The legacy of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar has sparked a fiery dispute between his own flesh and blood, who are now bickering – and threatening to kill – over a dazzling array of his prized possessions.
The notorious cocaine boss, who was shot to death in 1993 while trying to flee from the police on a rooftop in Medellin, was the proud owner of a breathtaking collection of extravagant cars, slick motorcycles, snowmobiles, high-end designer threads. and even planes.
Nicolás Escobar, 53, who proudly calls himself ‘Don Pablo’s favorite nephew’, believes his uncle’s belongings are now rightfully his, and is committed to preserving the priceless items by organizing an exhibition.
But his own father, Roberto Escobar, is a former cartel accountant. And in true narco fashion, he has threatened to kill his own son if he tries to claim the rights to Pablo’s memorabilia, according to Nicolás.
“He (Roberto) still thinks he can do whatever he wants, that he’s in the mafia, that he’s a boss,” Nicolás said, addressing his father emphatically as “that man” rather than “daddy.” .
In this 1983 file photo, Pablo Escobar, boss of the Medellin drug cartel, watches a soccer game in Medellin, Colombia
Harley Davidson motorcycle by Pablo Escobar
The remains of an old Cessna plane used by Pablo Escobar to extract drug money from Panama is on display in the courtyard of his family museum run by Roberto Escobar, his eldest brother also known as “The Accountant” on Feb. 13 2019 in Medellin
Roberto Escobar looks at his brother’s photo at the entrance to Pablo Escobar’s house museum
Nicolas Escobar – cousin of Pablo Escobar
Roberto de Jesús Escobar Gaviria Roberto Escobar, brother of Pablo Escobar, home, Medellin, Colombia
“One day my sister called me and told me not to try to enter (my father’s) house… If you entered, she told me, someone would kill me, because our father gave the order” , he told me. The Telegraph.
For years, the most precious possessions of the world-famous cartel boss were on display in a museum led by Roberto.
A pink Harley Davidson, a small private jet, a horde of rare photos and a gun that would once have been held in the palm of none other than legendary American mobster Al Capone are just some of the items on display to the public.
Nicolás waxed poetic about the collection, calling it a treasure trove of “ancient and luxurious” marvels that deserve their place in the spotlight.
The museum was very popular with tourists flocking to get a glimpse into the high-flying life of the billionaire drug lord, but it was demolished earlier this year when local government officials reportedly discovered the building had been built without proper permission.
But others say officials in Medellin wanted to tear down the museum in an effort to detach the city from its enduring reputation for drug smuggling and law enforcement violence.
Nicolás now wants to house his uncle’s collection of memorabilia in a new facility, one that would preserve the history of the Escobar legacy without glorifying it.
“What Hollywood shows isn’t real… it wasn’t glamorous,” Nicolás said.
But it’s no wonder the late Escobar has amassed such a collection of rare and valuable items.
During his time at the helm of the Medellin cartel, he controlled more than 80 percent of cocaine shipped to the US, earning him the rank of one of Forbes Magazine’s ten richest people in the world.
View from a small museum where the residents of the neighborhood of Pablo Escobar collected statues and the memory of the drug lord, in Medellin, Colombia on September 27, 2021
An old race car said to be Escobar’s favorite is displayed in a hall in Medellin on February 13, 2019 with his race car pictures on the wall
Vehicles are on display at the Casa Museo Pablo Escobar in Medellin, Colombia, on Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Escobar entered the cocaine trade in the early 1970s and teamed up with other criminals to form the Medellin Cartel.
In the mid-1980s, Pablo Escobar had an estimated net worth of $30 billion and cash was so prevalent that Escobar bought a Learjet for the sole purpose of making his money fly.
More than 15 tons of cocaine were reportedly smuggled every day, netting the cartel a whopping $420 million a week.
During much of his time at the top of the narco heap, Escobar gained popularity by sponsoring charitable projects and football clubs, sharing some of his wealth with local communities, and in doing so, he was painted as something of a Robin Hood figure.
But terror campaigns by Escobar’s accomplices resulted in the murder of thousands, and slowly the public began to turn against him – as US law enforcement agencies teamed up with the Colombian police to tear down his empire.
On December 2, 1993, Colombian law enforcement finally caught up with Escobar, in a middle-class neighborhood in Medellin.
A shootout ensued and as Escobar tried to escape over a series of rooftops, he and his bodyguard were shot and killed.