The Untold Truth Of The Medellin Cartel

Let's take a closer look at Pablo Escobar, and the diabolical charisma he wielded like a bedazzled, blood-stained baseball bat. Walk down some of the most poverty ravaged streets of Medellin, and you'll find large apartment complexes bearing his name. Sit at the right bar (it's probably more accurate to say the wrong bar) and

Let's take a closer look at Pablo Escobar, and the diabolical charisma he wielded like a bedazzled, blood-stained baseball bat. Walk down some of the most poverty ravaged streets of Medellin, and you'll find large apartment complexes bearing his name. Sit at the right bar (it's probably more accurate to say the wrong bar) and ask folks about Escobar. You'll still find Medellin locals who'll fiercely defend his memory. Interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article on Escobar's lasting influence, Former US Drug Enforcement Agency officer, Javier Peña, explains that Escobar remains a Robin Hood figure for poor and marginalized people of Colombia. "Escobar rallied support among Colombia's poorest citizens by stepping in where the government couldn't or wouldn't. [...] Even today, people praise him for what he did for their families and community." Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Colombians living on the very edge of life-destroying squalor have a better existence today because The Cartel housed and fed them when it was a matter of life or death.

And, of course, The Medellin Cartel used that potent blend of poverty and loyalty to their advantage. The Cartel placed bounties on the heads of anyone in their way, most often Colombian police officers that were a little too brave — or incorruptible — for their own good, and it left a trail of blood thousands of lives wide. As the Wall Street Journal reports, many of the cop slayings were carried out by poor urban youth who were as sympathetic to The Cartel as they were desperate for money. Bounties of up to $3,000 amounted to a life-changing fortune.

So here's one less-spoken truth about the Medellin Cartel. Following Escobar's lead, the Medellin Cartel successfully weaponized poverty ... and it was brutally effective.

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