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8. He Imported the Majority of Cocaine to the United States in the 80s

At the height of his power, Escobar brought 80% of cocaine into the United States. Four out of five people who snorted cocaine in the 1980s, were snorting Escobar coke.

9. He Smuggled in 15 Tons of Cocaine Daily to the United States

15 tons of cocaine were smuggled into the United States on a daily basis, this was the equivalent of 3-4 large adult elephants. Escobar would also buy Boeing 727s, strip out all the passenger seats and fly up to 10 tons per flight into the U.S.

10. He Made A Lot of Money

With the amount of cocaine coming into the U.S., Pablo was making around $60 million per day, $420 million a week, $1.8 billion a month and roughly $22 billion in a year.

11. They Spent $4,000 a Month on Rubber bands for Cash

12. $2.2 Billion Had to Be Written Off Yearly Due to Rats

In the bookPablo’s brotherRoberto, indicated that he and his brother’s operation spent $1000 per week purchasing rubber bands, which were used to to wrap the stacks of cash. Think about how cheap rubber bands are and the fact that they used $4,000 a month to purchase, means they had A LOT of money.

13. Escobar Was one of the Top Billionaires in the World

Pablo generated so much money, he began storing most of it in warehouses. Ten percent had to be written off yearly due to “spoilage”. That spoilage would be rats who would come into the warehouse at night and nibble on the thousands of hundred dollar bills.

In 1989, Forbes magazine placed Pablo Escobar as one of the richest people in the world. He was ranked as one of the top 227 billionaires in the world. They judged him to have a personal net worth of close to US$30 billion.

14. There is Millions of Dollars Buried in the Colombian Countryside

15. Escobar Lived by “Silver or Lead”

Escobar was bringing in millions of dollars a day. The amount was so staggering, they essentially ran out of space to store it. One ingenious way they could hide the money, was by placing them inside drums and burying them around the Colombian countryside. Even after his death, many of the drums of money remain buried in or near other properties owned by Escobar in Colombia and other countries, including Mexico

After his first arrest, Escobar relied on corruption and intimidation when dealing with the Colombian system. He had a very effective policy when dealing with law enforcement and the government. This policy was called “plata o plomo“, which means “silver or lead” (accept the money or face bullets”). This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people which included government officials, policemen and civilians.

16. He Killed A Lot of People

17. He Blew Up an Airline

Pablo was responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 people. He had hit men kill whoever got in his way. Escobar was in some way responsible for the deaths of three Colombian presidential candidates, a Justice Minister, an attorney general, over 200 judges, more than 1,000 police, dozens of journalists and countless ordinary citizens.

18. He Had Many Nicknames

In his attempt to kill presidential candidate César Gaviria Trujillo, Pablo Escobar left instructions for his men to plant a bomb on Avianca Airlines 203. The bomb went off while the plane was in mid-flight and this resulted in the death of one hundred and ten people, including two Americans.

19. His Favorite Song Was “Si Yo Fuera Rico”

Escobar had many different nicknames during his life. People would often refer to him as Don Pablo,(The Doctor),(The Magician),(The Godfather),(The Boss),(The Lord),(The Tsar of Cocaine)

Pablo’s favorite song was “Si Yo Fuera Rico” (If I was a rich man)

If that song sounds super familiar, it was redone by Gwen Stefani and Eve for their hit song “Rich Girl”.

20. He Bought His Way Into the Colombian Congress

21. Pablo Married His Wife When She Was 15 Years Old

Pablo Escobar had so much money, he decided that as a way to legitimize himself, he would buy his way into Colombian politics. He supported a political party, was elected and held the position of a congressman. With his new title, he was given automatic judicial immunity. This meant that Pablo could no longer be prosecuted for crimes under Colombian law. Because of his political appointment, he was entitled to a diplomatic visa. This allowed him to take trips to the United States and he was able to enjoy mansions he had bought in Miami for the first time.

When he was 25, Escobar fell in love with his best friend’s sister, Maria Victoria, who was only 13 at the time. A few year later they got married. At that time, Pablo was 27 and Maria 15 years old. They went on to have two children together: Juan Pablo and Manuela.

22. His Daughter Wanted a Unicorn & Pablo Made it Happen

When Escobar’s daughter Manuela wanted a unicorn, he made the impossible possible. He bought her a horse and from there he stapled a cone to its head, as well as wings on the back . The horse later died from an infection.