Why did Pablo Escobar oppose extradition to the United States?

Pablo Escobar vehemently opposed extradition to the United States because he feared facing severe punishment and imprisonment there. He famously stated he would "rather have a grave in Colombia than a jail cell in the U.S.". This opposition fueled much of the violence and conflict during his reign as the leader of the Medellín cartel. Escobar's cartel was a primary target of the U.S. in its war on drugs, and he reportedly offered to pay off Colombia's national debt if extradition treaties were waived.12