“I prefer a tomb in Colombia rather than a cell in the United States”, used to say Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, former leader of the Medellin Cartel. And his wish was fulfilled. The most feared drug trafficker of all time had his own prison built, called La Catedral, where he led a privileged life, had visits from beauty queens and from there he operated his criminal acts.
The Cathedral was not just any prison. This prison, which was built by Escobar himself, had soccer fields, a bar, billiard rooms, a gym, a games and grill area and, above all, orgies predominated. Her room had the same luxuries that he could have a suite in the most expensive hotel in Colombia at that time.
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According to Infobae, the room of the head of the Medellin Cartel had a fireplace, a refrigerator full of food and drinks at his disposal. There were candles of different colors and scents. His mattress was covered in top-of-the-line blankets and blankets.
The most curious thing about it is that his “cell”—if that’s what you can call it—didn’t have bars or wet cement. The decoration was in charge of his wife Victoria Eugenia Henaoas specified by the portal mentioned, who put the romantic touch.
Various sports personalities, including ex-soccer player René Higuita, and five beauty queens They visited La Catedral, located in the city of Evigado, Antioquía, and access to the place was difficult. His “imprisonment” occurred on June 19, 1991.
While Colombians thought that peace had returned when they saw him confined in a maximum security prison, as they deceived President César Gaviria, the reality was that the head of the Medellín Cartel continued to carry out his criminal acts.
He didn’t give himself up
Pablo Escobar, who arrived by helicopter at the Cathedral, went to prison with his trusted people: Otoniel González (Otto), Carlos Aguilar (Mugre), John Jairo Velásquez (Popeye), Valentín de J. Taborda, Roberto Escobar ( Osito), Gustavo González (Tavo), Jorge Eduardo Avendaño (Tato) and Johnny Rivera (El Palomo), José Fernando Ospina (El Mago), John Jairo Betancur (Icopor), Carlos Díaz (La Garra) and Alfonso León Puerta (El Angelito), according to Infobae.
His wife found out
Victoria Eugenia frequently went up to the Cathedral and on one of her visits she found love letters from other women from different countries who wrote to her husband. She was sent nude photos, declarations of love and orgies in exchange for money or property.
“My surprise was greater when I read scandalous letters from women who remembered in all kinds of details the recent intimate encounters with him and invited him to repeat them as many times as he wanted; others wrote flowery texts in which they dreamed of another night of passion in the Cathedral. He was horrible. I remember that I waited for him and made him a scene in which I reproached him for the lack of respect and the fact that he did not recognize my dedication and sacrifice for always being with him, “ revealed Henao herself in her book “My life and my prison with Pablo Escobar.”
Goodbye to the luxuries and again to hide
On July 22, 1992, after spending a year in his own prison, Pablo Escobar escaped from the Cathedral. The former leader of the Medellín Cartel escaped with 14 of his men and became, once again, the most wanted in all of Colombia. He said goodbye to visiting beauty queens and orgies in said prison.