How Pablo Escobar Created a ‘Cocaine Hippo’ Problem in Colombia
The King of Cocaine is still causing problems for Colombia from beyond the grave.
The cocaine kingpin, Pablo Escobar, is the wealthiest criminal the world has ever seen. He was the founder and leader of the Medellin Cartel. His net worth was 30 billion dollars at the time of his death. He had a monopoly on cocaine smuggled to the USA during the 80s and the 90s. Pablo started as a small-time criminal, doing petty theft and holding people for ransom. He got into smuggling when he was young, and he established his own cartel soon afterward. He got his “big break” when he created a route to smuggle cocaine into America.
The introduction of cocaine into America created an exponential demand for it. Colombia became the murder capital of the world as policemen, judges, and politicians got caught in the fight for dominance between Pablo and his rival cartels. This and the concerning rise of cocaine abuse in America brought down the attention of multiple governments on Pablo, which led to his eventual demise. Pablo was immortalized in pop culture by the TV show Narcos, which portrays his journey and downfall.
