Colombia Shuts Down Pablo Escobar Museum House in Medellin

On March 22, 2024, Colombia’s Special Assets Society (Sociedad de Activos Especiales), linked to the Ministry of Finance, closed the Pablo Escobar museum in Medellin’s El Poblado neighborhood. The museum, owned by Roberto de Jesus Escobar Gaviria, brother of the notorious drug kingpin, showcased items and photos of Pablo Escobar, reflecting on his time as the head of the Medellin Cartel.

This closure follows the destruction in July 2023 of another Pablo Escobar house museum owned by his brother Roberto. In recent years, the City Council of Medellin has taken measures to reduce narcotourism in the city, with the Pablo Escobar museum house being one of the main focal points.

The end of the Pablo Escobar museum house

Medellin City Council’s battle against narcotourism, primarily focused on visiting Pablo Escobar memorials, started in September 2018, when local authorities initially shut down the museum house for alleged irregularities. However, Roberto Escobar circumvented the situation and was authorized to reopen it a few weeks later, in November 2018.

Almost five years later, on October 20, 2023, Colombia’s General Attorney announced the asset forfeiture of the Pablo Escobar Museum house, citing the owner’s lack of financial means to legitimately acquire the property, suggesting illicit funding during the acquisition process.

After delays due to Roberto Escobar’s efforts to buy time, the Special Assets Society and Colombian Police finally closed the house museum on March 22, 2024, seizing many of the artifacts it contained. Following the operation, the Special Assets Society announced plans to launch a redefinition project of the property, valued at US$ 3 million (12 billion COP).

Take a look inside the property:

Towards the end of narcotourism in Colombia

In recent years, public opinion and authorities have begun to speak out against narcotourism in the country. As Colombia aims to become a major international tourism destination, there is a strong desire to promote its natural and cultural heritage, moving away from a painful past associated with drug cartels.

In a public speech at the National University of San Martin, in Argentina, on June 28, 2023, Medellin’s mayor Federico Gutierrez expressed his desire to shift the city’s tourism model towards one based on culture. In line with this vision, in July 2023, Medellin City Council took action against Pablo Escobar’s brother by demolishing another of his house museums in the Las Palmas area.

Other notorious narcotourism sites in Colombia include the Hacienda Napoles, a 20km² (7.7 square miles) estate once owned by the drug lord for leisure. Since November 2006, the property has been owned by the Colombian state and transformed into a theme park. Near Medellin, in the village of Guatapé, is also the ‘La Manuela’ estate, completed in 1992 and formerly managed by a Pablo Escobar associate until the Special Assets Society took control in February 2021.

Why is narcotourism controversial?

Although Pablo Escobar has been popularized in recent years, notably through Netflix’s show ‘Narcos’, it is crucial to remember the reality surrounding the former Colombian drug lord. Often compared to Robin Hood and even seen as a romantic figure due to his incredible rise to power and charitable works for Medellin’s poorest, the drug lord also left behind a trail of bloodshed.

His drug trafficking operations, which involved wars against Colombian Police and rival criminal organizations like the M-19 fart-left guerrilla or the Cali Cartel, led the Medellin Cartel to be responsible for the deaths of approximately 15,000 people, including 550 assassinated police officers. In his final years, Pablo Escobar resorted to terrorism to intimidate the Colombian government, resulting in the death of 402 civilians. As the leader of Medellin Cartel, Pablo Escobar was directly responsible for the assassinations of numerous Colombian politicians, journalists, and judges, including the Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, El Espectador newspaper president Guillermo Cano, and the Inspector General of Colombia, Carlos Mauro Hoyos.

Pablo Escobar’s story is undoubtedly a part of Colombia’s and Medellin’s history and must be told. It should not be romanticized, nor should Pablo Escobar’s memory be glorified or trivialized through merchandise like t-shirts or souvenirs, as he was one of the most dangerous and ruthless men of his time.