Finished Killing Pablo on Saturday. Great read, highly recommended. I thought an interesting subtext to the book was the role of Los Pepes in bringing down Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel. The group were a band of vigilantes, with almost certain ties to Colombian security forces, who launched a campaign of terror towards the drug lord and his associates.
Escobar, with his billions in cash and hired guns, methodically eliminated all who opposed him by either through bribery or murder. The legal institutions designated to handle criminals such as him were thoroughly compromised and their ability to act severely curtailed. In the face of this Los Pepes began an offensive of their own, killing anyone linked to Escobar including lawyers, accountants, hitmen, family members -- even the trainer of a prized horse he owned (the horse itself was castrated). This made it every unpleasant to work for Pablo and his entire organization began to crumble.
While one can recoil from the methods, the results were undeniable, and it raises the age old question of ends justifying the means. Indeed, based on what the author says it seems that members of the law enforcement community struggled with this themselves, asking if Pablo could have been taken care of without Los Pepes. Food for thought.
Escobar, with his billions in cash and hired guns, methodically eliminated all who opposed him by either through bribery or murder. The legal institutions designated to handle criminals such as him were thoroughly compromised and their ability to act severely curtailed. In the face of this Los Pepes began an offensive of their own, killing anyone linked to Escobar including lawyers, accountants, hitmen, family members -- even the trainer of a prized horse he owned (the horse itself was castrated). This made it every unpleasant to work for Pablo and his entire organization began to crumble.
While one can recoil from the methods, the results were undeniable, and it raises the age old question of ends justifying the means. Indeed, based on what the author says it seems that members of the law enforcement community struggled with this themselves, asking if Pablo could have been taken care of without Los Pepes. Food for thought.
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