Escobar Killed 50,000 People Including Children With Terrorism Campaign, Sicario Says
What was said
"One of his remaining sicarios, a guy by the name of John Jairo Velasquez, Popeye, he went to prison, got out of prison, and when he was out of prison, he was Escobar's favorite sicario. Basically, he said, no, no, Escobar killed about 50,000 innocent people, and basically he even admitted to about 300 people that he himself killed."
The agents revealed that Pablo Escobar's body count was far higher than previously believed, with his top assassin Popeye claiming 50,000 deaths rather than the 10,000-15,000 DEA originally estimated. Escobar's terrorism campaign included car bombs at shopping malls targeting women and children, the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán, bombing Avianca Flight 203 killing 110 people, and placing bounties of $100 per head on any police officer. This systematic terror was designed to force the Colombian government to accept his surrender terms.
Verification status
Egleze verified who said this and where. The underlying claim has not been independently established by Egleze.
Source and context
Egleze verified who said this and where. The underlying claim has not been independently established by Egleze.
- Programme
- Danger Close
- Episode
- Danger Close | The Fourth Option Podcast: Steve Murphy & Javier Peña
- Clip time
- 16:56
- Original source
- Watch the source segment →