Don Pablo Escobar: King of Cocaine

Incorporating never before-seen archival footage, home movies and interviews with family members, journalists and law enforcement officials, PABLO ESCOBAR: KING OF COCAINE tells the story of the twisted Robin Hood who founded the Medellin cartel cocaine smuggling organization and became the first billionaire criminal in South America. This piece is part of The Learning Channel series “Legends,” hosted by Bryant Gumbel.

itw of Tony Comiti with escobar https://youtu.be/TyeeFvpub-Q

0:00 The video provides insights into the life of Pablo Escobar’s family and his former right-hand man, Popey, as they go on the run from authorities in Colombia.
8:31 Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord, revolutionized the cocaine trade and became the all-powerful kingpin with a net worth of $5 billion.
13:50 Pablo Escobar surrenders and builds his own prison, but escapes after a year.
20:47 Despite the efforts of investigators, Pablo Escobar remains elusive and his popularity increases.
28:45 A journalist meets with Alba Marina, Pablo Escobar’s sister, and Don Roberto Escobar, Pablo’s brother, to discuss their relationship and memories of Pablo.
33:46 Pablo Escobar’s reign of terror continues as the government tightens screws and the hunt for him intensifies, leading to the emergence of a new enemy group.
40:54 The final days of Pablo Escobar and his eventual death in 1993.
49:24 The whereabouts of Pablo Escobar’s fortune remains a mystery, with speculation that his family has most of the money.
55:09 The mystery surrounding Pablo Escobar’s billions of dollars and the secrets he took to his grave.

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On the tarmac of Bogotá airport,
a family looks out of place. These are no ordinary people. It’s the family of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian cocaine Godfather
and the most wanted criminal on Earth. They had hoped
to seek refuge in Frankfurt, but the German authorities
immediately turned them back. The Escobar family
comprises the son Juan Pablo, and in his arms
is his young sister Manuela. Bringing up the rear,
Maria Victoria, Pablo Escobar’s wife. They’re tired and bewildered,
and most of all, they are scared. Pablo Escobar has been
on the run for 16 months, and is no longer
the all-powerful drug lord, who for years had terrorized Colombia. The public enemy number one
lives like a hunted animal. From his hiding place
somewhere in Colombia, the drug dealer
is powerless to help his family. Escobar always had
an Achilles’ heel: his family. His daughter and his son
meant everything to him. The Colombian authorities plan to take
full advantage of his Achilles’ heel. From the moment they check into a hotel,
the family is under constant surveillance. They’ve become the bait. It’s just a matter of time
before the Godfather makes the mistake of falling into the trap
the police have set for him. Escobar slipped through our fingers
too many times, it’s unbelievable. It was incredible. Escobar used to bomb schools,
supermarkets or anywhere. He knew all about
the families of the police. He knew where their mothers
and their fathers lived, and how many brothers they had. Medellín, 16 years later. Medellín, an infamous city
in the heart of the Andean Cordillera, and less than an hour’s flight
from Bogotá, the capital. Medellín is Colombia’s second city, one of its busiest and richest,
and the country’s breadbasket, but it’s also one of the most violent, with “wanted” posters
littering the city’s walls. Sixteen years later,
the city still has a bad reputation. The settling of scores continues, but these days,
it’s between small-time drug dealers, and it’s nowhere near
like it was in Escobar’s time. At the time, Medellín was a madhouse. There’d be bullets
for breakfast and lunch, and bombs for dinner. [Spanish spoken audio] Were people dying every day? Every morning
there’d be bodies near the mountains. We’d call it Escobar’s public cemetery. Each day there’d be corpses,
people who’d been murdered, often just dumped on the open ground. Escobar started off
by stealing tombstones. Then he moved up to stealing cars, and then he got into drug trafficking
as a small-time local operator. [Spanish spoken audio] Rumor is that he killed the guy
to take over the business for himself. [Spanish spoken audio] There are a few people left in Medellín
who knew Escobar well. You have to know where to look, so the task is to find them. According to some, one of Escobar’s
former lieutenants is still alive. Little video
from those years still exists. His name is Jhon Jairo Velásquez, alias Popeye. On police “wanted” posters back then, Popeye was not far behind his boss Escobar
when it came to the pecking order. He was implicated in a number of murders. Sources claim that he’s been
serving time in prison for several years. It seems certain
that he was able to survive in Bogotá’s notorious
La Modelo prison unharmed. Life in the old prison
was a daily diet of insecurity, and frequent violence
where the prisoners ruled the roost. Escobar’s former right-hand man has since been spirited away
to much safer surroundings. It takes a few more days
to track Popeye down. No one apparently knows where he is, but persistence finally pays off. There is at last some news. Popeye is being held
about 100 kilometers from Bogotá in this modern detention center. It’s a high-security prison
with murderers, drug traffickers, and hired killers among its inmates. No TV crews
had ever been allowed inside before. It was considered far too dangerous, but once again, persistence pays off
and an exception is made. A chance to talk one-on-one with Pablo Escobar’s
most loyal lieutenant. He’s the best person
to give a first-hand account of his former boss’s life on the run. [Spanish spoken audio] At the time back in Medellín,
there were 1,500 people looking for us. [Spanish spoken audio] Israelis, British, Americans,
the Colombian Secret Service, the CIA, the DEA. Everyone was after us. [Spanish spoken audio] Popeye never refused
one of his boss’s orders, however ruthless they may have been. He claims he was responsible
for 250 of the estimated 10,000 murders ordered by Escobar. Once there was a very high-profile woman
that we were ordered to kill in Cartagena. We shot her in the Intercontinental Hotel, but getting out of the hotel was tricky. The police sent a helicopter. They opened fire,
and I was hit here in the artery. I managed to get home,
and Pablo Escobar came over to see me. That’s when I realized he was a friend
and not just the boss. I had a friend, not a boss. The Medellín Cartel
was an army of lambs led by a lion. I was a lamb, the boss was a lion. By the mid-1970s,
Escobar was at the height of his powers. He was the leader of a group
made up of his cousins and friends that ruled the drug trade. Alongside were 300 men, an army of hired killers
known locally as the Sicarios, devoted body and soul to the cores. These men created
the now infamous Medellín Cartel. The Cartel specialized in cocaine. Pablo Escobar revolutionized
the way the drug was transported. Any means was good,
by road, by air, or by sea. Hundreds of kilos of the drug were soon reaching
the United States and Europe. At the time, it was fashionable,
and demand rose dramatically, and the scourge of cocaine
spread across the world. Escobar never seemed short on ideas. To ensure deliveries
to his best clients in the US, he even had the submarine built. In 1980, Escobar reached his zenith, becoming the undisputed Godfather
of the world’s cocaine trade, as ruthless as he was daring. He had a war tax
on the other traffickers in Colombia. He charged 50% of their cocaine loads. For example, if there was a trafficker
moving 100 kilos of cocaine, Escobar would say: You know what? Fifty kilos are going to be mine because I’m the one
who’s fighting Colombia. What happens if they didn’t pay? He’d kill them. In barely ten years,
Escobar had come a long way. From a small-time grave robber, he had become
the all-powerful king of cocaine, a Godfather whose net worth at the time
was estimated at $5 billion. [Spanish spoken audio] He felt he could do anything. With all his drugs and money, he behaved
as if he owned the entire country. Almost as if to prove
he could do what he liked, he pushed the envelope to the limit by having his photo taken with his son
outside the White House. He uses his profits from drugs
to buy up real estate in Miami, Florida, under the noses
of the American authorities. Escobar becomes America’s worst nightmare. US federal justice authorities
demand his immediate extradition. He formed a group
called Los Extraditables. Their motto is:
A better coffin in Colombia than a prison cell in the United States. When he declared war on Colombia because of the extradition, we never expected the size of that war. Escobar reveals his true personality. The psychopath who orders
the murders of everyone who might be involved
in processing his extradition. Judges, journalists,
politicians, police, or anyone. During this period of terror, an estimated 10,000 fall victim
to Escobar’s killing spree. Sometimes we would go outside
after a bomb would blow up, and you’d see body parts. You’d see small children,
infants who had been killed simply because their parents
were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Such incidents spurred
the Colombian authorities to act, and they decide
to eliminate the Godfather. A price is put on his head, and he becomes public enemy number one. [Spanish spoken audio] Pablo Escobar, alias the doctor,
vanishes from sight. A French TV crew that had
been working on another story comes across Escobar in the bush. The subsequent interview is a major scoop, and the first time a European media
has ever filmed the drug trafficker. In front of the camera, Escobar
goes to some lengths to justify himself. [Spanish spoken audio] We have to realize that we are living
through the cocaine period. Cocaine is invading the world. That’s because it’s a drug
that’s less strong, and less damaging than the others. There are drug addicts
due to a lack of education and discipline. It’s same with alcohol. There’s no difference
between someone sleeping on the sidewalk because of a drink or because of drugs. [Spanish spoken audio] The Godfather goes on
to pick apart the American arguments against the cocaine trade. Right now it’s cocaine
that’s considered dangerous evil because the Americans can’t control it
as it’s the Colombians that produce it. That’s the real problem. In that same year, the Medellín Cartel
ships out 300 kilograms a day of cocaine to the United States. US officials have had enough, and again demand
the extradition of the drugs lord. Hunted in his own country
and wanted by US justice, there appears no way out for Escobar. Undeterred,
he tries to bargain for his freedom with the Colombian government. It’s an unlikely barter. In June 1991, an assorted convoy of vehicles
is heading into the mountains near Medellín
to a place known as the Catedral. Inside the vehicles,
his gunmen flank the Godfather. Escobar has agreed
to surrender and serve time, but in a prison that he himself
has built to his specifications. Escobar is dictating the terms,
and his purpose-built jail conspicuously has
neither prison bars nor keys. On the radio, Escobar explains
that he has surrendered for the sake of the Colombian people. At this historic moment, when our fighters are giving themselves up
to bring calm to the country, I cannot ignore the calls for peace by the vast majority
of the Colombian people. Pablo Escobar Gaviria,
Envigado, June 1991. The Catedral is a five-star luxury prison
with all the comforts of home, and even better
than most homes at the time. There’s a state-of-the-art kitchen,
music centers, telephones… Outside, there’s a huge telescope
which allows the Godfather to keep track of police
as they come and go, as well as keep watch over his family
who have remained in the valley below. During the day, Pablo and his associates
have no time to get bored. The cocaine empire continues to grow. [Spanish spoken audio] The prison at Catedral was crime-central. It was where they controlled
the drug traffic, and the government
was fully aware of the fact. At night, the Catedral becomes
a little more than a brothel. The boss had as many women as he wanted. He had one other guy with him, two people in Colombia
at the time with private jets. He used to go scouting
for girls in Brazil or Argentina. [Spanish spoken audio] One day, he had arranged for 50 girls,
all of them really beautiful like models to attend one of his private parties. One of them turned out
to be a police informer. When he found out, he had all the girls murdered. [Spanish spoken audio] By the end of the week,
bits of bodies, heads, and feet were found all over Medellín. It was awful and when he felt threatened,
or someone posed a threat, it meant certain death. [Spanish spoken audio] When what was going on leaks out,
it causes a huge scandal, with the president of Colombia,
himself forced to explain. It was not a joke. What happened
is such capacity of intimidation that we ended up discovering
that most of these soldiers were bribed by Escobar. The government insists
he serve time in a real prison. Sensing a trap, he refuses. One night, Escobar, his friend Popeye,
and a dozen henchmen escape. Pablo and I escaped through the fence. There were no police, no one. We must have left at about 11:00 at night.
It was very foggy outside. We reached a farm owned
by the boss’s friend the next morning. To be on the safe side,
we let his friend’s kids go to school and then we just waited. When their escape is discovered,
a state of alert is declared. After a year in his private prison, Pablo Escobar
has once again gone underground. The police realize
they need to act quickly, as the Godfather is on familiar territory, and every hour lost gives him
the opportunity to disappear for good. Nothing is left to chance. Each house in Medellín
and its suburbs are searched, starting with those
belonging to his lieutenants. By the morning of the 22nd of July 1992,
the authorities admit they’ve lost him. Escobar has apparently
vanished into thin air. In Bogotá, the government is exasperated. Barely 24 hours after his escape,
it sets up the Bloque de Búsqueda, an elite unit whose sole task
is to track down Escobar. Its headquarters are in the city center. The 1,000-strong unit
is made up of highly trained and hand-picked policemen and soldiers. The commanders make sure
that none of the men are from Medellín, and that all of them
have a score to settle with Escobar, choosing those who have lost
at least one member of their families to the gangster’s hitmen. The head of the unit
is Colonel Hugo Martínez, as methodical as he is incorruptible. His number two is Major Hugo Aguilar. His role is to gather intelligence. He’s as tough as nails
and thoroughly determined. The Americans sent two
of their best drug officers to work alongside
the Colombians on the ground. It was the best of the best
in going after him. We had all the resources we wanted. By resources, I’m talking about the money, the equipment and intelligence. DEA at this time
had created a TKO program, which is that we were targeting Escobar
all over the world. Medellín becomes a city under siege. The special unit is everywhere
with carte blanche to do as it pleases, sweeping everywhere
and searching everyone. To begin with, the dragnet
turns up little more than weapons, telephones and explosives
common enough in Medellín, and the usual suspects, most of them petty criminals. What the investigators
are hoping for is the one clue, the one informant
who might lead them to Escobar. [Spanish spoken audio] The rewards and the televised appeals
for information made little headway. However,
whoever might be tempted to inform on the Godfather or his cronies, knows fully well
it would mean the death sentence. As a result, months go by
and Escobar remains as elusive as ever. Despite the grind and danger, the Search Unit
has to follow up on every lead. Often the Unit’s intelligence
takes them to Envigado, the suburb where Escobar grew up. People were hiding him. Remember, Pablo Escobar
was a Robin Hood to the people in Medellín because he helped a lot of the poor.
he built churches, and gave a lot of money to people,
so people idolized him. They were guarding and hiding him. Here in this house, the police were hoping to round up
a few members of the Cartel. [Spanish spoken audio] Unfortunately for the police,
they arrived too late, and it wouldn’t be the last time. Elite forces, well-paid informants, yet there was still no breakthrough. To catch Escobar,
there’s a change of tactics. With priority now being given
to telecommunications. The Americans provide
an AWACS surveillance aircraft, and a twin-engine plane
to track vocal frequencies. It’s the first time such methods
are used to hunt down one man. It means that Colonel Martinez and his men can eavesdrop on hundreds
of telephone and radio conversations day and night, 24/7. Then in March 1993, we suddenly realized that we have Escobar
talking to his son on a cell phone, but the problem was that
he was constantly on the move. The twin-engine plane
that’s constantly in the air over Medellín manages to locate
the frequency used in the phone call. [Spanish spoken audio] The plane was able to identify
where the call came from on the ground, so I immediately traced
the location on the map of the city to find the exact spot. The calculations showed
that it came from a house in one of Medellín smartest suburbs. Escobar has to be there,
and it’s just a matter of rounding him up. The orders are to move in at dawn,
and the house is thoroughly searched. Inside, there’s a vulgar display of wealth and a few staff that are half asleep. [Spanish spoken audio] Who does this house belong to? Adrian Moreno? Moreno is a name Escobar often uses. What does he do for a living? I have no idea,
I’d be lying if I told you I did. I have no idea. What bad taste these traffickers have. Upstairs, there are a few more surprises. There’s little that subtle. Typical of all
the Medellín Godfather’s residences. [Spanish spoken audio] The officers take their time
scouring through the huge property. There is, however,
no trace of the drugs lord. The bed is unmade,
and the bedclothes are still warm. Escobar, it seems,
was tipped off just in time. It’s the same old story. The only people are the staff,
and it’s like that in all of his houses. Pablo Escobar has now been on the run
from his comfortable imprisonment for eight months. He’s thumbing his nose
at the Special Unit. We missed him at the beginning. I venture to say
we missed him a good 20 times. We would pick him up on the radio. We’d have the search blocks
around the area, and we’d always miss him. As time goes by, Pablo Escobar’s popularity
seems to increase. Evading the authorities by lack,
or design makes him into a hero. In the rundown neighborhoods,
the poor are all on his side. If Pablo was here,
he wouldn’t even need to ask. I’d help him. He’s welcome here anytime. In our home, he’s welcomed with open arms. He’ll always be welcomed. Escobar also finds easy refuge
with his cronies from the Cartel, and other traffickers
on whose loyalty he can rely. Now more than a decade and a half later, most are no longer alive. All who are left are some members
of the Escobar family, who alone knows how the Godfather
managed to remain at liberty for so long. Maybe they might finally talk. According to some reports, his son Juan Pablo
and his widow Maria Victoria, have sought refuge in Argentina. His brother Roberto, and his younger sister Alba Marina are still in Medellín. The Escobar family
had been untouchable for so long. The brother and sister
used to go out quite openly. These days, they choose
to keep a much lower profile. A local journalist helps out by providing
the address of Escobar’s sister. Is this where Mrs. Escobar lives? -Yes.
-Is she in? No, sorry, she’s just gone out. Okay, we’ll leave a message for her. The crew kicks its heels
in a hotel for three days, waiting for some response or acknowledgment
of the request to meet up. Caution and distrust
runs deep in the Escobar clan. On the fourth day, there’s a phone call. Alba Marina finally agrees
to get together at her house. It’s now known that Alba Marina
had been Escobar’s co-conspirator during the time he had been hunted,
or, as she puts it, persecuted. They shared many secrets, and to this day, she still has
the greatest admiration for her brother. This is my favorite photograph of Pablo. He was involved in politics at the time. He looks so happy. [Spanish spoken audio] Almost nobody knows
that I have kept all these souvenirs. These all belonged to Pablo at one time. I picked them up
from the various hiding places. These are his track shoes. These are the slippers
that he used to use indoors. This shirt is well known. It was in all the papers. This is his last diary
with his appointment and a card. It has the address of one of the places
where I used to go and see him. He wrote the names of enemies in here too,
their addresses and phone numbers, and the names of their fathers,
and their mothers. This is the beard
that he used to wear as a disguise. I look like him, don’t I? Pablo Escobar also had a brother Roberto,
who was two years older. Video of him from this time is rare, but Roberto Escobar
was a key member of the Medellín Cartel. He would also play an important role
in his brother’s flight from justice. His specialty was accounting. In his memoirs, Roberto Escobar
claims to have been among the 15 people who helped organize
the finances of the cocaine empire. Before taking her leave,
Alba Marina had claimed her brother could be reached
through a contact in the United States. Hello, we’d like to speak
with Roberto Escobar. Oh, to interviewer Don Roberto
or to talk about Pablo, you’d need to speak with… You’d also need to pay some money. I don’t know how much, though. [Spanish spoken audio] Eventually, a deal is reached
with a person we want to interview. The woman agrees
to provide his phone number. -Hello?
-Hello. Don Roberto? Who is calling? I’m a French journalist. How are you? Fine, how about you? Can we meet at your office
or somewhere that’s convenient? Yes, no problem. Can you tell me
where we can actually meet? Go to Las Palmas service station,
I’ll have someone meet you there. Thank you very much, Don Roberto. The meeting is due to take place
in a residential district in central Medellín. The only condition is no cameras. We nonetheless decide
to film the meeting anyway. [Spanish spoken audio] As a young man, Roberto Escobar
was a professional cyclist before changing gears
and following his brother. On his walls, black and white photos
provide a record of those days. Don Roberto has no wish to dwell on the days
when he was part of the Cartel, and dealt in cocaine. Although he has agreed
to an exclusive deal with Hollywood producers
to sell his life story. [Spanish spoken audio] The story of Pablo’s time on the run
is something I’m familiar with. In fact, I probably know
more about it the most. Beginning in 1983,
I spent most of my time with Pablo. We were the best of friends,
two brothers that were inseparable. We did everything together, including during the time
when he was in hiding. The remaining 50 minutes of the interview
proved to be less fruitful. He does agree to tell us
that while Pablo was on the run, he was always able to stay in touch. From his prison cell, Roberto used
a phone that he’d hidden in his TV set to communicate with his brother. I had made a phone in my TV set. I’d rigged it up
and turned it into a telephone. Visitors would only see a TV, but it allowed me to talk
with my brother at any time. I’d change my voice and ask him: Hello brother, how are you doing?
What are you up to? You doing all right then? [Spanish spoken audio] June 1993 marked one year since Escobar
had escaped from the Catedral. The Special Unit has no idea where he is, and he moves around the city
under the very noses of the police. The government
decides to tighten the screws. [Spanish spoken audio] It triples the reward, and Escobar, dead or alive,
is now worth $5 million. [Spanish spoken audio] The authorities refine and perfect
the electronic surveillance. Escobar is one of the first
to own a cell phone, but he knows he has to keep on the move
and keep his conversation short to prevent the police
from pinpointing his position. One day, an American technician
who was up in the airplane told us he’s got a precise position. He’s located the exact hiding place, precisely. [Spanish spoken audio] It’s in the mountains, difficult terrains. We organized a helicopter operation
in the utmost secrecy. A short while later, we heard someone
warning him on the radio saying: They know where you are sir,
and they’re on their way. By the time we arrived, he’d gone. It’s obvious there’s a mole in the unit. A traitor who keeps
the head of the Cartel informed the instant the police are about to swoop. The Colonel quickly ferrets him out. [Spanish spoken audio] The informer was a young police auxiliary who was known as a skilled woodcarver. He sculpted out little figures
of policemen and helicopters. He’d hang around with us
all the time at the police station. The informant was in Escobar’s pay, using the money to rent an apartment
in this building just behind the barracks. [Spanish spoken audio] As soon as this policeman knew
an operation was being organized, he used to run a home. Then using a radio code,
he’d call Pablo Escobar’s lieutenants, and talk in codes and say things like: Tell sir or the doctor,
as they used to call Pablo, that they’re on their way
making straight for you. When we were heading up
towards the target, we’d sometimes see people heading past, or going the other way. The traitor is eliminated
and the manhunt can resume unimpeded. Our target is a guy called El Chopo. According to our information,
he is hiding in this area. Chopo was the hands-on terrorist guy
who placed all the bombs. [Spanish spoken audio] This is our photo album
with our various operations and suspects. This is the guy we want to catch tonight. There’s a complete change of tactics. The idea is to isolate Escobar
by rounding up his key men one by one. Mario Castaño,
alias El Chopo is tonight’s target. The operation against El Chopo
is a success and many others followed. The senior members of the Cartel
are eliminated one after the other. Pablo Escobar is severely weakened. Towards the end, Escobar was running
without stronger leaders, or the terrorist’s bodyguards. Fear begins to creep in,
and the predator becomes the prey. The new enemy begins to emerge, the so-called group of the persecuted,
also known in Medellín as the Pepes. The Pepes were criminals
who had once been in the Medellín Cartel, but left for one reason or another. They began to challenge
and then fight Escobar. Their bosses are two former
accomplices of Escobar, who’d had enough
of his paranoia and cruelty. Unlike the police, the Pepes knew
all the secrets and habits of the leader of the Cartel. The bloodletting soon starts as the Pepes gunned down anyone
who’s close to the Godfather. This changed the dynamics of Escobar. Escobar now started
worrying about his own family. The Pepes used the same tactics
used by Escobar by targeting the families. Case in point, as the apartment
owned by his mother is blown up. At the time, Escobar’s wife
and children had been inside. Nobody is hurt,
but the attack is a warning. One day they set off a bomb, and ruined a painting by Dali
estimated to be worth $5 million. Escobar’s wife was devastated
and she called Pablo. She said: Look,
they’ve destroyed the Dali. What are we to do about it? Pablo told her that the only Dali
worth anything to him are his children, so don’t worry about it. Gradually, Escobar begins to fear
for the lives of his loved ones. It would be the reason for his downfall. As long as his son and daughter
are in Colombia, he cannot relax. He decides to send them
to Germany in Europe. On 27th November, Maria Victoria,
Juan Pablo and little Manuela board a flight to Frankfurt
under police escort, and filmed by the TV crews. Escobar breathes a sigh of relief. Although he doesn’t know it yet, the countdown
to his own end has already begun. His wife and kids
are fled for a safe country, but there’s no country
that wants them. The plane goes backward and forward,
and eventually returns to Colombia. No one wanted anything more
to do with Pablo Escobar. Under diplomatic pressure, the German government
sent the Escobar family back home. On 29th, the Escobars are back
in Colombia under police protection. They have no idea
they have walked straight into the trap set by the US and Colombian authorities. That was served. Once they’d been expelled from Germany
they were back in Colombia, they began pressuring Escobar
in a big way. When they land,
the Escobar family is whisked away to a police safehouse in Bogotá. They have become prisoners. They are soon at the mercy of the media. The children are portrayed much
in the same manner as animals in a zoo. For Escobar, alone, far from his family,
and unable to protect them, it’s a terrible ordeal. Simultaneously, the Pepes
stepped up the pressure and attacked the hotel with grenades. Although, again, no one is injured. In his lair,
Escobar, hysterical with worry, forgets even the most basic security. Juan Pablo and Pablo were talking
every day at six o’clock in the afternoon on that same frequency, and that’s how we started
intercepting his communications again. For the Special Investigation Unit,
it’s the turning point in the battle. Every man is mobilized,
and every means deployed. In front,
four vocal reconnaissance vehicles. They cruised the streets of Medellín
in an effort to locate the Godfather as soon as he opened his mouth. [Spanish spoken audio] We were listening in 24 hours a day
by that time in the search zone. Our units were fully alert, and ready to intervene
whenever a call was intercepted. On 1st December, police technicians identified five phone calls
made by Escobar from different locations
in the city center. He was always on the move, calling from a car
that was constantly traveling. The police finally figured out
one of Escobar’s tricks. To avoid being tracked down, the fugitive had for months
been using a simple but effective ruse, that of using one
of the city’s numerous cabs that would drive around non-stop while he made brief calls
from his cell phone. After four days spent listening in,
we were very tired. We thought we’d never
be able to track him down. Then suddenly, on day five,
we intercepted his latest phone call and an amazing thing happened. It was a signal from a fixed-line,
so we knew he was phoning from a house. The first police on site
confirmed the information, and briefed the superior officer at once. [Spanish spoken audio] He told me: That’s it. That’s the house. Right in front of it,
I think I can I see him inside. He is near the window
with a telephone in his hand. It’s a confirmed sighting
and the Unit advances led by Major Aguilar. [Spanish spoken audio] We were cautious when we got to the house. The first thing we saw
was the taxi which he used to take. Then I heard Pablo talking on the phone. He was up on the second floor. Therefore, we went up. I had my rifle that was in front. We were moving slowly, and in absolute silence. Then I saw him. He was right in front of me, but I didn’t have a clear shot. I cut forward
and then he turned around and saw me and he said: What’s happening? He dropped the phone,
pulled out his revolver and opened fire. I ran upstairs clutching my pistol. I shot him and hit him in the shoulder. The policeman behind me
took his rifle and opened fire, shot him here, right at the temple. The bullet goes in here and exits out. He suddenly threw himself
through the window. I jumped out too, which was difficult because back then
the windows were much higher. I moved forward
and took the gun away from him. Then I took the radio,
called my bosses and shouted: Long live Colombia! Pablo is dead. Within 30 minutes, all 1,000 men
of the Special Unit arrived on the scene. The whole city appears
to congregate at the house, and the news of Pablo Escobar’s death. Some applaud, others are in tears. Some don’t believe the news, The Godfather’s mother, for one,
arrives visibly shocked. It would take her a long time
to accept the truth. His face hidden,
the American agent Stephen Murphy makes his way
through the crowds of soldiers. He wasn’t about to let the culmination
of 16 months of work go by unrecognized. Everybody was very happy. Everybody was very exhausted. You just can’t imagine
the pressure we felt had been lifted off our shoulders. Much less how the Colombian
National Police must have felt. 1:30 PM on 2nd December, 1993, marks the end
of the largest manhunt in history. Pablo Escobar is buried
the next morning just outside Medellín. Ten thousand people
show up for the funeral. For many, Escobar had been an idol. Off to one corner, the female members
of the family are almost crushed as the crowd tries
to touch the coffin one last time. Sixteen years after the death
of the most wanted man on the planet, one mystery remains unresolved. What happened
to the Medellín Godfather’s vast fortune? Where did he hide the $5 billion
that legend has it he was worth? I think his family has most of the money because none of Pablo Escobar’s money
was ever found in Colombia. If they really had all those millions, and even if he probably
didn’t know how much exactly, even if it was just worth half, his wife and children would have to be
multimillionaires today in Argentina. We wanted to check
General Maza’s comments. Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. After his death,
Escobar’s widow, Maria Victoria, and her two children
settle here in some comfort. They changed identities
and blended into the background. Maria Victoria changed
her name to Maria Isabel. Juan Pablo is better known
today as Sebastian Marroquín. It took us more than a week
to track them down. The Escobar family
now dabbles in real estate, and Maria Victoria has set up
an interior decorating company along with her son
in the heart of Palermo, a trendy part of the city. We’re outside
and decide to make some phone calls. [Spanish spoken audio] It’s studio, good morning. Can I talk to Sebastián Marroquín, please? He is not in. Do you know when he might be back?
Is he in town? I think he’s on a trip. I don’t know where exactly,
he’s been abroad. Okay, well, thanks very much. Forced to wait, it seems
a good time to find out more about the activities
of the Escobar family in Argentina. We spoke to a journalist
who has been reporting on the family since they first arrived. [Spanish spoken audio] When they first came here,
they started hanging out with the locals, in particular an accountant. In the beginning,
he and Maria Victoria were just friends, but then they became lovers. They bought an apartment,
and it becomes their love nest. The apartment becomes
the center of Maria Victoria and her lover’s
money laundering operations. [Spanish spoken audio] The accountant began
to travel back and forth to Colombia. He came with trunks full of banknotes. The luggage was as full as possible
containing as much as$ 400,000. Between 1995 and 1999,
barely after four years, it’s proved they smuggled
in at least $2 million, but there are some estimates that
it could’ve been more than 10 million. Maria Victoria’s love is soon betrayed. The accountant is really
only interested in the money. He becomes greedy
and effectively blackmails Mrs. Escobar for no less than five years. In 1999, there’s a dramatic development
as the entire Escobar family is arrested, Maria Victoria, her son Juan Pablo,
as well as the blackmailer. They are released almost immediately. The judges were never able to prove
their wealth came from the drugs trade. Since then, the accountant
has mysteriously disappeared and Maria Victoria
has never been seen in public. The next move is to head
towards Escobar’s office building. The days tick by without news. By day four, we’re in our car
acting on a tip from Juan Pablo, who’s just arrived back in Buenos Aires
and would like to meet up. There’s no mistaking who his father was. They look so similar in profile. The Godfather’s son is now 32,
and has wiped the past from his slate. These days,
he’s a successful designer in Argentina, married and soon to be a father. We headed to our meeting
with the son of the Godfather equipped with a hidden camera. The man who’s trying to rebuild his life
is notoriously shy of the media, so our meeting is significant. How should I call you,
Sebastián or Juan Pablo? -Sebastián.
-Sebastián. Juan Pablo to me, is ancient history. That was my life before. Now your father built up
a considerable fortune. What happened to his money?
Were you able to use any of it? The answer is simple. The war cost a huge deal of money. My father was immensely wealthy,
but he stopped dealing in drugs and invested
all of his money into that war. Weapons and the manpower
cost enormous amounts of money. Beyond the cost
of the weapons and explosives, a considerable amount of money
was used to corrupt people. He bought the whole country off? Yes, the whole country, all of it. I remember very well being
in my father’s office once, and I saw an endless stream
of important people. For example, he was inside
meeting with an official and outside the policemen
escorting him and keeping guard. After their boss had finished,
they went in to be paid. That’s how it was always. One day policemen,
another day politicians. One day I even saw
a former president of the Republic. He would pay off everybody. Dad would say: Here’s your cheque,
thanks very much. Argentine justice
eventually threw out the case, but as the only son of Pablo Escobar, there are many who have doubts
over where his money came from. We’ve been accused of laundering maybe about a million dollars
over a period of five years. Well, I can say is, if it’s true, then we must be the worst
money launderers in history. Since if you try and launder money
that comes from the cocaine trade, $1 million is nothing. Just pocket money for a cup of coffee. What did happen to Escobar’s billions? Are they in numbered accounts
or buried underground somewhere? Or are they just a legend? Nobody knows, apart maybe from this woman. Maria Victoria,
the Medellín Godfathers widow. She refused to talk with us,
and the only images we have are these few seconds
on a street in Buenos Aires. She has the key to some of the secrets. When he died
on that Medellín rooftop in 1993, Pablo Escobar, the greatest
drug trafficker of all time, took some of his secrets to his grave.