DEA Agents Worked With Vigilante Death Squad Leader Who Became Major Drug Trafficker

Javier Peña admitted that he and Steve Murphy were protected by Don Berna, who they later discovered led Los Pepes, a vigilante death squad that kidnapped, tortured and killed anyone connected to Escobar. Don Berna was simultaneously working with the Cali Cartel, which financed Los Pepes with $50 million. After Escobar's death, Don Berna became a major Colombian drug kingpin himself and was eventually extradited to the United States. This revelation supports accusations that DEA collaborated with death squads, though the agents maintain they didn't know Don Berna's full role at the time.