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1990: Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes about Pablo Escobar and those he kidnapped
News of a Kidnapping
What you need to know before your trail
Pablo Escobar: billionaire drugs baron, ruthless manipulator brutal killer and jefe of the infamous Medellín cartel. A man whose importance in the international drug trade and renown for his charitable work among the poor brought him influence and power in his home country of Colombia, and the unwanted attention of the American courts.
Terrified of the new Colombian President’s determination to extradite him to America, Escobar found the best bargaining tools he could find: hostages.
In the winter of 1990, ten relatives of Colombian politicians, mostly women, were abducted and held hostage as Escobar attempted to strong-arm the government into blocking his extradition. Two died, the rest survived, and from their harrowing stories Márquez retells, with vivid clarity, the terror and uncertainty of those dark an volatile months.
Travel Guide
Maruja Pachón
Pachón was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar on 7 November 1990. She may have been chosen because her sister, Gloria Pachón was the widow of the Presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán who had been assassinated in August 1989 by hit men hired by the drug cartels.
Escobar also kidnapped more victims in an attempt to persuade the Government of President César Gaviria to rethink their drugs policy.
Maruja was released in May 1991. She and her husband feature strongly in News of a Kidnapping which documents the kidnappings.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: News of a Kidnapping
Destination/location: Bogota, Colombia Author/guide: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Departure Time: 1996
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