PABLO Escobar’s mansion has been seized by Colombian cops after the notorious drug lord’s brother transformed the home into a tourist attraction.
Authorities raided the £2million property located in the Medellín neighborhood of El Poblado, Colombia, on Thursday.
AFPPablo Escobar’s mansion was seized by Colombian authorities after his brother turned it into a tourist attraction[/caption]
AFPThe property was filled with Escobar memorabilia including a Harley Davidson[/caption]
AFPA painting of the drug lord and Al Capone was also found in the museum[/caption]
Cops claim that the seizing of the mansion was part of their efforts to eradicate the “narcotourism” business that Roberto Escobar, the cartel’s former accountant, benefitted from.
The museum contained a selection of the druglord’s personal belongings, framed pictures, and paintings – including an iconic picture of him sitting next to American gangster Al Capone.
A vintage Harley Davidson motorbike was also on display at the museum, alongside a blue Porsche in a glass box.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the mansion was purchased through the funds that the Medellín cartel boss racked up from the 1980s to the 1990s.
But following Escobar’s death in 1993, the huge white property has been listed under the names of several different people.
“The evidence indicates that he (Roberto Escobar) has occupied it intermittently, has promoted several improvements and adjustments,” the Attorney General’s Office said.
The prosecutor’s office claimed that public records showed that Roberto had managed to get the mansion title listed under the name of a woman – Gilma Urdinola.
According to El Espectador, the property is currently owned by Urdinola who allegedly had a contract to rent the museum to Roberto Escobar.
They opened the museum in 2018, and the attraction reportedly drew in hundreds of visitors from across the globe daily.
The museum ended up being an incredibly lucrative business venture for the family.
But it ultimately played the leading role in a family feud when Nicholas Escobar, Pablo Escobar’s nephew, confronted his dad about failing to legally register the business and report its finances with the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs.
Roberto Escobar allegedly banned his son from the museum and reportedly ordered workers to kill him if he attempted to return.
The lack of work permits eventually forced him to close down the museum in July as pressure grew from local officials who wanted to eliminate Medellín’s narco reputation.
Roberto Escobar, who was thrown behind bars along with Escobar in 1991 and escaped with his brother in July 1992 before surrendering a year later, attempted to keep making money from his brother’s legacy with the recently seized property.
While operating, the museum kept the spirit of the world’s most infamous drug trafficker alive, sparking fears that the display of his charity work within local communities may have painted him out to be a Robin Hood figure.
However, Escobar’s cartel unleashed horror throughout Colombia.
Dubbed the “King of Cocaine”, he stopped at nothing to protect his drug trafficking business and was behind the murders of thousands of people.
He was the mastermind behind over 200 car bombs in the Colombian drug wars and even organised the bombing of a commercial airliner in which 107 people died.
His Medellin drugs cartel was accused of being behind up to 80 per cent of all the cocaine shipped to the US.
At the height of his power, Escobar was said to be the seventh richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of £24billion.
Escobar’s business was so big that in addition to planes, helicopters, cars, trucks, and boats, he even bought two submarines for transporting his cocaine into the US.
Many of his properties had hidden stashes of cash and jewellery.
Escobar was eventually gunned down on a rooftop during a shoot-out as he attempted to flee from cops on December 2, 1993.
But his son Sebastian Marroquin has said he is “absolutely certain” the infamous drug kingpin took his own life to save his family from being taken hostage.
AFPEscobar’s blue Porsche was kept on display in a glass box[/caption]
AFPThe museum was opened in 2018 but authorities seized the mansion in an effort to eradicate ‘narcotourism’[/caption]