'The purpose of war is peace' quoted by Pablo Escobar Pablo Escobar (December 1949 – 2 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narco-terrorist. His cartel supplied approximately 80 percent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States at the height of his career, generating personal income of more than $21.9 billion annually. He was often called "The Cocaine King" and was the richest criminal in history. with an estimated net worth of $30 billion in the early 1990s (equivalent to approximately $56 billion in 2017), making him one of the richest men in the world in his prime. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Escobar was born in Rionegro, Colombia, and raised in nearby Medellín. He studied briefly at the Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericano in Medellin but left without graduating; he began engaging in criminal activities involving the sale of contraband cigarettes and fake lottery tickets, and participated in the theft of motor vehicles. In the 1970s, he began working for various contraband smugglers, often kidnapping and holding people for ransom before starting to distribute powder cocaine himself, as well as establishing the first smuggling routes into the United States in 1975. His Infiltration into the US drug market expanded exponentially due to the growing demand for cocaine, and by the 1980s, an estimated 70 to 80 tons of cocaine were shipped monthly from Colombia to the United States. His drug network was commonly known as the Medellín Cartel, which often competed with rival cartels nationally and internationally, resulting in massacres and murders of police officers, judges, locals, and prominent politicians. In 1982, Escobar was elected an alternate member of Colombia's House of Representatives as part of the Liberal Alternative movement. In this way he became involved in the construction of houses and football fields in western Colombia, which earned him considerable popularity among the inhabitants of the cities he frequented. However, Colombia became the murder capital of the world, and Escobar was vilified by the Colombian and American governments. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In 1993, Escobar was shot and killed in his hometown by the Colombian National Police, one day after his 44th birthday.