11. Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, Known As Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a larger than life figure, a Colombian drug lord infamous for his ruthless practices and limitless ambitions. He was beloved by the poor who benefited from his generosity, feared and respected by his rivals, which included the Colombian military and U.S. government.
During his heyday, his Medellín cartel was responsible for about 80 percent of the cocaine that found its way onto U.S. soil. He is believed to be responsible for literally thousands of deaths, including the murders of military figures, judges, journalists, drug biz rivals, and anyone who got in his way.
Born in poverty in 1949, he rose through the cartel’s ranks and led a lavish, public lifestyle, even running for office to the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia. Eventually, the feuds and violence that turned Medellín into the murder capital of the world turned the public against him.
In 1991, he negotiated a surrender that included preferential treatment at a prison that came to be called La Catedral, which included a bar, jacuzzi, and landscaping with a private waterfall. He continued to run his drug empire and eventually escaped in 1992. Escobar was killed in a gun fight with the Colombian National Police on December 2, 1993, after an electronic surveillance team established his hideout.
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