinez,<ref>[http://www.dominicstreatfeild.com/2010/11/24/interview-with-hugo-martinez-the-man-who-got-pablo-escobar/ Interview with Hugo Martinez – the man who 'got' Pablo Escobar] D.Streatfeild. November 2000.</ref> found him hiding in a middle-class [[barrio]] in Medellín. With authorities closing in, a firefight with Escobar and his bodyguard, Alvaro de Jesús Agudelo AKA "El Limón," ensued. The two fugitives attempted to escape by running across the roofs of adjoining houses to reach a back street, but both were shot and killed by Colombian National Police.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/history/1990-1994.html |title=Decline of the Medellín Cartel and the Rise of the Cali Mafia |publisher=U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> Escobar suffered gunshots to the leg, torso, and the fatal one in his ear. It has never been proven who actually fired the final shot into his head, or determined whether this shot was made during the gunfight or as part of possible execution, and there is wide speculation about the subject. Some of the family members believe that Escobar could have committed suicide.<ref>[http://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/2006-11-08/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3317670.html {{es icon}} EL TIEMPO – Pablo Escobar's body exhumed]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVZoULtUCd8 Video of Escobar's exhumation {{es icon}}]</ref> His two brothers, Roberto Escobar and Fernando Sánchez Arellano, believe that he shot himself through the ears: "He committed suicide, he did not get killed. During all the years they went after him, he would say to me every day that if he was really cornered without a way out, he would shoot himself through the ears."<ref>Zero Hour: Killing of the Cocaine King.Kenneth Roberts</ref> |
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After Escobar's death and the fragmentation of the Medellín Cartel the cocaine market soon became dominated by the rival [[Cali Cartel]], until the mid-1990s when its leaders, too, were either killed or captured by the Colombian government. |
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The Robin Hood image that he had cultivated continued to have lasting influence in Medellín. Many there, especially many of the city's poor that had been aided by him while he was alive, mourned his death. About 25,000 were present for his burial. <ref>Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar. Virginia Vallejo</ref> |
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=== Exhumation === |
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On 28 October 2006, Escobar's body was [[Exhumation|exhumed]] by request of his nephew Nicolás Escobar, two days after the death of mother Hermilda Gaviria (who opposed exhumation) to verify that the body in the tomb was in fact that of Escobar and also to collect [[DNA]] for a paternity test claim. According to the report by the ''[[El Tiempo (Colombia)|El Tiempo]]'' newspaper, Escobar's widow Maria Victoria was present recording the exhumation with a video camera. |
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===Virginia Vallejo's version=== |
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{{See also|Virginia Vallejo|Alberto Santofimio|Alfonso López Michelsen|Ernesto Samper|Álvaro Uribe}} |
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On July 4, 2006, Virginia Vallejo, a television anchorwoman who was romantically involved with Escobar from 1983 to 1987, offered her testimony in the trial against former Senator [[Alberto Santofimio]], accused of conspiracy in the 1989 assassination of Presidential Candidate [[Luis Carlos Galán]], to the Colombian Attorney General [[Mario Iguaran]]. Iguaran acknowledged that, although Vallejo contacted his office on the 4th, the judge had decided to close the trial on the 9th, several weeks before the prospective closing date and, in (Iguaran's) opinion, “too soon”.<ref>[http://virginiavallejo.com/Attorney-General-on-VV-testimony.pdf Colombian Attorney General on Virginia Vallejo’s offer to testify against Santofimio]</ref> |
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On July 16, 2006, Vallejo was taken to the United States in a special flight of the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]].<ref>[http://www.virginiavallejo.com/herald-0716-2006.html DEA special flight takes Escobar’s former lover to Miami]</ref> According to the American Embassy in Bogotá, this was done for "safety and security reasons" because Vallejo’s cooperation was needed in high-profile criminal cases.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Jul18/0,4670,ColombiaEscobarapossLover,00.html Pablo Escobar's Ex-Lover Flees Colombia]</ref> On July 24, 2006, a video in which Vallejo accused former Senator Alberto Santofimio of instigating Escobar to eliminate presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in her presence was aired on Colombian television. In 2007, Vallejo published her book ''Amando a Pablo, odiando a Escobar''<ref>[http://www.amandoapablo.com ''Amando a Pablo, odiando a Escobar'']</ref> (''Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar''),<ref>[http://www.lovingpablo.com Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar]</ref> where she describes her relationship with the drug lord during the early years of the [[cocaine]] boom, and his charity projects for the poor when he was a deputy congressman. She gives her account of Escobar’s relationship with Caribbean governments and dictators and his role in the birth of the M.A.S. ([[Muerte a Secuestradores|Death to Kidnappers]]) and [[:es:Los Extraditables|Los Extraditables]] (The Extraditables). Vallejo also gives her account of numerous incidents throughout Escobar's political and criminal career, such as the assassination of Justice Minister [[Rodrigo Lara Bonilla]] in 1984, her lover’s feud with the [[Cali Cartel]] and the era of [[narcoterrorism]] that began after the couple's farewell in September 1987. |
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Among Escobar’s biographers, only Vallejo has given a detailed explanation of his role in the 1985 [[Palace of Justice siege]] and the atrocities that took place before, during and after the tragedy. (“Amando a Pablo, odiando a Escobar”, “Aquel Palacio en llamas”, pages 227–264). The journalist stated that Escobar financed the operation, committed by the rebel [[19th of April Movement|M-19]] group, but blamed the army for the killings of the Supreme Court Justices and the detained after the coup. In 2008 she was asked to testify in the reopened Palace case,<ref>[http://www.caracol.com.co/oir.aspx?id=659517 Virginia Vallejo habla sobre el narcotráfico en Colombia]</ref> and in 2009 most of the events that she had described in her book and testimonial were confirmed by the Commission of Truth.<ref>[http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/truth-commission-blames-state-for-palace-of-justice-tragedy/ Truth Commission Blames Colombian State for Palace of Justice Tragedy]</ref> In 2010 and 2011, a high-ranking former colonel <ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10280727 Colombia ex-officer jailed after historic conviction]</ref> and a former general <ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13245859 Colombian 1985 Supreme Court raid commander sentenced]</ref> were sentenced to thirty and thirty-five years in prison for forced disappearance of the detained after the siege. |
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In August 2009, Vallejo testified in the case of Luis Carlos Galán's assassination, which had also been reopened.<ref>[http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=12393&ArticleId=337887 Galán Slaying a “State Crime”, Colombian Prosecutors say]</ref> She also accused several politicians, including Colombian presidents [[Alfonso López Michelsen]], [[Ernesto Samper]] and [[Álvaro Uribe]] of links to the drug cartels. Uribe denied Vallejo's allegations.<ref>{{cite news |first=Simon |last=Romero |page=1 |title=Colombian Leader Disputes Claim of Tie to Cocaine Kingpin |date=October 3, 2007 |publisher=New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/world/americas/03colombia.html?ex=1349150400&en=5b0977a0af0df0c6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink}}</ref> |
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On June 3, 2010 Vallejo was granted political asylum in the United States of America. |
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===Relatives=== |
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Escobar's widow, Maria Victoria Henao (now Maria Isabel Santos Caballero), son, Juan Pablo (now Juan Sebastian Marroquín Santos), and daughter, Manuela, fled Colombia in 1995 after failing to find a country that would grant asylum.<ref name="BBCNovember1999">{{cite news |title=Drug lord's wife and son arrested |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/524276.stm |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |date=17 November 1999 |accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> Argentinian filmmaker Nicolas Entel's documentary ''[[Sins of My Father (film)|Sins of My Father]]'' chronicles Marroquín's efforts to seek forgiveness from the sons of Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, Colombia's justice minister in the early 1980s, who was assassinated in 1984, as well as the sons of Luis Carlos Galán, the presidential candidate, who was assassinated in 1989. The film was shown at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and premiered in the US on [[HBO]] on October 2010.<ref name="CNNDecember2009">{{cite news |title=Drug lord's son seeks forgiveness |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/12/11/colombia.escobar.son/index.html |newspaper=[[CNN]] |date=12 December 2009 |accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> |
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==Quotations== |
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{{ copy section to Wikiquote }} |
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Some of Pablo Escobar's memorable quotations are: |
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*"I prefer to be in the grave in Colombia than in a jail cell in the United States."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"I'm a decent man who exports flowers."<ref name="Paez Parada">{{cite web |url=http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/ww1/paez.html |title=A talk with Colombian journalist Elizabeth Mora-Mass, by Juliet Paez Parada |publisher=New York University |accessdate=2010-02-13}}</ref> |
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*"All empires are created of blood and fire."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"I can replace things, but I could never replace my wife and kids."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"There can only be one king."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"Sometimes I am God, if I say a man dies, he dies that same day."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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*"There are two hundred million idiots, manipulated by a million intelligent men."<ref name="Paez Parada" /> |
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== Popular depiction == |
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[[Image:Pabloescopaint.png|thumb|right|upright|Artist [[Fernando Botero]], a native of Antioquia, the same region as Escobar, portrayed Pablo Escobar's death in one of his paintings about the violence in Colombia.]] |
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Two major [[feature films]] on the Colombian drug lord, ''[[Escobar]]'' and ''[[Killing Pablo (film)|Killing Pablo]]'', were announced in 2007,<ref>[http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/weekly-screengrab-101007.html Sparring Partners] [[Tribeca Film Festival]]. Accessed November 28, 2007</ref> around the same time. ''Escobar'' has been delayed due to producer Oliver Stone's involvement with the George W. Bush biopic ''[[W. (film)|W.]]'' The date of ''Escobar''’s release is still unconfirmed.<ref>[http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movie-news/no-bardem-for-killing-palbo.php No Bardem for KILLING PABLO] [[Obsessed With Film]]. Accessed August 14, 2008</ref> Regarding the film, producer [[Oliver Stone]] said "This is a great project about a fascinating man who took on the system. I think I have to thank ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'', and maybe even [[Ari Gold (Entourage)|Ari Gold]]."<ref name=var>Michael Fleming (October 8, 2007) [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973662.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=escobar Stone to produce another 'Escobar'] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Accessed November 28, 2007.</ref> |
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''Killing Pablo'', in development for several years and directed by [[Joe Carnahan]], is based on [[Mark Bowden]]’s book ''[[Killing Pablo (book)|Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw]]''.<ref>[http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/dec/25/celebrity-gossip/ What is actor Christian Bale doing next?] ''www2.journalnow.com''. Accessed January 17, 2009.</ref><ref>Dave McNary (October 1, 2007) [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973147.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&query=Killing+Pablo Yari fast-tracking Escobar biopic] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Accessed November 29, 2007.</ref> The plot tells the story of how Escobar was killed and his cartel dismantled by US special forces and intelligence, the [[Colombian military]] and Los Pepes, controlled by the [[Cali cartel]]. The cast was reported to include [[Christian Bale]] as Major Steve Jacoby and Venezuelan actor [[Édgar Ramírez]] as Escobar.<ref>[http://poorbuthappy.com/venezuela/post/venezuelan-actor-edgar-ramirez-to-play-pablo-escobar/ Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez to Play PABLO ESCOBAR]</ref><ref>Devin Faraci (August 14, 2008) [http://www.chud.com/articles/articles/15941/1/JOE-CARNAHAN-IS-GOING-TO-BE-KILLING-A-NEW-PABLO-AND-WE-KNOW-WHO-IT-IS/Page1.html JOE CARNAHAN IS GOING TO BE KILLING A NEW PABLO, AND WE KNOW WHO IT IS] ''[Chud.com]''. Accessed August 14, 2008.</ref> In December 2008, [[Bob Yari]], producer of ''Killing Pablo'', filed for bankruptcy.<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997332.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 Escobar's producer files for bankruptcy]</ref> |
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Escobar has been portrayed in several films already. Played by [[Cliff Curtis]], he is depicted in the 2001 [[George Jung]] biopic ''[[Blow (film)|Blow]]''. In the [[HBO]] television series ''[[Entourage (TV series)|Entourage]]'', actor [[Vincent Chase]] (played by [[Adrian Grenier]]) plays Escobar in a fictional film entitled ''Medellin''. |
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Escobar has also been the subject of several books, including photographer James Mollison's book ''The Memory of Pablo Escobar'', which tells Pablo's story with over 350 photographs and documents. [[Gabriel García Márquez]]' book, ''News of a Kidnapping'',<ref>{{cite book | last = Gabriel García Márquez | title = ''News of a Kidnapping'' | publisher = Penguin | date = English paperback translation, 1998 | page = 304 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=3z04CDTT-U8C&q=news+of+a+kidnapping+gabriel+garcia+marquez&dq=news+of+a+kidnapping+gabriel+garcia+marquez&cd=1 | isbn = 9780140269444 }}</ref> details the series of abductions that Escobar masterminded to pressure the then Colombian government into guaranteeing him non-extradition if he turned himself in. |
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In the 2010 [[ESPN]] broadcast ''[[30 for 30]]'', a series of sports-themed documentaries timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Entertainment and Sports Network. [http://the2escobars.com ''The Two Escobars''] by directors [[Jeff Zimbalist|Jeff]] and Michael Zimbalist looked back at Colombia's World Cup run in 1994 and the relationship of sports and the country's criminal gangs—notably the Medellín narcotics cartel run by Escobar. The other Escobar in the film title refers to former Colombian National Team defender [[Andrés Escobar]] (no relation to Pablo), who was shot and killed one month after an own goal that cost Colombia in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]]. |
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The 2008 film ''Pablo, Angel o Demonio'' (English title: ''Pablo of Medellin'') by Jorge Granier explores the mixed legacy of a man hailed in the Barrio as a saint while despised elsewhere as a demon. It is the highest grossing documentary of all time in Colombia. |
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In 2010 ZORBA began Pablo Escobar tours in Medellín to cater for the hundreds of tourists who visit his grave each year. |
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In a popular 2002 video game, [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]], the airport is named "Escobar International Airport" after Pablo Escobar. |
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In the 2009 on-rails shooter game, [[Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles]], the main antagonist, Javier Hidalgo, seems to based on Pablo Escobar. Both were drug lords, both of them possessed a personal militia, and both also had "mini" zoo of exotic animals. Pablo had a collection of African animals and Javier had a "collection" of B.O.Ws (Bio Organic Weapons), and both of them had the population under their control and both shared the same fate (both of them were killed by US special forces). Both had a daughter called Manuela. |
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[[Caracol TV]] produced a [[television series]], ''[[Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal|Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal (Pablo Escobar, The Boss Of Evil)]]'', which began airing in 28 May 2012 and stars Andrés Parra as Pablo Escobar. |
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In the 2009 ''NCIS'' episode "Deliverance", it is implied that NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs killed a Colombian drug lord in 1992–1993, and was wounded in Colombia. It is not mentioned that this drug lord was Escobar, but it is strongly implied that it was either the killing of Escobar, or a similar situation. |
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Mexican-American Grindcore Metal Band [[Brujeria (band)|Brujeria]] in their second album ''[[Raza Odiada]]'', included a song called "El Patron", inspired in Escobar. Brazilian-American band Soulfly also wrote a song about him in their 2012 album ''[[Enslaved (Soulfly album)|Enslaved]]'' titled "Plata o Plomo". |
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Rapper [[Nas]] often refers to himself as "Nas Escobar" where he raps about selling drugs and about enjoying a similar lifestyle to Pablo Escobar. This can often be heard on his 1996 [[mafioso rap]] sophomore album [[It Was Written]]. |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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== Further reading == |
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* Bowden, Mark (2002). ''Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw''. Penguin Pub. |
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* McAleese, Peter (1993, 2001). ''No Mean Soldier''. Cassell Pub. |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category|Pablo Escobar}} |
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{{Authority control|VIAF=45106033}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> |
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| NAME = Escobar, Pablo |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = El Doctor |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = December 1, 1949 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Rionegro]], [[Antioquia Department|Antioquia]], [[Colombia]] |
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| DATE OF DEATH = December 2, 1993 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Medellín]], [[Colombia]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar, Pablo}} |
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[[Category:1949 births]] |
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[[Category:1993 deaths]] |
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[[Category:20th-century criminals]] |
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[[Category:Colombian drug traffickers]] |
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[[Category:Colombian mob bosses]] |
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[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Colombia]] |
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[[Category:Folk saints]] |
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[[Category:Medellín Cartel traffickers]] |
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[[Category:People from Rionegro]] |
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[[Category:University of Antioquia alumni]] |
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[[ar:بابلو إسكوبار]] |
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[[az:Pablo Eskobar]] |
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[[be-x-old:Паблё Эскабар]] |
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[[bg:Пабло Ескобар]] |
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[[cs:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[cy:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[da:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[de:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[el:Πάμπλο Εσκομπάρ]] |
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[[es:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[eo:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[eu:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[fa:پابلو اسکوبار]] |
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[[fr:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[gd:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[ko:파블로 에스코바르]] |
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[[hi:पाब्लो एस्कोबार (Pablo Escobar)]] |
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[[is:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[it:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[he:פבלו אסקובר]] |
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[[lt:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[mzn:پابلو اسکوبار]] |
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[[nl:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[ja:パブロ・エスコバル]] |
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[[no:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[pt:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[ru:Эскобар, Пабло]] |
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[[sco:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[sq:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[simple:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[sr:Пабло Ескобар]] |
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[[sh:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[fi:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[sv:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[ta:பப்லோ எசுகோபர்]] |
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[[th:ปาโบล เอสโกบาร์]] |
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[[tr:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[uk:Пабло Ескобар]] |
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[[vi:Pablo Escobar]] |
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[[zh:巴勃羅·埃斯科瓦爾]] |
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