Pablo Escobar (1949â93) was a notorious Colombian drug lord who led the MedellĂn cartel, becoming one of the worldâs most powerful drug traffickers in the 1980s and early â90s. At the height of its power, the MedellĂn cartel dominated the cocaine trade, earning an estimated $420 million a week and making Escobar one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Escobarâs criminal career began in his teens, and in the mid-1970s he cofounded the MedellĂn cartel. His ruthlessness was well known. He used bribery and violence, targeting rival drug traffickers, government officials, police, and civilians. Facing a manhunt, Escobar surrendered in 1991 but continued his criminal activities from La Catedral, a luxurious prison he built himself. Not only did the facility include a nightclub, sauna, waterfall, and soccer field, but it also had telephones, computers, and fax machines. However, after Escobar tortured and killed two cartel members at La Catedral, officials decided to move him to a less-accommodating prison.
Escobar escaped in 1992. The Colombian governmentâreportedly aided by U.S. officials and rival drug traffickersâlaunched a manhunt. On December 1, 1993, Escobar celebrated his 44th birthday, allegedly enjoying cake, wine, and marijuana. The next day his hideout in MedellĂn was discovered. He was killed in a shootout with Colombian authorities.