The South American country of Colombia has usually been recognized for it’s exports of both crude and refined petroleum, coal, and coffee. However, after the life and criminal reign of Pablo Escobar, Colombia became internationally recognized as an exporter of a different good— cocaine. Although the record of cocaine exports from Colombia dates back far past the time of Pablo Escobar, he is one of, if not the most, successful Drug Kingpin of all time, and is responsible for implementing a drug empire that stretched from his small hometown of Medellín, Colombia into the United States, to Europe, and even to as far as Asia. He made a fortune which allowed him to corrupt and influence Governments and Officials into following his every wish or
…show more content…
Hailed by many as the King of Cocaine, Pablo Escobar’s desire for prestige and power impacted an entire country’s political, economic, and moral identity. The political impact of Pablo Escobar is evident even in the modern government. Pablo Escobar was elected as a deputy representative in Colombia’s Congress in the 1980s. Once he had a taste of such power, he wanted more. He ran for president, albeit briefly, before the country waged war on him and the Medellín Cartel. The reason for war was not only for fear of the country becoming a Narcostate, but also because of the killings Escobar was responsible for. He gained so much power and respect in Colombia by instituting the ‘Plata O …show more content…
Not only was he a criminal, but he was one of the worst criminals of all time. In order to truly understand the criminal understandings of Pablo Escobar, one must look at the beginning. In 1975, Pablo Escobar began developing his cocaine operation. This alone fueled the growing popularity of drug use in the United States and, in particular, the growing popularity of cocaine in the United States. Now, part of the reason why Escobar had such a successful and booming cocaine business was how he dealt with authorities. As mentioned before, Pablo Escobar was widely known for his ‘Plata O Plomo’ directive, which basically gave law enforcement officers and state officials the option of either being corrupted by his drug money, or face death. In May 1976, Escobar and men from his cartel were arrested for being in possession of 39 pounds of cocaine when returning to Medellín from a supplier in Ecuador. Escobar attempted to bribe the judges on the case, and when they turned down his offer, he had the two arresting officers killed. As a result, the case was dropped. This was the first in many reported killings by the hands of the Medellín Cartel, and is where ‘Plata O Plomo’ actually originates
Hailed by many as the King of Cocaine, Pablo Escobar’s desire for prestige and power impacted an entire country’s political, economic, and moral identity. The political impact of Pablo Escobar is evident even in the modern government. Pablo Escobar was elected as a deputy representative in Colombia’s Congress in the 1980s. Once he had a taste of such power, he wanted more. He ran for president, albeit briefly, before the country waged war on him and the Medellín Cartel. The reason for war was not only for fear of the country becoming a Narcostate, but also because of the killings Escobar was responsible for. He gained so much power and respect in Colombia by instituting the ‘Plata O …show more content…
Not only was he a criminal, but he was one of the worst criminals of all time. In order to truly understand the criminal understandings of Pablo Escobar, one must look at the beginning. In 1975, Pablo Escobar began developing his cocaine operation. This alone fueled the growing popularity of drug use in the United States and, in particular, the growing popularity of cocaine in the United States. Now, part of the reason why Escobar had such a successful and booming cocaine business was how he dealt with authorities. As mentioned before, Pablo Escobar was widely known for his ‘Plata O Plomo’ directive, which basically gave law enforcement officers and state officials the option of either being corrupted by his drug money, or face death. In May 1976, Escobar and men from his cartel were arrested for being in possession of 39 pounds of cocaine when returning to Medellín from a supplier in Ecuador. Escobar attempted to bribe the judges on the case, and when they turned down his offer, he had the two arresting officers killed. As a result, the case was dropped. This was the first in many reported killings by the hands of the Medellín Cartel, and is where ‘Plata O Plomo’ actually originates