Inquiry III
He was once ranked number seven in Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 Richest People on the Planet; he built thousands of homes for the poor, created soccer fields in Columbian ghettos and even served as deputy to the Columbian House of Representatives. His name is Pablo Escobar, also known as the greatest drug dealer to ever live. He controlled over 80% of the entire cocaine trade during his reign and his influence touched all parts of Columbia including politics, the economy and most visibly the sport of soccer. Before the rise of Pablo Escobar, Columbian soccer was an irrelevant force on not only the international stage, but was also an afterthought on the South America landscape. There was not enough money in the country to support a top-level soccer team and certainly not enough resources available to develop top tier talent. But as Pablo Escobar began establishing himself as one of the most powerful drug dealers in the world, a mysterious influx of wealth and talent began to flood into Columbian soccer. The two quickly rose to the top of their respective fields in the early 90’s and both crashed spectacularly, culminating at 1994 World Cup in Los Angeles.
Pablo Escobar was born December 1, 1949 in Antioquia, Columbia, a suburb of Columbia’s second largest city Medellin, to a poor farmer and elementary teacher. From a young age it was apparent that Escobar had aspirations of escaping the poverty stricken favelas of Columbia. A cousin of Escobar, Jaime Gaviria, remembers a specific conversation during school when Pablo said, “I might be poor, but I refuse to die poor” (Strader). Given the hardships of evading poverty, Escobar turned towards crime at an early age as his escape. Escobar and his brother would steal tombstones from local cemeteries, sandblast the inscriptions off the stone and resell them to smugglers in Panama. By the time Pablo reached 20 he had already become a well-accomplished car thief, selling the cars to chop shops around Medellin. He started out as a small time thug, performing petty crimes to get by, but as his hunger for wealth and power grew so to did the severity of his crimes.
During the 1970’s Escobar entered down the path that would lead to his rise of fortune and power: cocaine. Escobar began running a small time operation in which he would buy cocoa paste from Bolivia and Peru, take it back to Columbia where it would be refined in to purified cocaine and then finally sold to the United States. After some years, his operation grew to a size that required a greater workforce and he decided to collaborate with other local drug dealers to form what would eventually be known as the Medellin Cartel. Fabio Restrepo originally headed the cartel until his murder in 1975, which handed the keys to the empire to Escobar. The murder was surrounded in mystery and many believed that it was Escobar himself who ordered the assassination.
Escobar was a merciless leader and ruled his kingdom with an iron fist. If someone were to steal his money, encroach upon his territory or cross one of his men, Escobar would have them killed without batting an eye. In 1976, Escobar and a few of his men were caught transporting cocaine across the Columbian border and a trial was arranged to convict the men. Before the trial could even commence the two arresting officers were mysteriously murder and the charges were later dropped. Escobar let nothing stand in the way of his ambition and would often order the assassinations of officers and judges to protect his operation. It was estimated that he was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 police officers, 200 judges, a justice administer and even a presidential candidate.
Escobar’s ruthless ambitions resulted in him becoming the top cocaine distributer in all of Latin America, controlling over 80% of the entire cocaine trade. With the incredible amount of power and influence also came an incredible amount wealth. By the mid 1980’s he was estimated to be worth over $24 billion, owning dozens of expensive villas across Latin America, multiple airplanes to distribute his cocaine and was even reported to own his own private zoo. Despite Escobar’s flamboyancy he never forgot the slums of his youth and was known for aiding Columbia’s poor. He was responsible for the development of thousands of new homes in the ghettos of Medellin; he built many hospitals, churches and schools for the impoverished communities. He was also responsible for the creation of many soccer facilities throughout the country, something he took tremendous pride in.
It was well documented that Escobar was deeply passionate about the sport of soccer throughout his life. As his wealth stockpiled, he began to invest in developing youth leagues throughout the country. It was in those leagues that many poor children had the opportunity to play their first organized soccer, something that was impossible before the donations of Escobar. Escobar also became heavily involved in the Medellin based club soccer team known as Atletico Nacional after buying a portion of the club in the 1980’s. He was seen at many of the team’s games and would often invite the players over to his house for parties. Escobar’s monetary influence over the club helped the team climb to the top of Latin American soccer during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. During an incredible stretch from 1988 to 1992, Atletico were runner-ups four times and champions of the Columbian league twice. And in 1991 they were crowned champions of the Copa Libetadores, an honor reserved for the best team in South America. This was an incredible win for not only Atletico, but also the entire country of Columbia because never before had a Columbian based club won the title. After the victory, the world finally began to recognize Columbian soccer as a true threat on the international stage, but also began to question their suspicious rise.
During the time of Atletico Nacional’s success Pablo Escobar had become one of the most infamous criminals in the world. The United States was fully aware of Escobar’s cocaine trade being run through their ports and as a result a campaign was launched to extradite Escobar to the United States. In response to this campaign, Escobar launched a war against the Columbian government to prevent such a scenario from ever occurring. Escobar and his cartel resorted to violence to get their point across, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians and political figures and gave Medellin the title as “the most dangerous city in the world” during the time. Eventually Escobar had assassinated and bribed enough politicians to force the Columbian government to nullify the practice of extradition under the condition that Escobar would turn himself in. So in June of 1991 Escobar officially turned himself in to Columbian authorities and was taken to a secluded prison outside of Medellin. This appeared to be a victory for Columbian justice, but it proved to be no such thing. The so-called “prison” resembled a luxury hotel more than a square room with steel bars. Escobar in fact had built the prison himself. Every cell was equipped with a television, VCR, refrigerator, and a plush bed. The central portion of the prison was converted to a game room and a soccer field was even built on the premise. Escobar hand selected his guards and visitors were welcomed upon Escobar’s request. Escobar even flew in high profile soccer players from all over the world to play with him.
The year before Escobar turned himself in to authorities, the Columbian national team had made history by qualifying for their first world cup since 1962. The team was lead by many Atletico Nacional stars including Rene Higuita and Andres Escobar, who was the first Columbian to ever be offered a contract by the Italian powerhouse club AC Milan. The team was touted as one of the greatest in Columbian history and it gave many Columbians something to be proud of during a time of intense violence and chaos caused Escobar and his cocaine trade. The team was eventually eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy, but with the majority of the squad remaining, Columbia was destined for an even stronger return in the 1994 World Cup.
After discovering that Pablo Escobar was continuing to operate his drug cartel with little to no opposition in prison, the Columbian government had reached its breaking point. They demanded Escobar be moved to a more secure prison. Upon hearing this news Escobar fled his “self-made” prison and went into hiding. The Columbian government needed help to capture Escobar and they agreed to team with United States police force. Together they launched a joint manhunt to find, capture and kill Pablo Escobar by any means necessary. Escobar managed to evade authorities for almost a year, until December 2, 1993, when he was discovered at a hide out in Medellin and was subsequently shot and killed. The reign of Pablo Escobar was over, but the violence in Columbia still remained. Escobar had ruled his empire with such control that random acts of violence were never allowed, every kill had its purpose. Whether it was to influence politics, intimidate rival cartels or to insure security, Escobar had a reason behind his actions despite how heinous they appeared. But now that there was no leader, everyone underneath Escobar tried to become their own boss and even more violence ensued for the years after Escobar.
A year after the death of Pablo Escobar, the Columbian national team was preparing for it’s second World Cup appearance in a row and were being named as one of the favorites to win it all. They had returned almost their entire roster from four years ago and added even greater talent to an already impressive team. Fresh off a historic 5-0 victory over powerhouse Argentina, Columbian spirits were high and many hoped that a victory in the World Cup would bring peace back home. What ensued was anything but peaceful. Columbia had been shocked in the first game against Romania and lost 3-1, which set off a chain reaction of tragedy. Many of the drug dealers back in Columbia had placed huge bets on Columbia to win the game and as a result of losing, many of these criminals began to take it out on the players. They started placing death threats on the players and the player’s families if the team failed to win their next game against the United States. This obviously stunned and scared many of the players, and it placed a tremendous amount of unnecessary pressure to an already high-pressure situation. The result was a 1-0 defeat to the United States caused by an own goal scored by the Columbian star Andres Escobar. The team left the World Cup not only disappointed by failing to honor their country, but also left fearful for their lives back home. A week after the team returned to Columbia tragedy finally struck. It was announced on July 2, 1994 at approximately 3 A.M. that star defender Andres Escobar had been murdered outside a club in Medellin by an unknown gunman. He had been shot six times and it was reported that after ever shot the killer mockingly screamed “goal!” in Escobar’s face.
With the collapse of Pablo Escobar’s cocaine empire also came the demise of soccer in Columbia. Since there is no longer an influx of drug money being poured into Columbian soccer, the teams have begun to crumble. Of the 14 clubs teams in Columbia, 12 are on the verge of bankruptcy. No one can afford to keep top talent and as a result less and less people are interested in attending games. The Columbian national team has also failed to qualify for a World Cup since the their last appearance in 1994. Although Escobar’s drug empire collapsed, the drug trade still remains a problem in Columbia although it is nowhere near the level it used to be. The murder rate has dropped tremendously and a more stable government has been put into power. The Columbian drug trade and Columbian soccer took a crazy ride together during the 1980’s and early 1990’s that ended in nothing but misery and tragedy. The two complimented each other for so long, but at the root of all the success was pure evil. Many innocent people died, war divided a nation and an entire country lived in fear. It goes to show that nothing good can come from evil and it is a grim reminder of how far people are willing to go to be the best.
Pablo Escobar was born December 1, 1949 in Antioquia, Columbia, a suburb of Columbia’s second largest city Medellin, to a poor farmer and elementary teacher. From a young age it was apparent that Escobar had aspirations of escaping the poverty stricken favelas of Columbia. A cousin of Escobar, Jaime Gaviria, remembers a specific conversation during school when Pablo said, “I might be poor, but I refuse to die poor” (Strader). Given the hardships of evading poverty, Escobar turned towards crime at an early age as his escape. Escobar and his brother would steal tombstones from local cemeteries, sandblast the inscriptions off the stone and resell them to smugglers in Panama. By the time Pablo reached 20 he had already become a well-accomplished car thief, selling the cars to chop shops around Medellin. He started out as a small time thug, performing petty crimes to get by, but as his hunger for wealth and power grew so to did the severity of his crimes.
During the 1970’s Escobar entered down the path that would lead to his rise of fortune and power: cocaine. Escobar began running a small time operation in which he would buy cocoa paste from Bolivia and Peru, take it back to Columbia where it would be refined in to purified cocaine and then finally sold to the United States. After some years, his operation grew to a size that required a greater workforce and he decided to collaborate with other local drug dealers to form what would eventually be known as the Medellin Cartel. Fabio Restrepo originally headed the cartel until his murder in 1975, which handed the keys to the empire to Escobar. The murder was surrounded in mystery and many believed that it was Escobar himself who ordered the assassination.
Escobar was a merciless leader and ruled his kingdom with an iron fist. If someone were to steal his money, encroach upon his territory or cross one of his men, Escobar would have them killed without batting an eye. In 1976, Escobar and a few of his men were caught transporting cocaine across the Columbian border and a trial was arranged to convict the men. Before the trial could even commence the two arresting officers were mysteriously murder and the charges were later dropped. Escobar let nothing stand in the way of his ambition and would often order the assassinations of officers and judges to protect his operation. It was estimated that he was responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 police officers, 200 judges, a justice administer and even a presidential candidate.
Escobar’s ruthless ambitions resulted in him becoming the top cocaine distributer in all of Latin America, controlling over 80% of the entire cocaine trade. With the incredible amount of power and influence also came an incredible amount wealth. By the mid 1980’s he was estimated to be worth over $24 billion, owning dozens of expensive villas across Latin America, multiple airplanes to distribute his cocaine and was even reported to own his own private zoo. Despite Escobar’s flamboyancy he never forgot the slums of his youth and was known for aiding Columbia’s poor. He was responsible for the development of thousands of new homes in the ghettos of Medellin; he built many hospitals, churches and schools for the impoverished communities. He was also responsible for the creation of many soccer facilities throughout the country, something he took tremendous pride in.
It was well documented that Escobar was deeply passionate about the sport of soccer throughout his life. As his wealth stockpiled, he began to invest in developing youth leagues throughout the country. It was in those leagues that many poor children had the opportunity to play their first organized soccer, something that was impossible before the donations of Escobar. Escobar also became heavily involved in the Medellin based club soccer team known as Atletico Nacional after buying a portion of the club in the 1980’s. He was seen at many of the team’s games and would often invite the players over to his house for parties. Escobar’s monetary influence over the club helped the team climb to the top of Latin American soccer during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. During an incredible stretch from 1988 to 1992, Atletico were runner-ups four times and champions of the Columbian league twice. And in 1991 they were crowned champions of the Copa Libetadores, an honor reserved for the best team in South America. This was an incredible win for not only Atletico, but also the entire country of Columbia because never before had a Columbian based club won the title. After the victory, the world finally began to recognize Columbian soccer as a true threat on the international stage, but also began to question their suspicious rise.
During the time of Atletico Nacional’s success Pablo Escobar had become one of the most infamous criminals in the world. The United States was fully aware of Escobar’s cocaine trade being run through their ports and as a result a campaign was launched to extradite Escobar to the United States. In response to this campaign, Escobar launched a war against the Columbian government to prevent such a scenario from ever occurring. Escobar and his cartel resorted to violence to get their point across, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians and political figures and gave Medellin the title as “the most dangerous city in the world” during the time. Eventually Escobar had assassinated and bribed enough politicians to force the Columbian government to nullify the practice of extradition under the condition that Escobar would turn himself in. So in June of 1991 Escobar officially turned himself in to Columbian authorities and was taken to a secluded prison outside of Medellin. This appeared to be a victory for Columbian justice, but it proved to be no such thing. The so-called “prison” resembled a luxury hotel more than a square room with steel bars. Escobar in fact had built the prison himself. Every cell was equipped with a television, VCR, refrigerator, and a plush bed. The central portion of the prison was converted to a game room and a soccer field was even built on the premise. Escobar hand selected his guards and visitors were welcomed upon Escobar’s request. Escobar even flew in high profile soccer players from all over the world to play with him.
The year before Escobar turned himself in to authorities, the Columbian national team had made history by qualifying for their first world cup since 1962. The team was lead by many Atletico Nacional stars including Rene Higuita and Andres Escobar, who was the first Columbian to ever be offered a contract by the Italian powerhouse club AC Milan. The team was touted as one of the greatest in Columbian history and it gave many Columbians something to be proud of during a time of intense violence and chaos caused Escobar and his cocaine trade. The team was eventually eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy, but with the majority of the squad remaining, Columbia was destined for an even stronger return in the 1994 World Cup.
After discovering that Pablo Escobar was continuing to operate his drug cartel with little to no opposition in prison, the Columbian government had reached its breaking point. They demanded Escobar be moved to a more secure prison. Upon hearing this news Escobar fled his “self-made” prison and went into hiding. The Columbian government needed help to capture Escobar and they agreed to team with United States police force. Together they launched a joint manhunt to find, capture and kill Pablo Escobar by any means necessary. Escobar managed to evade authorities for almost a year, until December 2, 1993, when he was discovered at a hide out in Medellin and was subsequently shot and killed. The reign of Pablo Escobar was over, but the violence in Columbia still remained. Escobar had ruled his empire with such control that random acts of violence were never allowed, every kill had its purpose. Whether it was to influence politics, intimidate rival cartels or to insure security, Escobar had a reason behind his actions despite how heinous they appeared. But now that there was no leader, everyone underneath Escobar tried to become their own boss and even more violence ensued for the years after Escobar.
A year after the death of Pablo Escobar, the Columbian national team was preparing for it’s second World Cup appearance in a row and were being named as one of the favorites to win it all. They had returned almost their entire roster from four years ago and added even greater talent to an already impressive team. Fresh off a historic 5-0 victory over powerhouse Argentina, Columbian spirits were high and many hoped that a victory in the World Cup would bring peace back home. What ensued was anything but peaceful. Columbia had been shocked in the first game against Romania and lost 3-1, which set off a chain reaction of tragedy. Many of the drug dealers back in Columbia had placed huge bets on Columbia to win the game and as a result of losing, many of these criminals began to take it out on the players. They started placing death threats on the players and the player’s families if the team failed to win their next game against the United States. This obviously stunned and scared many of the players, and it placed a tremendous amount of unnecessary pressure to an already high-pressure situation. The result was a 1-0 defeat to the United States caused by an own goal scored by the Columbian star Andres Escobar. The team left the World Cup not only disappointed by failing to honor their country, but also left fearful for their lives back home. A week after the team returned to Columbia tragedy finally struck. It was announced on July 2, 1994 at approximately 3 A.M. that star defender Andres Escobar had been murdered outside a club in Medellin by an unknown gunman. He had been shot six times and it was reported that after ever shot the killer mockingly screamed “goal!” in Escobar’s face.
With the collapse of Pablo Escobar’s cocaine empire also came the demise of soccer in Columbia. Since there is no longer an influx of drug money being poured into Columbian soccer, the teams have begun to crumble. Of the 14 clubs teams in Columbia, 12 are on the verge of bankruptcy. No one can afford to keep top talent and as a result less and less people are interested in attending games. The Columbian national team has also failed to qualify for a World Cup since the their last appearance in 1994. Although Escobar’s drug empire collapsed, the drug trade still remains a problem in Columbia although it is nowhere near the level it used to be. The murder rate has dropped tremendously and a more stable government has been put into power. The Columbian drug trade and Columbian soccer took a crazy ride together during the 1980’s and early 1990’s that ended in nothing but misery and tragedy. The two complimented each other for so long, but at the root of all the success was pure evil. Many innocent people died, war divided a nation and an entire country lived in fear. It goes to show that nothing good can come from evil and it is a grim reminder of how far people are willing to go to be the best.