Pablo Escobar (1949-1993), Colombian legendary drug lord. Named one of the world's 7 richest people by Fortune magazine, he is the most arrogant drug lord of all time. At its peak, he controlled almost 80 percent of the world's cocaine trade. He himself possessed 40,000 well-equipped private armed men, even fighter jets. Pablo has orchestrated several terrorist incidents: the assassination of colombia's minister of justice, the supreme court justice, the attorney general, the bombing of Colombian flights, etc. Bluntly stated by the U.S. government: the Italian mafia and the Japanese Yamaguchi group are simply church choirs compared to Pablo's Medellín drug cartel. In 1993, after a protracted and difficult operation, the Colombian military and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency finally killed a generation of drug lords, Pablo Escobar.
Barefoot children
Pablo's son once said, "My father used to tell me that he would never forget his humble origins. He never had any expectations of politicians. Instead, he said he wanted to help the poor and give them the dignity they deserved. ”
Pablo's son was not exaggerating his father's origins. As a child, Pablo's family struggled to make ends meet. His mother had seven children to raise and the family was stretched thin.
Pablo's life begins when he was six years old.
Every morning, Pablo and his brother Robert wake up early to go to school. Their school is far away and there is no transportation available. But that was all fine, and the two brothers were used to walking an hour to school. Unfortunately, the long walking had worn out both of their shoes, and the soles of the shoes had worn out holes and could no longer be worn.
One day, Pablo decided to go to school barefoot. As soon as he entered the classroom, the teacher noticed that Pablo was barefoot, so his teacher did not let him stay in the classroom but let him go home. Pablo felt insulted.
When Pablo's mother came home from work, Pablo told her about it. The child needs a new pair of shoes, yet his mother, Hermilda, has no money. She wanted to run to the store and steal a pair, and she did. When she got home, she found that the two stolen shoes were of different sizes. Disappointed, she went to the pastor to confess her crimes. The priest advised her to return her shoes and then give her a pair of shoes on credit.
A few hours later, Hermilda came home with a new pair of shoes on credit, but physically and mentally exhausted. Pablo knew how embarrassing life was at home, so he said to his mother, "Don't worry Mom, when I grow up, I'll give you everything." ”
Quiet thinkers
The lack of material life really changed Pablo. His maternal grandfather was a successful landowner in his hometown. However, when he arrived at his daughter Hermilda, she struggled to make ends meet. Pablo's father was also a farmer, but was often absent from home, and it was his mother Hermilda who ran the family life. She is a teacher who works during the day and comes home after work to cook, wash clothes and take care of seven children.
The Pablo family lives in the suburb of Nvigado in Medellín. Among the brothers, Pablo and Robert, who was two years his senior, were the closest. Robert is smart and has a great passion for electronics and digital. Whenever Robert was busy building a radio, Pablo was always next to him, absent-minded. Robert said, "My brother is always thinking about things. "Pablo was quiet and never played any games. His favorite thing to do is sit there thinking about things.
His mother always told him about his maternal grandfather. He was once a celebrity here, making his fortune by smuggling whisky. His mother told Pablo how his maternal grandfather had fooled the government. My grandfather was very intelligent and visionary, which had a great influence on Pablo.
Pablo discovered the injustice
At that time, Colombia was suffering from a "period of profiteering". At that time Colombia was divided into two major political forces, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. This antagonism spawned a series of political assassinations and murders. Pablo grew up in an environment of violence, death, threats and fear. More importantly, this extreme poverty and social injustice deeply affected him. A political ideology of justice sprouted within him.
And this kind of thinking deepened as he grew up. At the age of 13, he was elected chairman of the school's Student Life Committee, mainly to raise transportation and food for poor students. During this period, Escobar learned ideas such as opposing imperialism and opposing oligarchy, ideas that influenced his life. At a very young age, Pablo understood the role of the United States in Colombia. There are rumors that the CIA murdered Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a left-wing leader who pursues social justice. It was Gaitan's death that triggered Colombia's "period of violence."
Pablo began to notice social injustice. He understood that misfortune comes from poverty, and that most terrible things happen to the poor. Colombia was under the rule of an oligarch who owned most of the country's land and wealth, yet most of the Colombian people lived in poverty. Pablo despised the current state of Colombian society and hated poverty in particular. That year, he said he would commit suicide if he didn't make 1 million pesos by the time he was 30.
Pablo dropped out of school
At school, Pablo became increasingly restless. He did not believe the government's words and joined the community gang. When he made a little money from it, Pablo felt that going to school was a waste of his time. He hadn't been to class in two years, and most of the time he was wandering the streets.
Medellín's brutal gang fight gave Pablo the real education he had dreamed of. Street life taught Pablo many things: intrigue, sophistication, an ever-present sense of crisis, and the opportunity to confront and solve the cruel life of the city. Pablo saw these real "educations" as the basis for success.
Due to his mother's insistence, Pablo eventually returned to school. He had to study for three years before he could graduate. But when he returned to school, he found that the teachers were too stupid. Pablo found their classes boring and useless, and he often quarreled with his teachers. Finally, after a fight with the teacher, he dropped out of school again.
Hermilda, her mother, tried to persuade Pablo when she found out, but Pablo, who had always loved her mother, was unmoved this time. He said, "Mom, I've always told you that I want to be a big person, I want to be a big person... I'm going to be a big person... I'm a poor man, but I'm not going to die a poor man, I promise. ”
Become the king of the streets
At the age of 16, Pablo had extraordinary confidence. He often wears a comb in his pocket to get a haircut and often dresses himself up against the street window.
At that time, Pablo was bent on becoming a famous "bandit". He imitated his habits and manners from his two idols, Al Capone and the Godfather. He adored them and believed that the bandits would be more powerful than the government. He even thought the bandits would be more humane. In his eyes, becoming a bandit is the best way to fight against a dark society politically.
Pablo didn't want to commit only one kind of crime all the time, he wanted to make a name for himself in all areas of crime. So he began to sell fake lottery tickets, sell smuggled cigarettes, street fraud, steal cars, smuggle goods, extortion and so on.
At that time, Pablo became addicted to the habit of smoking marijuana and could not leave his mouth all day. Pablo was born to be a thoughtful person, and smoking marijuana deepened this habit. He gradually became more reticent than ever. Every time someone asked him a question, he would be silent for a long time before answering. Some believe he is imitating the "godfather." But this behavior is mainly because he has always liked to meditate and smoke marijuana.
Insight overcomes fear
At the age of 20, Pablo has become a street legend in Medellín. After getting a rifle, he happily walked into the banks with his gun on his back, then smiled and spoke to the tellers, all of whom trembled with fear. People thought he had lost his mind, but the truth was that Pablo was no longer afraid of anything. He began to survive on his own mind. Although he was followed by many policemen, Pablo did not care. Like his grandfather, Pablo has always thought long-term, always focused on the next step.
After relieving on the power of insight to get rid of fear, Pablo "stood out" from his peers. The vast majority of hooligans respected him, listened to his advice, and even joined his gang. Obviously, his self-confidence gives a lot of people a sense of security.
Unlike most goons, Pablo exhibited an extraordinary ability to remain composed, thoughtful, and even optimistic. He knows that this mindset is crucial when a crisis comes. Everyone admired him, and even one of his subordinates once said, "He is a god with a powerful light." The day I first met him was the most memorable day of my life.
Car thief Pablo
At that time, the most profitable business in Medellín was car theft. Pablo steals used cars and spins them off to sell parts. Because of the large number of subordinates, Pablo hardly had to do it himself, just smoking marijuana there. Pablo gave orders from home and then sat back and waited to receive the money. However, Pablo's power was suppressed by the authorities and he began stealing new designer cars. But it was impossible to sell the cars that were labeled as stolen, so Pablo began to build a relationship with the police through bribery. A year later, his relationship with the officers was already strong. Allegations of Pablo stealing vehicles have remained ignored. In fact, it was the same wave of police officers who received the charges against him who turned around and issued Pablo with new car license plates.
Bribe officials: money or bullets
While bribing officials, Pablo also ordered the eradication of those who "got in the way," that is, those who refused to accept his bribes and did as he pleased. Pablo understood that only fear, this strong emotion, was the cheapest and most effective means of dealing with relationships, and of course, the best way to control the minds of the masses. Pablo killed without mercy. For him, killing was the fastest way to increase his prestige.
During that time, "asking for money or bullets" spread throughout the streets. You either collect money to run errands or you die on the street.
Building prestige is a good investment: the longer it lasts, the higher the return. Pablo began to wonder how famous he really was, and even wanted to find a way to test it. One day, he gave his friends the license plates of some designer cars, and with these license plates, the cars could be sold out of the factory. He told his friends: Just go to the factory to pick up the car. When the factory workers discovered that the license plates were forged, Pablo's friends said, "The license plates were made by Pablo." Horrified, the workers rushed to give them car keys.
Soon after, people with cars began handing over money to Pablo in exchange for their cars not being stolen. It was then that Pablo understood a new way of doing business. He learned that he could make the same amount of money from a car he hadn't stolen.
His men began kidnapping the rich. Many times the ransom had been received, and his men did not hesitate to kill the hostages. These killings are just meant to make a point. Pablo's left-wing ideas and childhood revolutionary theories were rekindled. "In this country, only the poor have been poisoned," he said. What I want to do is make death a little more democratic. ”
(Editor's note: Paying a thief to keep him from stealing his car, is there a more magical country than that?) ）
Pablo became the "Great Good" :d the death of Iego Echavarria
In 1971, the poor people of Medellín heard of an "upright man" named Pablo Escobar who wanted to eliminate injustice. In this oligarchic Colombian society, injustices are all too common. Diego Echavarria is a powerful entrepreneur in Colombia and is well respected in high society. He also wanted to be called a great philanthropist, building many schools and hospitals in the countryside.
Diego Echavarria and her family
But in fact, echavarria has long been plagued by scandals. He was the most unpopular figure among the poor people of Medellín. The workers in his factory worked long hours in an inhumane environment, but received meager salaries. Hundreds of workers have also been laid off without any compensation.
Echavarria also forcibly evicted several peasant communities to expand their own land. The peasants who resisted were either imprisoned or killed. The rest were forced into the slums of Medellín. During that time, Pablo listened to all these things
One day, news of Diego Echavarria's abduction spread through the streets. The kidnappers asked for 50,000 pesos. Diego's family quickly sent the money over, believing Diego would come back alive.
Six weeks later, Diego's body was found in a pit not far from Pablo's birthplace, so badly deformed that it was apparent that he had been tortured during his lifetime. However, the poor people of Medellín rejoiced when they heard the news. Everyone knows that it was Pablo who brought them justice. People began to worship Pablo, and wherever he went, someone would hold his hand tightly and bow to him. They began to call him "Pablo the Great Good" or simply "The Great Good Man."
Pablo was only 22 years old.