![]() In fact, there's a hippo economy in Colombia that has established tourist shops, eateries, and safari rides based on the large hairless animals. To make matters worse, these hippos don't have a natural predator in the area, which could help balance the biocommunity.ĭespite the long list of setbacks and burdens that the "Cocaine Hippos" generated for people who live near Colombia's Magdalena River (and the nearby lakes), the animals have become a beloved part of the community and an international tourist attraction. Additionally, the 4,000-pound semiaquatic mammals drastically changed the food chain by practically obliterating the fish supply in their new habitat and contaminating the area's water systems with their toxic feces. Local officials did not anticipate that the "Cocaine Hippos" would become far more sexually proactive than their predecessors from Africa as they procreated at an alarming rate. Instead, Pablo's giant pets were allowed to integrate into the wild before being nicknamed by locals the "Cocaine Hippos." What happened next would completely disrupt the region's ecosystem. ![]() In 1993, law enforcement killed the famous drug lord during an arrest attempt before making the costly decision not to remove the hippos from his estate. According to the legend, in the late 80s, Pablo illegally procured four hippos from Africa before relocating them to a homestead of his called Hacienda Nápoles (in the Colombian town of Puerto Triunfo). and Latin America, the legacy of Pablo Escobar's pet hippos remains a fascinating narrative that continues to write itself. A second season premiered in September 2016, and Netflix has renewed it for a season three and four.Of all the wild subplots involving Narcos in the U.S. In August 2015, Netflix released Narcos, an American crime drama depicting Pablo Escobar’s rise to drug kingpin. Escobar was destined to die no matter which group found him first. On December 2, 1993, police forces found Escobar hiding in a middle-class house in Medellín and shot and killed him on the roof. Two organizations were looking for Escobar, one a US trained Colombian task force called Search Bloc, the other Los Pepes, made up of family members of Escobar’s victims and men from a rival Colombian drug cartel. The Colombian government decided to place Escobar in a real prison, but before they could act Escobar disappeared. This lasted until 1992 when the public found out that Escobar tortured and murdered people inside his prison. Needless to say, the prison was essentially a mansion, with a Jacuzzi and other luxurious add-ons, and the guards let him carry out business from prison. Escobar would build his own prison, and choose his own guards. In 1991, Escobar faced multiple drug charges, so his lawyers came up with an unprecedented compromise. Escobar ordered the death of an estimated 600 police officers during his lifetime. Some of the most prominent men in Colombia fell victim to Escobar’s murderous plots, such as the Colombian Justice Minister, and the head of Colombia’s National Police Anti-Narcotics Unit. He would try to bribe fellow politicians to get policy to sway in his favor, and if the bribery ( plata or silver) was refused, he would order the death ( plomo or lead) of the opposition. While in Congress, Escobar became known for his plata o plomo tactic, which roughly means “bribery or death”. People regarded him as their own personal “Robin Hood”. He wanted to be liked by the common people, so he built churches, sports fields, and public parks. Despite being a known criminal, his public persona was a positive one to the people of Colombia. At this point, 80% of the world’s cocaine trade was going through Escobar, and his estimated net worth was $25 billion. People quickly grew terrified of Escobar.Īs his control over the drug trade grew, so did his control in Colombia, he was even elected to Congress in 1982. The first time Escobar was arrested came soon after this, though the case was dropped when he ordered the murder of all the arresting officers. In 1975, Escobar ordered the murder of Medellín’s most powerful drug lord, Fabio Restrepo. He began working for a smuggler after dropping out of college and made his first million dollars by age 22. They committed other petty crimes to make a small amount of money. He and his brother would steal headstones from cemeteries and sand the names off so they could sell them as new tombstones. Leaving school was the first step towards a life of crime. ![]() He was forced to drop out of school because his family couldn’t pay for his education. Pablo Escobar was born into a poor family in a village outside Medellín, Colombia. ![]()
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