Husband has lived in abandoned Colombian sewer for 22 years with his wife and their dog



A former drug addict in Colombia has carved out a place for himself in the murky underworld of Medellin.

Miguel Restrepo has lived in an abandoned sewer with his wife and their pet dog for the past 22 years, and though it may not look like much to some, they have done extensive renovations to make the space inhabitable.

During their time there, Miguel and his wife Maria Garcia have installed a stove, a fan and a bed. They even have a television for entertainment.

Man underground: Miguel Restrepo has lived in an abandoned sewer with his wife and their pet dog for the past 22 years

Amenities: Restrepo and his wife have done extensive renovations to make the space inhabitable

Coverage: Miguel uses the planks to cover the entrance to the abandoned sewer at night

The whole family: The couple lives with their dog Blackie in the city of Medellin in Colombia

The amenities that they have been able to pack into the place is impressive given the small dimensions: it is only three meters wide by two meters deep and 1.4 meters high.

That said, the space proves enough for the couple and their dog, Blackie.



Legally, Restrepo and Garcia are homeless and they live in the sewer in spite of the fact that at any moment, the local government could force them out of the area because it is city property.

Medellin is the second largest city in all of Colombia and has 2.7 million residents.

Tight: Miguel and his wife Maria Garcia have installed a stove, a fan, a bed, and even a Santa figurine

Recovered: Restrepo is said to be a former drug addict, though the nature of his addiction is unclear

Making it work: The room is only three meters wide by two meters deep and 1.4 meters high

System: The couple has lived in the space for 22 years, and constantly face the fear that they may be expelled by city officials as the space is technically public property

Medellin is also known for being the namesake of the famous drug cartel that ran rampant throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s before it was formally disbanded by 1993 after the Colombian and American governments, with the help of paramilitary groups, had either imprisoned or assasinated all of its members.

Repurcussions are still being felt from the Medellin Cartel, however, as a man who testified against the groups' top bosses was killed along with an associate just north of Bogota.

Two hit men on motorcycles killed Alejandro Bernal and another man in the town of Sopo north of Bogota on November 30 while they were engaged in real estate and luxury automobile deals.

Making room for more? Maria Garcia looks concerned when her husband brings a large Christmas tree towards their abode along with a Santa head

Finishing touches: Restrepo has largely done the installations himself

Bleak: CDs have been used as decorations, though there is little to light the space at night

Bernal was considered a major trafficker by U.S. and Colombian authorities when they arrested him in 1999 along with more than 30 other alleged associates.

Bernal, who was in his mid-50s, had been in Colombia for about a month. U.S. Bureau of Prison records say he was released from federal prison in April 2009.

U.S. prosecutors called Bernal’s Bogota office of the late 1990s 'the Wal-Mart of drug trafficking' and said his organization smuggled 30 tons of cocaine a month to the United States.

