How much is Pablo Escobar worth:
- Full Name: Pablo Escobar
- Net Worth: $30 Billion
- Occupation: Drug Kingpin
- Marital Status: Married to Maria Victoria Henao
- Ethnicity: Colombian
Pablo Escobar Net Worth – How Wealthy Was Escobar
Pablo Escobar was one of the most successful drug dealers of all time. He ran one of the biggest drug cartels in the world. He distributed almost 80 percent of the cocaine market in the world. He was also involved in thousands of murders and many of his victims were innocent civilians. Pablo Escobar net worth is nearly $30 billion dollars.
A Brief History On Pablo Escobar
The wealthiest and most violent drug kingpin Pablo Escobar was born on 1st December 1949 in Antioquia Colombia. He began trading cocaine in the early 70s. He collaborated with other drug barons and formed the notorious Medellin Cartel. The cartel controlled almost 80 percent of the cocaine exported to the United States. He used most of his money to sponsor soccer clubs and several charity projects.
Early Life
Escobar was son of a peasant and teacher. His life of crime began at a tender age. While Pablo was a schoolboy, he stole tombstones and sold them to Panama’s smugglers. He entered the cocaine business in 1970. His ruthlessness and ambition made him one of the most powerful and richest criminals in history.
Under his leadership, a lot of coca paste was bought in Peru and Bolivia where they were processed and then shipped to the United States. Pablo Escobar worked with other five criminals from Medellin to form the famous Medellin Cartel. Eventually, Escobar controlled more than 80 percent of the cocaine brought to the U.S. In fact, he appeared on Forbes Magazine as one of the ten wealthiest individuals in the world. However, his fame and power cost the lives of tens of thousands of people, including three Colombian presidents, over 1000 Colombian corps, over 200 judges, countless journalists and dozens of civilians.
In his final years, Escobar tried to pull himself away from direct involvement in cocaine trade. Rather, he generated revenue from drug traffickers through some sort of taxation system he imposed on other drug dealers operating under his leadership or within his territory. He considered such tax as a compensation for his great contribution to the development of the Colombian drug industry. He also played a key role in nullifying the American-Colombian repatriation treaty of 1979.
Escobar involvement in drug trafficking can be attributed to his personal traits. He was ruthless and heartless ever since he was in school. He joined a criminal group that gave him a significant support in achieving his goals. His involvement in charity works gave him a lot of popularity, which helped him to obtain a seat in parliament.
Pablo Escobar Extradition
When people started to question about the origin of his wealth. The United States increased pressure on Colombia to extradite Escobar. However, due to his power and money, Escobar tried to influence the Colombian government to provide amnesty to drug traffickers in exchange for relinquishing cocaine trade. He even used terror to instill fear on politicians and the public. His campaign to force the government to provide a safe haven for drug barons claimed thousands of lives, including politicians, siting presidents, journalist and civilians.
When Escobar was alive and his drug trade was flourishing he employed around ten accountants to help him manage the huge money he got from illicit trade. He allegedly spent 2500 dollars every month on rubber bands to wrap his money. Since most of his money was being stored in walls and basement, Pablo lost almost $500 million every year because of spoilage caused by water and fire. At one time, Pablo offered to settle the Colombian national debt of about 10 billion dollars, but only if the Colombian government will protect drug barons against extradition. Pablo became one of the wealthiest people on earth surpassing the likes of Richard Branson and Matthew McConaughey.