cannabisnews.com: Escobar's Rise To Power Escobar's Rise To Power Posted by FoM on November 12, 2000 at 07:01:29 PT From Small-Time Gangster To The Terror of Colombia Source: Philadelphia Inquirer Pablo Escobar was arguably the richest and most violent criminal in history. Forbes Magazine in 1989 listed him as the seventh-richest man in the world.A small-time gangster and car thief from Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia, Escobar violently consolidated the cocaine industry there in the late 1970s. Elected as an alternate to Colombia's Congress in 1983, Escobar enjoyed widespread popularity among the poor in Colombia, especially in his home state of Antioquia. He turned his violent methods against the state in 1984, when Colombia began cracking down on the cocaine exporters and extraditing them to the United States for trial.His campaign of murder, kidnapping, bombing and bribery from then until his death in 1993 forced a constitutional crisis in Colombia. He cowed the government into banning extradition, and his murder campaign against judges and prosecutors so intimidated the nation that it abandoned trial by jury and began appointing anonymous, "faceless" judges to prosecute crimes.At the height of his power in the late 1980s, Escobar and his Medellin drug cartel controlled as much as 80 percent of the multibillion-dollar export of Colombian cocaine to the United States.Escobar was blamed for assassinating three of the five candidates for Colombian president in 1989, and for instigating a takeover of the Palace of Justice in Bogota in 1986. More than 90 people died in the subsequent siege, including 11 Supreme Court justices.When one of Escobar's bombs brought down an Avianca Airliner in Colombia in November 1989, killing 107 people, he became one of the most feared terrorists in the world.Men working for Escobar were caught that same year trying to buy Stinger antiaircraft missiles in Miami.A heavy pot-smoker, Escobar cultivated a relaxed, informal style with his friends and associates, but he was so vicious to his enemies that he was feared by everyone. In his battle with Colombian police, he placed a bounty on the head of officers in Medellin, paying higher rewards for killing those of greater rank. By the time of his death at age 44, Dec. 2, 1993, Escobar was considered responsible for thousands of deaths in Colombia, yet he was mourned publicly by large crowds in his home city. Complete Title: Escobar's Rise To Power: From Small-Time Gangster To The Terror of ColombiaMark Bowden's e-mail address is mbowden phillynews.comSource: Inquirer (PA)Author: Mark Bowden, Inquirer Staff WriterPublished: Saturday November 12, 2000Copyright: 2000 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.Address: 400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19101Contact: Inquirer.Letters phillynews.comWebsite: http://www.phillynews.com/inq/Forum: http://interactive.phillynews.com/talk-show/Related Articles & Web Site:Killing Pablohttp://www.killingpablo.com/A Deadly Manhunt Guided by The U.S.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7631.shtmlDEA Implicated in Deal With Terrorists http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7396.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by tony on August 06, 2001 at 20:37:33 PT: pablo earned his death he was a violent, evil man who spent most of his time cultivating terror and blood. And if you happened to be an innocent bystander, oh well, you die just as easy as the target does. the rise of pablo escobar [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by JysE eScObAr on July 03, 2001 at 13:53:25 PT PaBlO eScObAr EsCoBaR wAs AnD wIlL aLwAyS bE tHe OnE wItH tHe GrEaTeR pOwEr.He WilL AlWaYs Be ReMemBeReD fOr ThE tRaIl Of DeAtHs, MoNeY, aNd DrUgS hE lEfT bEhInD [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 17, 2000 at 17:37:30 PT: Chapter Five and Six of a Continuing Serial Chapter Six of a Continuing SerialDelta, Colombians Get Off To Bad Start http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7699.shtmlChapter Five of a Continuing SerialRaring To Get Started, Delta Learns Its Limits http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7698.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 15, 2000 at 09:13:20 PT: Chapter Four of a Continuing Serial Delta Force Gets the Lay of a Confusing Landhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7670.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 14, 2000 at 08:25:09 PT: Chapter Three Of a Continuing Serial With Escobar Eluding Capture, Americans Summon Delta Forcehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7657.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 13, 2000 at 15:11:45 PT: Chapter Two of a Continuing Serial Top-Secret Electronic Tracking Unit Rejoins Hunthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7652.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: