Colombia: the new barons of the cocaine

Colombia is fashionable. In 2016, it was host to 5 million foreign tourists, twice as many as 3 years previously. The world is falling for “Narcomania”. Pablo Escobar may have been killed by the police 25 years ago, but his memory lives on. Top of the box office: the films and TV series that tell the life story of the Medellin cartel’s boss. Juan Pablo, his eldest son, goes from studio to studio to plug his book. The latest video game hit, “Narcos”, allows you to relive the life of the Medellin cartel’s boss.

We met a young Frenchman, Jules, a rising DJ and, Christophe, a young Belgian entrepreneur. Like many Europeans, they fell in love with Colombia and decided to settle here. Today, the country is one of the most dynamic in Latin America and one of the least violent since the FARC, which terrorized the country during a 50-year war, signed a peace treaty.

And yet, Colombia remains the largest producer of cocaine. 34% up on 2015. For two months, we scoured the country in search of what they don’t want to show. In the heart of Medellin, we went looking for the heirs of Pablo Escobar. The “new narcos” are making much more money today than the Medellin cartel’s boss made in his. We met Popeye, Escobar’s former lieutenant, boss of the hitmen. After spending 23 years in jail and claiming 250 murders, he is now free and he’s the new star of Medellin. Everybody wants a selfie with him. We went looking for the narco tours, the secret tourist industry on the trail of Pablo Escobar. We discovered that Roberto, Escobar’s own brother, is making a fortune from Pablo’s image. Colombia is selling its past. We discovered the “Farc Tour”, latest of the tour operators. For €250 per head, you can now have lunch deep in the jungle with a Farc platoon. Finally, we tried to understand why hippopotamuses, African animals, have been introduced into Colombia.

From Cartagena, the pearl of the Caribbean, to Medellin, the city of eternal spring, via the Choco jungle, a journey into the heart of one of the most astonishing countries in the world.

[MrSoyfenix]

I am Colombian who lived those hard times, i am part of the " lost generation " 85- 95 i have seeing some of my childhood friends dead, for stupid and pity things, life was sell for a very cheap price and everyone had a chance to get a gun even when you were as young as 10 years old, my uncle was killed by a bomb the cartel planted in a very known bakery in Medellin.
Escobar was an evil Robin hood, he built neighborhoods for the poorest people then took their kids as soldiers.
So much blood was spilled for the greed of the politicians who would benefit from these monsters.
Popeye was a cold blood assassin, who killed even his own girlfriend just to silence her.
Popeye died few years back, he was send to prison again and died in there of cancer in 2020.
Some of these images bring sadness and bad memories of those days.

[Primal_Primat]

"I dont trust my own shadow as it leaves me at night"

Thats some cold

[nevinbrockett]

In the beginning he talks about how he switches cars and apartments all the time, at the end he said he has no apartment, no money, nothing. Guess it’s hard to keep track of all the lies.

[terlumunjoseph]

in the end, you achieved nothing but bringing terror and misery to others

[forgetaboutit]

its shameful how people treat him with so much respect

[sebastiancaceres]

As a Colombian I feel disgusted by all those people cheering him up like if he was a hero.

[paulbrungardt]

As a doctor who worked for the California Prison System, Popeye possesses an abhorrent personality common among hard core criminal type. This is secondary to an abusive childhood & poor socialization . Popeye has faulty neurological processing resulting in an anti-social personality.

[vhanygomes]

People claim to love him, but deep in they are scared of him

[boycem]

This makes me not want to visit Columbia knowing guys like this are heroes

[primeroot]

4:08 I’m I the only one that saw that roach 🪳 chillin on his neck? 😂😂😂

[CieloGnzlz]

Peroooo the way she says "medehleen" 😂😂😂

[dealerslicenseops]

Btw, I was friends with a girl there that's parents were killed by Escobar's men. They killed the dad first, the mom tried to run but they got her a few days later. The girl was an infant at the time and her aunt took her and they fled to a farm to hide out. While they glorify this guy, he killed a lot of people and so did his men. Some colombians are NOT celebrating this guy.

[PUREFAMGAMING]

A desperate man with nothing to lose. That's Dangerous.

[tommytom]

You have to love how half the subtitles don’t even come close to what is actually being said.

[AmusedRyan]

A person's own conscience punishes him/her. Even the cynical can go unpunished if they don't have even the slightest sense of guilt.

[johnnypena]

He should have never been released from prison.

[MjoePta]

only thing i didnt like about this guy is that he still thought Pablo was everything especially after what they did together and secondly he seems to be proud of all the wrongdoings he did back then... he never seemed show any remorse for the people that were murdered by them and worst part many innocent people died

[legionofsentinels]

This guy has a appointment in the lake of 🔥

[edgargevorkyan]

Colombia is such a wonderful country with one of the most welcoming people, it always breaks my heart that they have been dealing with drug related violence for many decades

[danielmcdirty]

Popeye was DEFINITELY inlove with himself and his own "legend" ALMOST as much as he was inlove with Escobar
💯