Craziest Things You Didn’t Know About Pablo Escobar

Escobar Had His Own Zoo

Image Source/ BBCPablo Escobar's estate in Puerto Triunfo, which was eventually seized by the authorities, was home to its very own zoo. Part-time zoologist Escobar homed many animals included hippos, giraffes and elephants, with the hippos still roaming the area today.

Escobar Was A Mass Murderer

Image Source/ LADbibleGiven that he was a drug lord, it's hardly surprising that Escobar's crimes didn't stop at distributing narcotics. During his reign in the 70s and 80s, in order to transport between 70 and 80 tons of cocaine under the radar, Escobar was responsible for the killing of 4,000 people, including judges, police, journalists and government officials.

Escobar's Medellin Cartel Provided the US With Massive Amounts of Cocaine

Image Source/ All That's InterestingIn 1976 Escobar founded Medellin Cartel, which was responsible for establishing the first smuggling routes through Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and eventually into the United States. By the 80s, Medellin Cartel were smuggling 80 percent of the Unites States cocaine.

His Estate Was The Size Of A Town

Image Source/ Adobe StockOkay, so when I say it was practically the size of a town, I mean it literally. The estate spanned a total area of 7.7 square miles, just over 5,000 acres. An acre, give or take, is about how big a football field is, to put things in perspective. Which equates to 5,000 football fields. Wow.

Escobar Sold Tombstones

Image Source/ All That's InterestingBefore he became the drug lord he's known as today, Escobar was in a different kind of illegal business. Not only was he stealing cars and selling them on, he also stole tombstones and sold them to smugglers for cash. A strange trade to find yourself in!

Escobar's Wife Was Considerably Younger

Image Source/ Wikimedia CommonsAll might've seemed normal when Pablo Escobar married his wife back in 1976, but it's hard to ignore the huge age gap between them, especially in today's society. While Escobar was a 27 year-old man at this time, his wife was just a 15 year-old girl...

Escobar Paid A Hefty Price For His Daughter's Illness

Image Source/ All That's InterestingIt's fair to say that Escobar is a big family man. While in hiding, Escobar's daughter Manuela got terribly sick and became hypothermic. Thinking on his feet and being resourceful, Escobar actually burned $2 million in order to keep his daughter warm.

Escobar Used His Own Jet

Image Source/ PinterestThis comes as hardly a surprise when Escobar's estate Hacienda Napoles had it's very own landing strip, but Escobar paid a lot of money for the transportation of his illegal goods. It turns out he actually but his own Learjet, jets built for civilian and military use.

Escobar Hid His Cocaine In A Surprising Place

Image Source/ Maritime HeraldPablo Escobar had to think outside of the box when it came to smuggling his drugs. He went as far as paying off pilots in order to smuggle cocaine into their planes, with some of them earning as much as $500,000 per day. For efficiency, Escobar actually smuggled the cocaine into the tyres of the planes.

Escobar Tried To Pay The Colombian Government To Change Their Laws

Image Source/ Wikimedia CommonsEscobar wasn't a fan of Colombia's extradition laws back in the day and actually tried to pay off the Colombian government to abolish the laws. What he offered to do was pay off Colombia's debt, which at the times was worth an estimated $10 billion.

Escobar Spent A Fortune On One Piece Of Stationary

Image Source/ QuoraIt's not easy being rich, clearly. If the general running costs of his multi-billion dollar drug cartel wasn't enough, there was a specific menial product that Escobar had to spend a lot of money. That's right, rubber bands. Used to hold his ridiculous amount of cash, Escobar's rubber band expense cost him around $2,500 per month.

He Had Workers Protecting His Estate

Image Source/ The MirrorEscobar and his staff were able to conduct their business in private since Bogota was 150 miles away from the nearest city and Medellin was just around 10 miles away. Any of the roads leading to his land may have staff placed along them to alert him when visitors were nearby.

Escobar Was Worth Multi Billion Dollars

Image Source/ Fraud MagazineThe "King of Cocaine" Escobar was worth an astounding $30 billion at his peak. To put that ridiculous kind of money into perspective, if Escobar was darting around doing his illegal deeds now, his net worth would be around the $70 billion mark, not $30 billion.

Escobar Made Forbes' Billionaire List

Image Source/ Finance TwitterThis comes as no surprise given his enormous net worth. Escobar actually made Forbes' most rich people in the world, landing himself a solid placed on the billionaires list for seven years in a row during the height of his drug cartel in the 1980s.

Colombian Authorities Got Their Hands On Some Of Escobar's Prized Assets

Image Source/ Finance TwitterAt the beginning of Escobar's prolific downfall, in the late 1980s, the Colombian authorities managed to seize a hefty amount of the cartel's assets. Right before his death, they seized 142 planes, 20 helicopters, 32 yachts along with 141 homes and offices.

Hacienda Napoles Had It's Own Race Car Track

Image Source/ Gentleman's JournalEscobar constructed a sizable go kart racing course for his workers and kids so they could enjoy themselves. It served as a good outlet for the henchman to unload by enjoying the use of Escobar's pricey car collection. He believed that the success of his business depended on keeping his employees content.

Escobar Used This Unlikely Method Of Transport

Image Source/ HuffPostFrom the life of a man who needed to smuggle an insane amount of cocaine, he had to consider the various avenues in which to transport the goods. In addition to his planes, helicopters, cars, trucks and boats, he even bought two submarines in order to get his stock from A to B.

Escobar Was Smuggling An Insane Amount Of Cocaine Each Day

Image Source/ Pledge TimesUsing his various modes of transport and his avenues to surrounding countries, Escobar was transporting an insane amount of cocaine each and everyday. It's believed that he was actually smuggling 15 tonnes of cocaine per day as part of his huge drug operation.

Escobar's Nickname Was Robin Hood

Image Source/ Business InsiderEscobar wasn't always the law-breaking, bone-crushing, reporter-killing, drug-smuggling bandit he's mainly known as. He did some good in his time, and even coined himself the name of Robin Hood. This was because Escobar provided many amenities to the poor.

Escobar Practised Self-Help

Image Source/ All That's InterestingWho knew that Escobar was such a mindfulness guru? After the death of the proclaimed drug lord, authorities found an unlikely book on his premises. They actually found a Spanish translated edition of the classic 'The Power of Positive Thinking.'

Ten Percentage Of Escobar's Wealth Was Destroyed

Image Source/ QuoraSurely this one was unavoidable right? You'd think there were some precautions that Escobar could've afforded to take. Yet, anyway, almost ten percent of Escobar's earnings (cash) were lost to spoilage. It's assumed that rats found their way to a lot of it!

Escobar Resided In His Own Built Prison

Image Source/ All That's InterestingWhen Escobar was forced to go to prison, he actually negotiated his way to a deal where he could reside at his own prison, known as La Catedral. The prison actually housed a casino, nightclub and spa, meaning there was no way that he could ever get bored.

Escobar Was Petrified Of Extradition

Image Source/ All That's InterestingAs mentioned earlier, Escobar was persistent in getting extradition banned in Colombia. To extradite someone is to give up a criminal to another state or nation. Escobar's worst nightmare was to end up spending his last years confined to an American jail cell.

He Provide A Lot Of Financial Help

Image Source/ Colombia ReportsThe cocaine kingpin didn't get his Robin Hood nickname for nothing. Despite the horrors Escobar committed, he was well-respected for his assistance to Colombia's poor residents by funding programs. He also gave money to churches and hospitals while building parks and football stadiums.

Escobar Was A Congressman

Image Source/ TheStrip.ruBeing as wealthy and as powerful as Escobar was, it meant that he was a man with great levels of influence. Putting these elements of his life to his advantage meant that Escobar was able to accrue enough popularity to be elected to Colombia's Congress.

The Biggest Shipment Of Cocaine Weighed Over 50,000 Pounds

Image Source/ Business InsiderKnowing how many tonnes of cocaine Escobar was smuggling out of Colombia and into surrounding countries, including the US, it's hardly surprising to hear that his largest shipment of cocaine weighed an absolute crazy 51,000 pounds. How did this fly smoothly?

His Wounds Were Speculated To Be Self-Inflicted

Image Source/ All That's InterestingAt the age of 44, Escobar's time as a major drug-lord finally caught up to him. He was gunned down, which many believe that the wounds he received that day were actually self-inflicted. With the popularity he'd garnered, a lot of people mourned his death.

Over 25,000 Colombian's Attended His Funeral

Image Source/ Daily ExpressGiven his popularity, it's hardly surprising to hear that the turnout at Escobar's final party was a big one. Actually, over 25,000 Colombians turned up to pay their respects to the deceased Escobar. He'd actually helped each person through distributing his money.

The Ownership of Hacienda Napoles Was Disputed After His Death

Image Source/ FlickrThe ownership of Hacienda Napoles was in question when Escobar was finally overthrown in the early 1990s. Escobar's family fought for ownership of the land, but ultimately the government won and gained control of it. The Columbian administration viewed it as a significant triumph.

Escobar's Estate Has Become A Water Park

Image Source/ Hacienda Napoles Theme ParkKnowing that Hacienda Napoles is well-liked by visitors who come for its water park, renovated zoo, and Jurassic Style theme park is somewhat pleasing given that one of Escobar's goals when he controlled the estate was to have kids and his workers enjoy their time there.

The Law Knew He Was The Kingpin

image source: imdb.com

Sometimes in cases of huge crime waves, and especially in the drug empire, it's never clear who might be running it - it could be one of a couple of people suspected to be in power, but in the case of Pablo Escobar, the DEA had targeted him as the kingpin and were focusing on bringing him down.

He Has A Life Mask

image source: museum.dea.gov

Pablo Escobar actually had a life mask made of his face, suspected to have been made while he was in prison - and by prison we mean when he was still happily protected by his own handpicked bodyguards. There isn't much known about how the mask was actually made, but Pablo would have had to sit for the cast, and have the eyes, lips and the skin texture painted on afterwards.

He Originally Surrendered To Authorities

image source: colombiareports.com

It might be surprising to learn that he actually surrendered to authorities originally - this was how he managed to barter his way to a luxury "prison" that had lots to keep him entertained. Part of his surrender was that he got to pick his bodyguards. And was it really surrender when...

He Continued His Crimes Even From Behind Bars!

image source: allthatsinteresting.com

Yep, he may have surrendered to the authorities and had them think they'd stopped his drug crimes for good, but Pablo continued to operate his drug empire even after he gave himself over to the authorities. He sat in his custom-built prison and still continued the way he had been anyway.

He Escaped Prison

image source: britishgq.com

But even his huge, custom-built prison with a spa and entertainment, filled with his own security protection, wasn't enough for Pablo, and he still wanted to escape - which he successfully did in July, 1992. Pablo had heard that he was going to be moved to a regular prison, and he wasn't going to stand for that.

His Was The Largest Manhunt In The History Of Colombia

image source: npr.com

Pablo's escape began the largest manhunt in the history of the country. The DEA and Colombian National Police teamed up in an effort to track down and find the escaped drug kingpin. With Pablo's money and amount of security at his disposal, it wasn't an easy task.

The Manhunt Lasted 16 Months

image source: aenetworks.tv

It's easy to think that Pablo was found relatively quickly, with that amount of teamwork and firepower behind the scenes working to track him down. Movies and TV shows are also going to show his capture as something from one episode to the next, so you may be surprised how long it actually took: 16 months! Almost a year and half from when he escaped.

He Was Located Thanks To Electronic Equipment

image source: bluefielddailytelegraph.com

So how exactly was he found when he'd managed to outrun the authorities for so long? They were of course tracking his activity using phones and how he chose to communicate. They managed to pinpoint his location (a house in a regular neighborhood in Medellin) using electronic equipment.

He Was Finally Gunned Down On A Roof

image source: theguardian.com

After the authorities had pinpointed his location, they arrived in full swing - but Pablo was onto them, and had already managed to escape the house onto the roof with his bodyguard. The pair were fleeing across rooftops when the authorities managed to catch up with them, fatally shooting Pablo.

It Was A Shoot Out

image source: businessinsider.com

The reason we mentioned earlier about the debate whether Pablo's wounds were actually self-inflicted was because the chase turned into a shootout, and Pablo was carrying a weapon, too. It may have been that Pablo accidentally shot himself in the crossfire, or maybe purposefully if he knew he didn't stand a chance. Either way, he had wounds on his torso, feet and the ear.

He Also Has A Death Mask

image source: thevelvetrocket.com

Pablo Escobar had a life mask, so why not a death mask? Death masks are much more well known and common - and we still don't know why he had a life mask produced, but he had a death mask done after the fatal shootout to match. While the life mask may have been his choice, the death mask wasn't.

Both The Life And The Death Mask Were Presented To The DEA

image source: themobmuseum.com

The death mask was produced as a sort of symbol and reminder of the violent history of the Colombian drug empire. Both Pablo Escobar's life and death mask were given to the DEA following his take down, and they're now on display at the DEA Museum in Virginia.

He Was Responsible For The Death Of Over 600 Police Officers

image source: mirror.co.uk

When you think of criminals and their activity, you focus on the innocent lives lost of the people who got in their way - and there were many when it came to Pablo Escobar. What's important to remember is the amount of police officers who died, too, trying to take him down: over 600.

He Would Reward Hitmen For Killing Officers

image source: thetimes.com

Pablo didn't go out and kill police officers himself, of course - he had too much money for that. Instead, he would hire or reward hitmen who had killed police officers, by paying them for it. While he seemingly worked to help the people of Colombia, in actual fact he increased the murder rate in Colombia to be the highest in the world.

His Memory Is Often Romanticised

image source: youtube.com

Pablo Escobar's life has been dramatized in tons of media since his death, including a Netflix show and movies, and he's been depicted by a fair few actors. His portrayal has become more of a sympathetic one where he tried to help the poor, but in reality, he murdered innocent people.

His Wife Stayed Loyal To Him Until The End

image source: allthatsinteresting.com

You'd think a woman who married a man that turned out to be a murdering, violent drug kingpin would eventually end up leaving him or trying to flee - but not Pablo's wife. She was scared of his violence, yet she stayed with him right up until his death.

She Called Him The 'Love Of Her Life' At Only 12 Years Old

image source: thetimes.com

We know there was a huge age gap between Pablo and his wife, but she'd even said herself that he was the love of her life when she was only 12 years old, then going on to marry him at 15 years old. Maybe it was this young age that meant Pablo was the only love she'd ever known, so she stuck by him until his death.

She Didn't Hate Him - But She Hated His Life

image source: allthatsinteresting.com

Pablo's wife, Henao, was never directly involved in any of his crimes, and while she still maintained she loved him until the very end, she had a difficult time in their marriage towards the end. She hated his violence, his drug empire and also the countless women he had affairs with.

Pablo's Son Found A New Identity

image source: indy100.com

After his death, Pablo's wife and children fled to Argentina, where they became citizens. Pablo's son was quick to shed the family name and want a new identity, now known as Sebastian Marroquin. Sebastian is now a published author and architect, and wants to distance himself from his father's name, the cartel and drug empire as much as possible.

Pablo's Daughter Remains In Hiding

image source: mythgyaan.com

Sebastian wasn't the only member of Pablo's family to want to distance themselves from everything he'd done - Pablo's daughter, Manuela, didn't just make a new name for herself, but she actually went into hiding, becoming a recluse and also suffering from depressive episodes.