A Deceptive Colombian "Hero": Pablo Escobar

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Around the time of 1978, a business was developing that would soon be wealthy enough to profit up to 60 million a month (Kelley). Despite its wealth, the Medellin Cartel was not exactly a legal enterprise. It devoted infinite amounts of time, money, and manpower to produce, sell, and distribute drugs throughout vast areas. At the head was Pablo Escobar, who was admired by many inside and outside of the cartel. Countless people were involved in his business, both voluntarily and involuntarily (Kelley). While countless people looked up to him as a hero, Pablo Escobar took vicious measures while running his business, due to his thirst for power and wealth; however, he did not receive a satisfying punishment for the crimes he committed.
Pablo Escobar dedicated most of his life to being the spearhead of the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia. The Medellin Cartel was not just a business, it was an empire. It possessed countless camps as well as laboratories devoted to the production of drugs. As it was mentioned earlier, the profits of the cartel were very high. The immense amount of money was put toward the purchase of new labs, planes, and even an island. The Medellin Cartel focused predominantly on cocaine. Not only did Pablo Escobar run a “criminal enterprise” committed to illegally trafficking drugs, he was also “responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of government officials, police, prosecutors, judges, journalists, and innocent bystanders” (Kelley). By spending large amounts of money on public projects to help others, many saw him as a very generous, caring man. Most people only saw the Pablo Escobar that loved to share his wealth with those who needed it in his hometown. They did not see what he was really capable of, commit...

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...ot always bring about success. Also, with the knowledge of those who continued to admire Escobar, one can learn that not everyone is truly who they seem to be. To conclude, it is never wise to allow desire to eclipse morality.

Works Cited

Kelley, Beverly Merrill. "Colombian cartels." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
"News of a Kidnapping." Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 217-235. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
"Pablo Escobar." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography in Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Quinn, Tom, and Maurice Weaver. "Colombia's Robin Hood." Chronicle-Herald (Halifax, Canada). Dec. 4 1993: A10. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

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