Filo.explains | The most unusual eccentricities of Pablo Escobar

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria proved from a young age to have an unusual ability for business. As soon as he came of age, he became involved in smuggling-related activities. And already towards the end of the seventies he began to produce and market drugs. For decades, his Medellin Cartel dominated his country’s drug trade and sowed terror at the same time that he became an extremely millionaire. His figure was always very attractive to the media, not only for his crimes, but for his extravagant tastes.
Pablo Escobar built an empire. It is believed that he once had 30 billion dollars in cash – as you hear – and for seven consecutive years he was listed by the famous Forbes magazine as one of the richest men in the world. One of the most famous luxuries that Escobar showed was that of having exotic animals on his property. For example, hippos. At first, it illegally imported four copies.
In 1982 he became involved in politics and went on to hold a seat in the National Congress. A year later, the newspaper El Espectador and Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla denounced his illegal activities and Escobar lost his seat. Those involved were killed months later. Thus, the head of the Medellín Cartel began a very violent war against the Colombian government at the same time that he was confronted with an enemy Cartel, that of Cali. It is estimated that between 1989 and 1993 Escobar was responsible for the murder of more than 600 police officers. On December 2, 1993, he was shot dead while trying to escape through the roofs of a house in Medellín. 

Original source in Spanish