HE WHO DOESN'T KNOW HISTORY IS DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
PABLO ESCOBAR, THE LORD OF EVIL
MEDELLÍN POLICE ACADEMY
... with the Coronel, but the result was the same.
So then, you'll have to go tomorrow.
Lieutenant Pineda.
- Major, I thought you were-- - That I was doing what?
Arresting Chili?
Accompany me.
Where to? What are you talking about?
On top of it, you are a coward,
a filthy snitch! C'mon, admit it,
instead of siding with the institution you are siding with those criminals.
You dirty pig!
What do you mean, major? I don't understand what you are talking about.
Do you think I am dumb or what? Do you want me to remind you?
200 of our best men died because of people like you.
200!
Colonel Quintana died because you betrayed him
just like you wanted to do with Colonel Pabón.
- You snitch! You fucking snitch! - Calm down, major.
- Calm down! - Come on and be a man, shit!
- Relax, sir. Calm down! - Let go of me!
Easy, calm down.
- You may leave, Urrea. - As you say, sir.
Colonel, you're making a serious mistake with me.
Do you still insist?
Major Aguirre persists I'm a betrayer, and I have no idea why.
Have some dignity, Pineda. Be a man!
I don't know what's happening.
- What's up, buddy? - What is it?
Don't tell me the job is done and I didn't watch the news.
Or do you have more information?
I'm calling to tell you
that an elite group is leaving at this moment to capture you.
So you are not a betrayer?
I had been threatened and if I didn't do what they wanted
they were going to kill my wife and my daughters.
Colonel,
please leave me alone with this snitch.
Pineda, you have two options.
Either you finish sinking yourself in the problem you are already in,
continue lying to us
and stay here for half an hour to reflect on it with major Aguirre,
or show you are a man and confess everything you know.
We continue with Diego Pizano,
presidential candidate for the Liberator Movement,
who kindly accompanies us this morning in the radio cabin.
Commander Pizano,
we know you spend many years fighting in the mountains.
How guilty do you feel today about all those deaths?
Look, during the guerrilla struggle,
I was many times in the middle of a fight,
and I'm not going to lie to you. I grabbed a weapon and fired it.
Death is indeed present, but it is far,
and you defend yourself and attack, and people die.
You fight for an ideal with a political goal, for a dream,
our dream and that of our friends from the people,
and at that moment we live those passions
that somehow cover a bit the violence you are living at that moment.
- Commander Pizano... - Those are all lies!
...why do you want to be President?
I want to be President, because I want to give goals to the country again.
Colombia has no aims at this moment.
That's why we have spent years involved in a class struggle
and lived an endless violence.
If my enemies allow it and voters elect me,
I will commit myself to make peace one of those aims.
I would gladly stay more time but I have to take a flight.
Do you think that a person requiring so much security
should publicly announce he is travelling?
Shit! That can't be so.
Look, ask him not to board the plane through the departure gate.
What's more, not to even enter the airport.
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Wait, young man.
You dropped this.
No, buddy, that's not mine.
But I just saw you dropped it. Check and you'll miss it.
No, brother, thank you very much, but that's not mine.
Thank you.
Now talk!
It was a common day in the neighborhood
when a guy approached to threaten me.
Who?
He said he belonged to the Medellín Cartel
and that if I didn't help them they would kill my family.
What type of help?
Help me to kill the colonel.
You give him to me and I won't kill you family,
starting with your daughters.
But change that face, brother. Cool it.
I'll look for you in a couple of days, okay? You've been warned.
Provide information.
Information?
Yes, colonel, that's what I've been doing during this time.
Thank goodness it has been just that, provide information.
Why did Chili arranged to meet you at the Sabaneta square?
Why did he have to see you if he could send information through the phone?
He wanted to talk to me.
And did you finally meet after the combat?
Yes, colonel.
What did that guy wanted?
What did he tell you?
He wanted...
He wanted me to kill you, colonel.
- Sir! - Yes?
No, no. Stop, please!
Hurry!
Hey you. Get up. Come here.
- Me? - Yes, you.
Excuse me. Where are you traveling?
- To Barranquilla. - Let me see your boarding pass.
Ricardo Benavidez Valencia.
And your ID, Mr. Ricardo.
Search him.
- Enjoy your trip, Ricardo. - Thank you.
- Another letter for the wife? - Don't distract me, man.
I'm sorry. Forgive me.
Your today's interview was very good.
Really, it was excellent.
You don't only make our political ideas very clear
but also you quality as a human being,
and people like that very much, a lot.
Okay, I'll close my mouth. But it was very good, very good.
Colonel, what's going to happen to me?
I know they will submit me to a military trial. But what about my family?
Shut up!
You talk when your superiors ask you to, not before.
Colonel, we can take this opportunity to make him bring us to Chili.
You're going to arrange an appointment with Chili.
No, colonel. When Chili finds out I was discovered, he's going to kill my family.
- I need protection. - That's not going to happen.
Chili won't find out anything.
So what then, bro, are we in good terms or what?
More than good, Pedro. More than good.
Listen, Pablo, I think we're old enough to be candid with one another.
If you are upset because of something I said, just tell me.
You know we are here for better and for worse.
Look, Pedro, I'm going to be completely honest with you.
You all have not only been my best partners but my friends.
I consider you as family.
I would be wrong if I reproached this decision,
when all you want is to ensure your protection
and that of your family members.
Believe that I understand your situation more than anyone else.
- Thank you very much, man. - Thanks a lot, Pablo.
The truth is that all this has become a mess.
Running and hiding all the time is not living, Pablo.
I know that, Julio.
I know it and believe me that from the bottom of my heart I wish you
all the luck there is with the negotiation with the national government.
I thank you too, Pablo.
Anyway, we are not leaving right away. We will go later.
There is one thing, Germán.
You'll understand that our war will continue,
so it is very important for us
to keep counting on your financial contribution.
Don't worry about that.
As I told you, we'll continue being partners,
provided that you get the no extradition of Colombians to foreign countries.
That's going to favor us. Don't worry.
If the government ends up betraying you,
this will continue to be your house, and you'll be always welcome.
- All right, thank you very much. - Thanks a lot.
- Thank you. - Thank you very much.
- My brother... - Thank you for this.
- Take much care of yourself. - Thank you, man.
You are a champion, you are a fighter. Keep being like that. Go ahead!
Thank you very much, Pablo.
- Go ahead then. - Full blast.
Lots of luck, you hear?
- Thank you very much. - Good luck.
When are you travelling?
We're going to Cartagena in two days.
All right.
Have a nice time in Barranquilla, and don't forget.
Well, why am I going to advise you
if you are the one who knows about politics, don't you?
Do me a favor. Give this to my sister.
Sure. Where are my letters? No letters for me?
Since you didn't want to talk to me during the whole trip.
The best way to communicate with you is face to face,
even though I can't understand a word of what you say.
Take good care while we get there, you hear?
Relax. I know how to take care of myself.
I don't.
You know what you have to say.
Yes, colonel. That I urgently need to talk to him and that we must meet.
Not to meet.
You must give him the exact point. At the entrance of the bullring.
Well and what if this operation doesn't succeed?
If the guy doesn't get caught or he escapes?
Anyway, I'll end up being a snitch before his partners in crime.
And does that really matter to you?
Does it after all you confessed to us?
Don't be cynic. You don't only work for the enemy but you wanted to kill me!
I wasn't going to do that, colonel. I swear it.
Oh yeah?! And who knows how many police officers died because of you.
So do what we ask you, Pineda. I warn you!
All right. But all I ask you is protection for my family,
for my daughters, for my wife.
Protection is all I ask, nothing else.
Do what you have to do
and I will give you that protection.
For all my family, colonel?
For whomever you ask me!
We are ready.
- What's up, brother? - Talk.
Don't tell me they are following me again.
No, it's not that.
What then? Talk, talk. I don't have all the time in the world.
Be careful. They already found out I am with you.
What are you doing?
Hurry up, hurry up. We will fall behind.
Let's go!
Come, come over here!
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Everything okay, agent?
Everything's fine. You may call the passengers.
- Okay, sir. - Thank you.
How are you, miss?
Hello! How are you? Good afternoon.
How are you?
- Commander. - Hi, gentlemen.
Sirs, how are you?
How are you? Thank you very much!
Everything is perfect, doctor.
Thank you. But don't call me doctor.
Major, please understand. I can't put my family at risk.
Shut up or I will! And I don't respond even if the colonel is here. I swear it!
Colonel, please. They are going to kill my family, my daughters.
If when this happened you had informed your immediate boss,
you wouldn't have put your wife and daughters at risk
dealing with delinquents.
What do you mean, Chili? Don't tell me you fell for it.
The guy called as if he was setting a trap on me.
And he finally decided to say he had been caught.
Watch out, Chili.
Watch out, because those stupid things end up by making you fall.
That's true, boss. I'm going to take the necessary measures.
I wanted to tell you
that Colonel Pabón's job is going to take a while.
Well,
there are times you have to follow and listen to the voice of fate,
and if at this time
fate is telling us that Pabón has to stay alive for the time being,
we're going to leave him alone.
Yes, boss. You're right.
This is what we're going to do. Go to Bogota,
hire a couple of young men and place a car bomb
in front of the building where the colonel's family lives.
A car bomb, boss?
But you must be extremely careful.
I need you to be totally sure that the car bomb isn't going to explode, okay?
All right, sir.
Don't kill me!
An attempt! An attempt!
I repeat. I request authorization to land in El Dorado airport.
Don't kill me! Don't kill me!
They asked me today why I wanted to be president.
Throughout my life I have witnessed
the significant social inequalities existing in Colombia.
Of how wealthy ones grab power for their own benefit
and forget the people.
That's why we took up arms looking not only for social change,
but for structural and political one as well.
For that same reason we gave our arms back to the Government,
because we realized that to attain the equality, the change,
the welfare the people needs,
it was the time to fight for it in the ballot-box not in the mountains.
That's why today I want to be president,
and I am ready to die for it,
and you will be beside me to make that dream come true.
Hurry!
- Faster! - Breaking news!
The presidential candidate for the Liberator movement
Diego Pizano who just a while ago was on air with us,
has just suffered an attempt inside the plane he traveled to Barranquilla.
A hit man fired a burst with a machine gun.
In the meantime, the assassin was killed by the bodyguards.
Pizano's health state is extremely serious
and at this moment he is been taken care at the Police hospital's facilities.
What happened?
We did all we could.
My brother...
What do you think?
The message is quite clear and the numbers more than enough.
It can't be possible that another candidate is killed
and we as a country are not able to stop that barbarity.
The time has come for the citizens to help
and don't let us alone in this struggle.
I agree with you, Mr. President. I'm sure that will significantly help us.
The sooner it is published, the better.
Have it broadcasted immediately, General.
As you say, Mr. President.
The police are looking for Pablo Escobar.
A 2700 million pesos reward is offered,
and for Gonzalo Gaviria, Alberto Escobar alias Peluche,
Pedro Motoa, German Motoa and Julio Motoa
1000 million each.
And 100 million pesos for each one of the fugitives
alias Marino, alias Chili, alias Mole and alias Kiko.
Call free from any city to 9800 10 600.
Total reserve.
What about that?
We offer 2000 dollars for each cop
and those bastards one million pesos for us!
That's typical of this shitty government.
They are putting people against us for money.
Well at least Vulture and Earring aren't mentioned in there as we are.
Your alias is all they know about you,
because nobody will recognize you in those photos they published.
Let's hope so.
Everything because of that couple of paramilitaries, man.
They are killing candidates and the government is offering a reward for us.
What are we going to do, man?
What do you mean by what are we going to do? Keep firing.
And forgive me for telling this,
but I don't think anybody is going to be that stupid
to hand you over for that amount.
Well, not Pablo, but Gonzalo and I. What?
Or you. Things are really difficult.
What are we going to do, guys?
Keep on hiding? Our situation is quite a mess, man.
At least today we have shown an exemplary behavior.
What they did with commander Pizano is a barbaric act,
a violent act we aren't going to reply with more violence.
On the contrary,
we are going to show them that we can peacefully accept our pain.
That's how Pizano had wanted it to be.
And what's going to happen with the elections?
Who will be the candidate for our movement?
That's something we commanders must decide.
I won't take long.
- How was it? - All right. Working hard.
The boss doesn't leave me alone even to pee.
Let me use that little device to make a call.
Watch it! That can't be used.
Do me a favor: burn it, pour water over it, anything,
but it can't be used. It is bugged.
- All right. - Don't use it!
No, it's okay.
- You better! - No.
- Come, help me with something. - What?
Pack a small suitcase for me because I'm going on a trip.
- Another one? - Yes.
- For how long? - I don't know. A week. Move.
- Hey, this is a heck of an apartment! - I like his house better.
Hey, aren't you supposed to have money?
If you want an apartment, just buy one.
No, first things first.
You are really stingy, aren't you?
No, we have to build the church for the pastor first.
- And then the house for my mom. - Oh, man.
I'll contribute to that one. Go ahead, do it.
Here it is.
Thank you.
I'm too bored in here, Chili.
I can't go out,
I can't watch TV because we don't have that service,
you don't even let me even make a call.
If I'd had known you were going to lock me in here,
I would had stayed in the house. I swear it.
That makes two of us.
I also feel very sad, very bored. This is a terrible life. I'm fed up.
I have so much money and I can't spend it;
you have to remain locked in here.
I feel like quitting. I don't know,
to travel.
Take me to Miami.
- No? - Yeah, sure. Right away.
What I'm going to do is to ask the boss to give me a week off
as soon as he comes back from Bogota,
and you and I will go to a thermal waters resort.
- Go ahead. - Yeah?
Well, you look very pretty. Stay like that.
And locked in here.
Get inside the fridge before you get stale, all right?
What a witty man.
- Bye, I'll be seeing you. Bye. - May Mary accompany you.
Amen.
My brother,
so many years near my brother.
With him during the guerrilla warfare,
with him when they left the armed struggle. What for?
To end up alone?
Their children.
Their children, your nephews and nieces.
This was the moment for them to enjoy life with him,
the moment he would get back to legality.
Exactly,
exactly.
So much fight for nothing, for nothing, Marcos.
Not for nothing.
Commander Pizano's death doesn't have to be in vain.
The best way to honor his memory
is keep walking the road to peace he himself started.
I would really prefer he was at war but alive.
I understand your pain, Ligia.
It hurts me a lot too. It also makes me angry,
but today the Liberator Movement is a political force ruled by democracy,
away from violence.
A violence that is against us today.
It is not fair, Marco,
that a person who moves away from trenches,
who leaves arms to struggle defenseless
is riddled with bullets like this.
Do you understand me? It's not fair!
Someday the divine or human justice
will manage to punish the paramilitary who did this to commander Pizano.
A day that is not today.
We saw it as a good chance to win that money.
That's why we told that man to count on us.
What man? Say a name.
You have to give a name to the police, after all the harm you've done.
No, grandma. I don't want to say the name. I don't want to harm you.
Why didn't Lionel talk to me before anything? Damn it!
I am his father.
We are a couple of assholes.
Why did we allow them to cheat us like that?
That's why Lionel is dead.
Because of money they didn't even give us.
P. S. While I'm writing this to you,
Marcos is complaining because I don't pay attention to what he is saying.
Don't distract me, man.
Okay, I won't interrupt you anymore.
Tell him that when we see each other again,
I'll be the one to shut my mouth.
Marcos is the man I'd like to listen all my life.
I'm asking you to look through the window, madam.
Yes?
Listen, do you see that car in front of your building?
I think that's a car bomb.
Go to your room now, kids. Hello?
Be very careful, madam.
So what, Chili? Is that why we came to the fridge? To scare that woman?
Those are the boss orders, kid.
No, brother.
Couldn't you find an uglier cap, or what?
- What's up, son? - My mother.
Don't worry, darling. Thank God we all are okay.
Are you sure you're okay? Are the children okay?
It was just a scare.
How did they know a car bomb was in there?
I don't know, love. A man called to the apartment to warn me,
but I don't know. It may have been terrorists. I don't know.
I'm leaving for Bogota right away.
I'm not going to lie to you.
The country's situation is very serious.
We are living turbulent and violent times.
In less than a year three presidential candidates have been killed,
over 250 policemen were murdered in Medellín,
and a car bomb was placed to the Elite group commander's family,
a car bomb that fortunately didn't explode.
And what are we going to do to face this situation, Mr. President?
We, Colombians, all Colombians are afraid to go on the street.
And I understand you.
That's exactly why I came to the booth to talk to you,
for all your audience to listen to my call
and help with information that allows us to find all of the Medellín Cartel people.
There are 1000 million pesos for each.
Please denounce, report,
don't let some people end the peace of everyone in the country.
National Police, good afternoon.
I know where Escobar is. I've just saw him.
Yes, sir. Tell me where.
He has just passed by a shopping center.
Yes, I saw Peluche. I recognized him.
He is drinking beer in a cheap road restaurant.
Yes, I swear it, yes. Pablo Escobar.
Yes, the three of them.
But tell me first where I will ask for my reward.
But you have to go right away, otherwise he will escape.
Yes, agent. I'm sure it was Pablo Escobar.
So don't take long, hurry up so you can catch him.
Okay, agent, good-bye!
All right, boss. Bullets are what they are going to find.
- Thanks, son. - My pleasure, boss.
- Have some cheese. - I already had breakfast, thank you.
I'm glad you are all right, that nothing happened to you.
Go and pack soon because we have no time. Go, go.
Do what your father is asking.
- Dad, I wanted to tell-- - Dear, dear, later, okay?
Later. Pack quick that we are leaving. Go, please.
Oh, love. How much we miss you in this house, darling.
And I miss you too.
And I miss you too, Elena, but I have a commitment and...
Hire someone to help you pack.
General Ulloa has already gave us a house at the school.
Darling, couldn't we have one in Medellín?
Elena, love, I've already told you we couldn't. Don't insist, okay?
Okay.
- Who could that be? - I'll get it.
Colonel Andrade...
How did you know I was here? What a surprise.
Colonel Pabón,
I'm sorry to bother you, but I urgently need to talk to you.
POLICE ACADEMY
Phone lines are about to explode, lieutenant.
Everyone is calling to say where to find Pablo Escobar,
his hit men, his brother or his cousin.
I've just sent a state police patrol and they shot them all.
- Major, try to keep calm, please. - Calm?
Those bandits are treacherous, they don't know how to fight.
It's okay to shoot each other, but openly...
And what happened to that radio, that phone we were listening?
Didn't they ring anymore since that snitch Pineda sold us to Chili?
I have tried to search some frequencies, Major,
but I don't think they kept using those devices.
Damn it, man!
- Hi, honey. What are you doing? - Who is this?
Who is this? Mireya, who else could it be?
Mireya, how many times have I asked you not to call me here?
Today is a Wednesday. Aren't you going to the billiards?
I'm on my way out right now.
Go ahead. I'll call you right away.
5432817. That's the only number you can call me, agreed?
- Go ahead then. - We'll meet in half hour.
5432817.
- We got him, we got him! - Yes, Major.
This series is freely adapted from La Parábola de Pablo by Alonso Salazar.
Based on news articles and real events, the historical facts are surrounded
by fictional characters and dialogues that recreate undocumented situations.