Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Pablo Escobar

Public opinion and media debates around Pablo Escobar—discover key moments of controversy.

Pablo Escobar, the 'King of Cocaine', was the leader of the Medellín Cartel, which dominated the cocaine trade in the US during the 1980s and early 1990s. He amassed immense wealth through his criminal activities. Escobar was a narcoterrorist and politician who became one of the richest criminals in history with an estimated net worth of $30 billion by the time of his death.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1971: Kidnapping of Diego Echavarria

In the summer of 1971, Pablo Escobar's gang kidnapped businessman Diego Echavarria and killed him after receiving a $50,000 ransom from the Echavarria family. This event made Escobar's gang well known.

1976: Investigation of Escobar's Arrest

In 1976, the arrest of Pablo Escobar was investigated by subordinates of Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla, who had become Escobar's opponent in Congress.

January 1984: Escobar's Retirement from Politics

In January 1984, Pablo Escobar announced his retirement from politics, after being expelled from the Liberal party by Luis Carlos Galán. Three months later, Lara-Bonilla was murdered.

1984: Assassination of Rodrigo Lara

In 1984, Colombia's justice minister Rodrigo Lara was assassinated.

November 1985: Los Extraditable Organization

In the fall of November 1985, Pablo Escobar requested conditional surrender without extradition to the United States. When this was rejected, he founded and implicitly supported the Los Extraditable Organization, which aimed to fight the extradition policy and was accused of supporting the guerrilla movement that attacked the Colombian Judiciary Building on 6 November 1985.

1985: Escobar's role in the Palace of Justice siege

In 1985, according to Vallejo, Escobar financed the Palace of Justice siege committed by M-19; Vallejo blamed the army for the killings of more than 100 people.

1986: Supreme Court Decision on Extradition Treaty

In late 1986, Colombia's Supreme Court declared the previous extradition treaty with the United States illegal due to being signed by a presidential delegation, not the president, marking a victory for Pablo Escobar. However, the victory was short-lived.

1988: Bombing of Edificio Mónaco

In 1988, the Edificio Mónaco, initially built for Escobar's wife, was gutted by a Cali Cartel car bomb and had remained unoccupied ever since.

August 1989: Assassination of Luis Carlos Galán

On August 18, 1989, Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated on Pablo Escobar's orders. Escobar then planted a bomb on Avianca Flight 203 in an attempt to assassinate Galán's successor, César Gaviria Trujillo, which resulted in the death of 107 people and intervention from the U.S. government.

1989: Santofimio Accused in Galán Assassination

In 1989, former Senator Alberto Santofimio was accused of conspiracy in the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán.

1989: Assassination of Luis Carlos Galán

In 1989, the presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was assassinated.

1991: Escobar's Surrender

In 1991, after the assassination of Luis Carlos Galán, Pablo Escobar surrendered to Colombian authorities, declaring an end to his violent acts, in exchange for a reduced sentence and preferential treatment. The newly approved Colombian Constitution of 1991 prohibited the extradition of Colombian citizens to the United States.

2008: Reopening of the Palace of Justice siege case

In 2008, Vallejo's statements prompted the reopening of the Palace of Justice siege case; Vallejo was asked to testify, and many of the events she had described in her book and testimonial were confirmed by Colombia's Commission of Truth.

August 2011: Santofimio sentenced to prison

In August 2011, Santofimio was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role in the assassination of Galán.

June 2018: Accusation of money laundering in Argentina

On June 5, 2018, in Argentina, federal judge Nestor Barral accused Maria Isabel Santos Caballero (formerly María Victoria Henao) and her son, Sebastián Marroquín Santos, of money laundering with two Colombian drug traffickers. The judge ordered the seizing of assets for about $1m each.

February 2019: Demolition of Edificio Mónaco

On 22 February 2019, Medellín authorities demolished the six-story Edificio Mónaco apartment complex in the El Poblado neighborhood where Escobar planned some of his most brazen attacks. Colombian president Ivan Duque said the demolition "means that history is not going to be written in terms of the perpetrators, but by recognizing the victims".