A portion of Pablo Escobar's previously opulent estate – a symbol of the drug lord's vast riches and residence to his well-known “cocaine hippos” – is being granted to women affected by Colombia's internal struggle, stated Gustavo Petro.
Escobar, the nation's most infamous drug trafficker and past chief of the dominant Medellín cartel, rose to become one of the wealthiest individuals in the world in the late 1980s, with assessments placing his assets at nearly $25 billion.
The Opulent Estate: Escobar's Ranch
He invested a portion of his fortune in furnishing his ranch in northwest Antioquia. In addition to populating it with antique vehicles and exotic animals – striped horses, tall mammals, hopping marsupials and the hippopotamuses – he installed an runway, several swimming areas and a large-capacity bull ring. On top of the main gate, the drug lord also placed a replica airplane, based on the one he reportedly used for his initial drug transport to the US.
Following the Demise
Following Escobar's death in a armed confrontation with police in the city of Medellín in 1993, his playground was left deserted and deteriorated. It was later acquired by the state and contracted to local authorities, who for some time opened it as a theme park.
Presently, part of the estate has been given a new use and awarded to victims of Colombia's long-standing civil strife.
“We have begun to recover the Nápoles property for the victims,” Petro posted online.
Distribution of Land
The administration has stated that a sizable area of the property has been given to women farmers from the area. The director, chief of the state property institution, described the move “a historic victory for the female individuals who never stopped fighting”.
“It is tremendous pleasure to at last rejoice,” remarked Millinery Correa, one of the beneficiaries, in a footage distributed by the official property agency. “I am overjoyed because now there are women who have aspiration, who have property permanently.”
Property Conflicts
Territorial disagreements have consistently contributed to instability in the country, with drug traffickers and insurgents expelling by force agricultural workers to increase their land holdings and cultivate coca, the vegetation used to manufacture cocaine.
Laura Bonilla, assistant head of the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, stated that the drug lord “acquired and confiscated” the land and sought to make it an “realm largely separate from the country, with its distinct rules and even its unique environment”.
Presidential Plan
Earlier this year, Gustavo Petro, the first progressive head of state, put forward restoring a portion to farmers. “That estate has countless casualties that it should be given back to the citizens,” he said, stating that the property's “legitimate holders” were the agricultural workers.
Resistance and Demonstrations
But certain community members and entrepreneurs objected to the initiative, claiming it jeopardized the local economy; the theme park draws more than one million tourists annually. A protest afterward included approximately 1,500 people block the main highway.
Moving Forward
In spite of the resistance, the initiative has been put into action. “The move by Petro was to return the territory, and also the dignity, to those who had suffered total loss,” the analyst stated.
Ongoing Challenge
Regardless of the granting of the territory, the growing population of wild hippopotamuses continue to wander, destroying farmland and threatening surrounding settlements – one remaining part of the drug lord's domain that has remains unmanaged.
