50 Rare Photos of The Infamous Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar was Colombia’s most prominent drug lord who created the Medellín Cartel and earned the title of “the king of cocaine.” Escobar was notoriously ruthless regarding the operations of his cartels and didn’t care who was standing in his way. Escobar was considered the wealthiest criminal in the world during the 1980s as he smuggled millions of kilos of cocaine into the United States and South America.
These never before seen photos of the infamous Pablo Escobar shed some light on the world’s most notorious drug lord, who was solely responsible for getting millions of Americans hooked on cocaine. Escobar was not only a drug lord but also a family man. So if you are interested in seeing these rare photos of Pablo Escobar, stick around.
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949, in the city of Rionegro, Colombia. Escobar’s family moved to Medellín at a young age and that is where he learned how to become a criminal. Escobar’s father worked as a farmer while his mother was a teacher at the nearby school in Medellín. Pablo’s early life was quite challenging as his family was poor, and the streets of Medellín were quite intimating for young Pablo as they were riddled with crime.
Pablo started hanging out with the wrong crew during high school and eventually dropped out of school with his cousin Gustavo Gaviria who was also getting into crime. It wasn’t long before Escobar started to pursue a criminal career as he saw how easy it was to make money.
Professional Criminal
Pablo Escobar became a professional criminal by the age of 20 years old as he looked for any way to make money illegally. Escobar first started to rob tombstones after he dropped out of high school and would sandblast off the names of the deceased on the tombstones and resell them to the cemeteries.
Escobar was always looking to make money in the easiest ways possible, leading him to become Colombia's largest drug lord. Once Escobar found out how much profit there was in selling cocaine abroad, he immediately started planning to sell 1,000 kilos of cocaine to dealers in the United States.
Escobar Hanging Out With His Sicarios
In 1976, Pablo Escobar founded the Medellín Cartel and recruited some of the most ruthless men that Colombia had to offer as his sicarios. The Medellín Cartel established the first smuggling routes that came out of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Pablo's mastermind plan was to sell as much cocaine as he could to dealers in the United States as the profits were outlandish.
It only took about $5,000 for Escobar to make a kilo of cocaine and he could then sell that same kilo for $80,000 in the United States. This is the main reason why Escobar became the richest criminal in the world.
Pablo Escobar Falls In Love
In 1976, the same year that Escobar created the Medellín Cartel, he ended up marrying Maria Victoria, whom he had been fascinated with since the day he first met her. Maria was only 15 years old when she married Pablo, and the two had been dating for two years before he asked her to marry him.
Maria knew that Pablo was a powerful man but didn't know how big of a criminal he actually was. The two were madly in love for the first couple of years of marriage, but things started to fall apart once Maria learned about Pablo's ruthless criminal career.
Raking In The Dough
Pablo Escobar started to make millions of dollars once he began to ship cocaine to the United States. The DEA believes that Escobar was smuggling 1,500 kilos daily and making around $120 million daily. Escobar purchased several islands in the Bahamas, which he used to smuggle cocaine to the United States.
Escobar made so much money during the late 1970s and mid-1980s that his men were abandoning the aircraft they were using to smuggle the cocaine. Escobar knew that he finally got into the right business as he was making more money than he could spend.
A Mad Man
Although Pablo Escobar's successful criminal business was making him billions of dollars a year, it did come at a price as Escobar became one of the most ruthless men in Colombia. Since Ecobar's business was centered around cocaine, he had a strict set of rules that all of his sicarios followed.
One of the most prominent is that anyone that didn't pay him back would pay in blood. Escobar's main motto was "pay in money or pay in blood." This was something that Escobar took seriously and why he became the top drug lord in the world.
Gave Back To The Community
Although Pablo Escobar was a ruthless and murderous man, he still had kindness left in his heart and would often give back to the community of Medellín. Escobar earned the nickname "Robin Hood" by the everyday Colombians as he was always willing to help them out when the government ignored them.
Escobar built schools, hospitals, stadiums, and even housing for the poor which made him one of the most popular men in Colombia. Escobar used a lot of his cocaine money to help the country where he was born but the government of Colombia wasn't too happy as he was gaining too much power.
Escobar Loved Soccer
Pablo Escobar was such a big fan of soccer that he ended up funding the Medellín based soccer team Atletico Nacional while he was selling thousands of kilos of cocaine. Pablo's connection with the local soccer team was an open secret and he would dump millions of dollars to make his team one of the best in the country.
The people of Medellín didn't mind that Pablo's drug money was funding their soccer team as their team started to win all the time. This is when the Colombian government started to worry as stories of Pablo's cocaine business started to become public.
Hero of Colombia
Pablo Escobar might have seemed like a hero to most people in Colombia but his cocaine empire was actually responsible for the killing of thousands of people. The drug business always involves murder and that was something that Escobar was never afraid to do as he had several thousand people killed in the name of his cocaine business.
Escobar had several loyal hitmen that would kill anyone that Escobar wanted dead. Several innocent people were killed just for being associated with the men that Escobar was doing business with and he trusted nobody when it came to selling cocaine.
Pablo Escobar With One of His Bodyguards
Bodyguards always surrounded Pablo Escobar once he became the leader of the Medellín Cartel as he knew how dangerous the business actually was. Escobar treated his bodyguards well and always made them feel like family, but one thing that he always asked in return was to pledge their loyalty to him.
Anytime that Escobar's bodyguards would mess up in any way that harmed his business, he would have them killed immediately, no matter if he was close to them. Escobar was a very ruthless man that was business oriented and didn't play around when it came to making money.
A Mastermind
Pablo Escobar was worth around $30 billion during the 1980s and was the world's richest criminal at the time. This attracted the United States government as they had dramatically noticed the increase of people using cocaine in America. Escobar was shipping most of his cocaine through the Bahamas to Miami, Florida, where it was distributed across the country.
Escobar wasn't only shipping and selling his cocaine to the United States but was supplying all of South America, which in turn made him one of the most wanted men in the world. Escobar was not only responsible for selling thousands of kilos of cocaine, but he was also responsible for killing thousands of people.
Escobar's Biggest Fear
Although Pablo Escobar was a ruthless man that wasn't afraid of anyone that messed with his business, the drug lord did have one fear that chilled him to his bones, and that was being extradited to the United States. Escobar feared the United States justice system as it stripped drug lords from having any power in the prison system.
Things were much different in Latin America as several drug lords were still able to operate while incarcerated and had a lot more freedoms as politicians and law officials were easier to pay off. This is what led Escobar to go into hiding later in his life.
Escobar Becomes A Member of the Colombian Congress
To everyone's surprise, Pablo Escobar became a member of the Colombian Congress in 1982. He had become a prominent figure in Medellín as he was responsible for building up several poor neighborhoods throughout the city and even helped Medellín's economy grow.
Several members of Colombia's Congress were disappointed with Escobar's new position as they knew he was selling millions of kilos of cocaine each year and was responsible for several thousand murders. But Escobar was elected as he was liked by the common Colombian and even was known to pay off a couple of officials. Things would soon take a turn for Escobar as he was testing his luck too much.
Escobar's First Child
Only a year after Pablo and Maria got married they had their first child together, Juan Escobar. Pablo was very close to his son and always made sure to spend time with him. Juan ended up growing up at Pablo's estate named Hacienda Nápoles and was always catered to as Pablo was always willing to spend thousands of dollars to make his son happy.
Juan wasn't the only one in the family that was spoiled by Pablo as he would go above and beyond when it came to anyone that was related to him. Maria, at this point, ignored the bad rumors about Pablo and was just glad to have a happy family.
Pablo Escobar With His Wife
Pablo Escobar was a busy man, but he always took the time to spend time with his wife even though he was unfaithful most times. Maria realized that Pablo was living a double life as she noticed that he had been cheating on her with mistresses.
Despite learning the wide scope of Pablo's business and double life, she knew that she truly loved Pablo, as he would do anything for her and their children. Maria would stay with Pablo until his death in 1993.
Pablo Escobar And His Daughter
Pablo Escobar and Maria welcomed their second child to the world in 1984, Manuela Escobar. Pablo and Maria were thrilled to welcome Manuela to the family as they were happy that Juan would have another sibling to play with. Pablo treated his daughter like a princess and spent millions of dollars to make her happy.
While Pablo and his family went into hiding, Manuela became extremely sick, so Pablo burnt millions of dollars just to keep her warm. Pablo always went to extraordinary lengths just to keep his family safe and that was one of the good traits that the drug lord had.
Pablo Escobar Sorting Through Millions of Dollars
This famous photograph of Pablo Escobar has become one of the most well-known as the popular Netflix show Narcos recreated the photograph. Escobar was worth more money than he realized, and it is hard to know how much money he had in total, but some people estimate that he was worth around $70 billion in today's money.
It is always estimated that Escobar solely supplied 80% of the cocaine that was in America during the 1980s. The bigger Escobar got, the more dangerous of a man he became. He would soon test the limits that would have the United States government all over him.
Rare Photo of Escobar With His Family In The 1970s
There aren't too many photos of Escobar with his family when he was younger and this is one of the rare ones that shows how proud he was of his wife and son. At this point, Pablo already started to transport cocaine to the United States and different parts of South America but he kept his business and private life separate.
Although Pablo was known to be a very violent man, he never was abusive towards his wife and children. He kept them safe for as long as he could until his death in 1993.
Pablo Escobar Partying With Sicarios
Pablo Escobar was known to be a big partier and always threw some of the most extravagant parties for himself and his sicarios. Escobar would often have the most beautiful women, all the drugs you can think of, and a huge estate that allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
An interesting fact about Escobar was that he liked doing cocaine but wasn't hooked on it. This might seem strange but Escobar was a very intelligent man that knew his limits when it came to hard drugs. Escobar loved to sell cocaine but thought that in the end, it was a horrible drug.
Pablo Escobar With His Cousin Posing As Gangsters
This photo shows Pablo Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria posing as 1930s gangsters from America as they often looked up to the Italian Mafia. Escobar and Gaviria started out as criminals at a young age and once Escobar founded the Medellín Cartel, Gaviria became Pablo's right-hand man.
Gaviria was in charge of the finances and trade routes and played a big part in the Medellín Cartel's operations. Gaviria was making just as much money as Pablo but kept a low profile and stayed out of the dirty parts of the business. Gaviria would work with Pablo until his death in 1990.
Tried To Pay Off Colombia's Debt
At the height of Pablo Escobar's criminal career, he tried to pay off Colombia's debt, which was around $10 billion, in exchange for letting him do whatever he wanted and a guarantee that he would not be extradited to the United States.
Some Colombian officials were on board with the idea as the debt in Colombia had been a real problem that was affecting the whole nation. Despite Escobar's efforts, the Colombian government refused to accept the offer as they knew that all the money was coming from the Medellín Cartel.
Pablo Escobar Attending A Soccer Match
When Pablo Escobar became the owner of the Medellín soccer team Atletico Nacional, another revival drug lord named Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela owned the soccer team America de Cali. This created a rivalry between the two national soccer teams which led to Pablo funding his soccer team with millions of dollars for the best training and players.
With the help of Escobar's money, Atletico Nacional defeated Olimpia, a Paraguayan team, at the Copa Libertadores in 1989. This marked the first time that Colombia won the South American competition. Pablo was an avid soccer fan and even helped young players become professionals while he was a drug lord.
Escobar Loved Motorcycles
Pablo Escobar loved to ride motorcycles and had some of the most extravagant motorcycles that one could buy during the 1980s. Escobar purchased several motorcycles throughout his lifetime and often rode dirt bikes on his private estate with his guests.
Escobar is seen in this photo with a rare motorcycle from the 1980s that was quite expensive in price. Fortunately, price didn't matter when it came to the king of cocaine as his pockets were deep. Many of the motorcycles that Escobar owned were auctioned off after his death in 1993.
Pablo Escobar While In Congress
When Pablo Escobar was elected into Colombian Congress, one man stood up to him and started calling him out for being a criminal. Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla, the new Minister of Justice, was the one that became one of Pablo's biggest rivals while he worked in Congress.
Lara-Bonilla would call out Escobar anytime that he had the chance and knew that he was responsible for smuggling cocaine and killing hundreds of people. Escobar knew that he was immune as Lara-Bonilla didn't have any proof to back up his claims. Lara-Bonilla would soon get his break as a reporter digging into Ecobar's past and found something that proved he was a criminal.
Pablo Escobar's Infamous Photo
Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla started to dig into Pablo Escobar's past and found this criminal photo of Escobar when he got arrested back in 1976. Once Lara-Bonilla exposed this photo to the rest of Colombia's congress, it only took a couple of months before Pablo was expelled from the party.
Escobar ended up fighting back but eventually gave up altogether and announced his resignation in January 1984. Escobar was not going to let Lara-Bonilla get away with what he had done to his position in congress. He would take things to another extreme which would lead to the downfall of his criminal career.
Pablo Escobar And Juan In Front of the White House
In 1981, Pablo Escobar and his family took a trip to the United States even though Escobar despised the United States. He made the trip to America to make himself seem like a more legit politician. Funny enough, Escobar ended up using unverified passports that he was able to get from his connections in government.
Escobar visited several landmarks in the United States and even took a picture with his son, Juan, in front of the White House. These photos were later found by the DEA who were surprised that he visited the White House as he despised America.
Pablo Escobar With His Family At Disneyland
Pablo Escobar took his family to Disneyland in California in 1981 as he toured several states while he made his first and only trip to America. Escobar didn't seem too happy to be at Disneyland but he probably was convinced by his wife and kids as he always did whatever they wanted to do.
This would be the only time Escobatr experienced American life and he didn't like it one bit as he knew that criminals like himself didn't have the luxuries that he had in Colombia.
Pablo Escobar Riding A Jet Ski
Pablo Escobar's massive estate that he purchased was located in Puerto Triunfo, which was around 95 miles outside of Medellín. Hacienda Nápoles was the name of the estate which became a paradise for Escobar, his family, and his sicarios as the estate had more than ten houses located on the property and featured four lakes which he used to jet ski on.
Escobar loved the outdoors and would often invite his family and friends over to the estate to enjoy the millions of dollars that he was making. Escobar spent millions of dollars making the estate a paradise for everyone.
Escobar Passed Out After His Birthday
Although Pablo Escobar took his cocaine business seriously, he was known to party a lot especially when it came to having multiple women and booze. This photo shows Escobar passed out after a night of hard partying after his 31st birthday. Escobar threw some of the wildest parties whenever his family wasn't present.
There would often be orgies, drugs, and even famous celebrities such as soccer player Diego Maradona. Escobar was known to sleep with a lot of women and had such immense power that he would be able to sleep with any woman that he chose.
Escobar Showing Off His Jeep
Pablo Escobar always loved to show off all the toys that he purchased while he was the leader of the Medellín Cartel. Escobar enjoyed off-roading and had several jeeps and motorcycles on his estate which he used to entertain his guests.
Everyone who visited Hacienda Nápoles described it as paradise as Escobar supplied everything that you could imagine. There was a nightclub, brothel, Formula-One track, and private airport all on the property. This was a Disneyland for Escobar and his henchmen as they could do whatever they wanted and were not bothered by authorities as they had no jurisdiction over them.
Pablo Escobar With His Son Juan
Pablo Escobar's estate sat on 5,000 acres which he used to the full extent. Pablo would often ride around his property in golf carts, such as the one in the photo, with his son, Juan, whenever he got the chance to do so. Hacienda Nápoles even had its own zoo, which Pablo filled with the most exotic animals in the world, such as zebras.
Escobar even mounted a replica of the first plane that he flew to smuggle cocaine to America at the front entrance gate of the ranch. Escobar would throw the most extravagant parties at his ranch and loved to use the many toys that he had as well.
Escobar With Juan Watching Television
Pablo Escobar had several homes built on his estate and the photo below shows the inside of one of those homes. Escobar didn't mind spending money as he was worth more money than he could spend and he bought the most luxurious furniture. Escobar didn't have much when he was growing up as he was the third child out of seven.
Escobar didn't want his children to have the same childhood as he did and he often sheltered them from the violence of his cocaine business. Escobar always looked out for his family and took care of everyone until his death.
Pablo Escobar's Life Changed Forever
After Pablo Escobar resigned from congress he wanted the Minister of Justice, Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla, to pay for what he had done to his political career. He knew that he needed to get rid of Lara-Bonilla as wanted him behind bars.
Only three months after Escobar left congress, Lara-Bonilla was murdered by Escobar's sicarios while the Minister of Justice was driving through the streets of Medellín. This was the last straw for the United States and Colombian governments as Escobar and his cartel became narcoterrorists overnight. This would spark a years-long war between the Medellín Cartel and the Colombian government.
Pablo Escobar With His Mother And Maria
Once Pablo Escobar ordered the hit on Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla and declared war on the Colombian government, he took his closest family members and went into hiding. Escobar had several homes and properties located in the jungles and mountains of Colombia which he used as hideouts.
Escobar started to become more paranoid once he declared war as he didn't know who to trust. Escobar still played the role of a family man when he was with his family as he always wanted to give off the impression that everything was going to be alright. Escobar and his family would go into hiding for several years to avoid authorities.
Pablo Escobar Had A Sense of Style
Pablo Escobar was always dressed with style while he was the leader of the Medellín Cartel. People that were close to Escobar always commented that he had a sense of style that all the ladies loved. This is one of the reasons why Maria fell in love with Escobar at such a young age.
Escobar would go on to have several mistresses as his life was all about partying once he was labeled the richest criminal in the world. Escobar was never afraid to show off and always wanted to win when it came to competition.
A Rare Photo of Pablo Escobar With His Mother
Everyone in Pablo Escobar's family respected him for quite a long time and ignored the rumors that they heard about the Medellín Cartel. Once Escobar started to become desperate about the war against the Colombian government, he started to kill off several politicians and judges that were trying to prosecute him.
This is when the United States government stepped in and helped the Colombian government form a task force that was trained to hunt down the Medellín Cartel and Escobar himself. Escobar always feared being extradited and even became more paranoid during his last years while he was hiding.
Pablo Escobar Enjoying An Alcoholic Drink
Pablo Escobar devised a plan that wouldn't allow the Colombian government to extradite him to the United States and paid off several politicians to vote for a law that wouldn't allow him to be extradited. Amazingly, his plan worked but the Colombian government was quick to act as a new president was elected and he revised the agreement between the United States.
Escobar knew that he needed to make a deal with the Colombian government as he always stated that he rather die than rot in an American prison. The Colombian government thought that Ecsobar's reign was over but that was far from the truth.
Escobar's Elaborate Plan
Pablo Escobar entered negotiations with the Colombian government after the assassination of Rodrigo Lara-Bonilla, as he had no other choice. Escobar feared that the United States was going to intervene and extradite him to America. Escobar knew that he only had one choice, and that was to negotiate with the Colombian government.
Escobar agreed to the Colombian authorities to turn himself in but had an ultimatum which was that he would build his own prison where he would be incarcerated and that he would not be guarded by the Colombian authorities but would pick his own guards and inmates. Surprisingly, the Colombian government accepted.
Escobar's Assassinations Go Too Far
In 1989, Pablo Escobar did the unthinkable and ordered a hit on the presidential candidate César Gaviria Trujillo. Escobar wanted to get rid of Trujillo as he swore that if he was elected president that he would personally go after Escobar and have him extradited to the United States.
Escobar found out that Trujillo would be taking a commercial flight out of El Dorado International Airport and ordered his supporters to blow up Avianca Flight 203. On November 27th, Escobar's supporters smuggled a bomb on the flight and killed all 107 innocent passengers. Trujillo wasn't on the flight, and everyone on board was killed for no reason. This was yet another reason why everyone wanted Escobar dead.
Pablo Escobar With His Family
In 1991, Escobar gave himself up and began the construction of his private prison which was called La Catedral. Escobar's private prison was far from what you would think of a traditional prison as it was luxurious in every way. Escobar not only had a lavish prison but he was also surrounded by sicarios and family members that were sentenced to prison.
Despite the Colombian government heavily watching him, Escobar was still able to maintain operations within the Medellín Cartel. This was a big mistake on the Colombian government's part as they trusted that Escobar would follow their orders.
Escobar Does The Unthinkable
Once the Colombian government got word that Pablo Escobar was the head of the Medellín Cartel again and was maintaining operations from La Catedral, the authorities knew that they needed to stop him. The Colombian government was turning a blind eye to the rumors for a while until Escobar did the unthinkable as he killed two members of his cartel at La Catedral.
It didn't take long for the Colombian government to find out and that was the perfect excuse to finally arrest Escobar and extradite him to the United States. This was another big mistake that led to the downfall of his criminal career.
Escobar Escapes And Goes Into Hiding Again
Pablo Escobar ended up escaping from his own private prison before the Colombian authorities reached the compound. Escobar fled with his closest bodyguards into the mountains. Escobar once again went into hiding with his family as he knew that he could never show his face in public.
Just like before, Escobar and his family hid in several locations in Colombia and were completely under the radar. Escobar urged his children never to use the telephone as that would mean death for all of them. During this period Escobar was extremely paranoid and trusted no one.
Pablo Escobar Dressed As Pancho Villa
When the DEA and Colombian authorities raided La Catedral they found a large number of documents and photos that Pablo Escobar kept over the years. Escobar kept several documents such as logs of his cocaine business, old letters from the past, and even all the wanted posters of himself.
The DEA also found a photo album full of photos from Escobar's past, the image above was one that he cherished the most as he really respected Pancho Villa. Escobar was always in the mood to take photos and it really shows in this photo.
Last Person To Speak To Pablo Escobar
The last person to speak to Pablo Escobar was his son, Juan, who was about 16 years old when his father was killed. Escobar called Juan multiple times on the day that Colombian authorities killed him. Juan knew something was wrong as Escobar always told him that using the phone meant death for anyone using it.
It was while Escobar was talking to his son that Colombian authorities were able to track down his location. Amazingly, one of the police officers spotted Escobar from a window that he was looking out of. Once Colombian authorities had his position, they knew that it was only a matter of time before they caught him.
Pablo Escobar Is Killed
On December 2, 1993, at the age of 44 years old and only a day after his birthday, Pablo Escobar was killed by Colombian authorities shortly after they found his location. Everyone was surprised by the news, especially Escobar's family, as he had always been able to escape from the clutches of the government, but this time he was outsmarted.
Escobar was killed trying to escape from the police and was shot on the rooftop of his hideout. Colombian authorities were relieved that they finally were able to take down Escobar as his ruthlessness cost the lives of too many innocent people over the years.
Billions Still Unaccounted For
According to Pablo Escobar's brother, he still believes that there is around $2 billion in cash hidden away in fields and random properties that Escobar owned. Since the Medellín Cartel was making so much money, it was hard to keep track of everything, which is why Escobar's brother believes that the money is still hidden.
Since Escobar's death, Colombians have searched all the properties he owned as the rumor of billions of dollars hidden away has become a legend. It is uncertain if the legends are true, but it wouldn't be that big of a surprise if someone found the cash.
Pablo Escobar Was A Legend
Although most people believe that Pablo Escobar was shot dead by Colombian authorities, most of Escobar's family believes that he actually committed suicide and that the Colombian authorities were lying about delivering the fatal shot to his head. Several of Escobar's family members believe that he would have never surrendered to the police as he always stated that he would rather be dead than be captured.
Escobar's son, Juan, believes that his father shot himself in the head once he realized he couldn't escape. There is some proof to this notion as Escobar always said that he would shoot himself in the right ear, and when his body was examined, that is exactly where the fatal shot was given.
The Aftermath
Pablo Escobar's wife, son, and daughter all left Colombia as they were not treated right and were thought to have been hiding millions of dollars after the death of Escobar. Escobar's wife and son changed their names as they were tired of being ridiculed for being so close to Escobar.
Pablo's wife, son, and daughter now all live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and have all changed their names as they were tired of being associated with the world's most notorious drug lord. Although they still have to deal with Escobar's past, his family has been able to start a new life and leave the past behind.
Authorities Seized Everything
Once Pablo Escobar was killed, it marked the end of the Medellín Cartel, as several of his supporters were tried and arrested. The Colombian government seized all of Escobar's properties and possessions and auctioned off most of his luxury vehicles.
Escobar's estate was turned into an amusement park for children, and the property was taken away from his family, who fought hard to keep it. But, the Colombian government didn't want to hear any of their pleas as they knew it was purchased with cocaine money. This would end the legacy of Pablo Escobar and the massive cocaine empire he created.