Redemption for Papo
Travelers on the Fearless Journeys group trip to Medellin, Colombia spent three days of quality time with a reformed former hitman for Pablo Escobar.
Do you believe in second chances?
Would you give a second chance to someone who is complicit and perhaps personally responsible for murdering hundreds of people? Someone who has terrorized people? Someone who made money off of hard drugs like cocaine — drugs that kill people?
What if I told you that the person that did these things did so after being recruited by Pablo Escobar at the age of 9?
Would that impact your perspective? If so, which way?
What if I introduced you to this person on a Fearless Journeys group trip to Medellin, Colombia? Except when you first met him, you didn’t know he was a hit man for Pablo Escobar. You only knew he was someone interesting.
This is the same way I first met “Papo” on my first visit to Medellin, Colombia in March of this year.
As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, during that solo trip I took to Colombia in March, I signed up for, among other activities, a Pablo Escobar tour. That’s when I landed a great tour guide named Carlos. At the third site we visited that day, he introduced me to Papo.
Papo is a short, gentle man who does not look threatening at all. Usually he is carrying something that looks like it could be a man purse or camera bag. He’s had that little bag every time I’ve seen him. Like some kind of tourist.
On that day in March, Carlos drove me to the cemetery where Pablo Escobar is buried. As we were pulling up into the near empty parking lot, we saw Papo. I didn’t know his name yet, but Carlos said to me: “See this guy? He was a hit man for Escobar.”
He mentioned this just as we were about to get out of the car.
“What the hell?” is all I was thinking.
Cut me some slack, but when someone tells you that on your first (solo) trip to Colombia, you’re not sure how to react. You’re also wondering if you should be concerned for your own safety.
And then I got a closer look at Papo, shook his hand, and could not believe this guy ever killed anyone, much less shoot a weapon.
To be honest, even after spending all day with Carlos, I was starting to wonder if some kind of stunt was being pulled on me.
As we got talking, Papo told me he was recruited by Escobar at the age of 9.
“Wow, 9 years old?” I asked. “That’s really young!”
Papo told me that was actually the norm. Escobar recruited children for a few reasons. They were poor, desperate, needed money, and were easy to recruit and train. Then, if they were caught committing crimes (including murder) the sentences were much lighter than if they were adults. Some of them literally got away with murder. And ultimately, so did Pablo Escobar.
Papo would later show me a few photos of him and Escobar. One was when he could not have been much older than 9 from a time when Escobar took him and another kid to some car racing place in Bogota.
Today, we call this grooming.
Recruit the kids. Pay them money. Take them to fun outings like they are part of your family. Make it all seem normal. Then train them to rob and kill people on your behalf. Reward them with more money.
What a monster.
While we were still in that graveyard, Papo talked to us about Pablo Escobar while showing us his grave site and those of his family. Papo knew them all personally. And now he is standing on their graves.
We then walked a few hundred feet across the cemetery to the grave site of Griselda Blanco. There is now a Netflix series on her that debuts in January 2024.
She was the one who really perfected the drug trade from Colombia to the United States, including creating clothing apparel that allowed women to carry drugs right off a plane and onto U.S. soil. She’s the one that introduced Pablo Escobar to the drug trade, ushering in a dark period of history. And to make matters worse, she’s also known as “the black widow.” Why? Because she had all three of her husbands killed. That’s what black widow spiders do when they are done with their mate.
I looked closer at Griselda’s grave. She died in 2012. She had been arrested in the 1985 and sent to a prison in the United States. In 2004, she was released early and returned to Colombia. One day, in 2012, someone eventually put a hit on her and she was killed.
I looked even closer at her grave. The guy that was buried in the same gravesite as her died in 1985.
“Who’s this buried next to her?” I asked.
“Her first husband.”
“The one she had killed?” I responded.
“Yes.”
“Who decided that?”
“Probably her family.”
“Did they not like her?”
As if the day could not get more interesting… it did.
As Papo had been telling me (and Carlos) about Griselda, a young couple in their 20s had walked up, with an older woman that was presumably the mother of one of them. They appeared to be Colombians and they were listening to Papo tell me about Griselda. They had no idea that Papo had a connection to Escobar, much less had killed people on behalf of Escobar.
A few minutes later when Papo walked me a few hundred feet over to another grave, these three bystanders followed us and continued to listen.
That’s when Papo told us that this was the gravesite of the Galeano brothers. They were once allies of Escobar, but later become adversaries and enemies. While Escobar was in his self-built “prison,” he had the Galeano brothers kidnapped and brought there. Papo and a few others participated in the murder of the Galeano brothers. He described to us how he and his fellow thugs murdered them in very brutal fashion. It’s so brutal, I’d rather not put the details in writing for you here.
As Papo explained these details, the bystanders that had followed us over to this gravesite looked in shock. At first, I think they were wondering if Papo was telling the truth — or really talking about himself so openly. Then they looked absolutely horrified as he explained the gruesome details.
I had only met Papo 30 minutes earlier, but I at least had some context. Still, his account was completely shocking to me (and later to my Fearless Journeys group). I can’t imagine being in the position of someone who walked up and heard that story without context.
And that’s precisely why I did not want to tell my group of travelers that they might meet Papo on our group trip to Medellin, Colombia just a couple weeks ago in October 2023.
***
We were picked up at our accommodations at the 5-star Click Clack hotel in the El Poblado area of Medellin. That’s when the group first met Carlos, our local tour guide. Some had met our driver the day before, but others were meeting him for the first time on this day as well.
The first site we went to was where one of Escobar’s famous condo buildings once stood. Today, there is a memorial there. On our way there, Carlos revealed to the group that he had a “surprise” for them. He had told me earlier that Papo would be there waiting for us. I was filled with anticipation to see how they would react to meeting Papo and learning about his background.
The truth is: on this group trip I would learn a lot more details about Papo too. He ended up joining us for the entire half-day tour, riding in the van with us up to Pablo’s prison, and then over to the gravesite. At the end of the day, Papo, Carlos, our driver, and a new member of Carlos’ team joined us for lunch at a place I picked out: Medellin Burger Company.
Throughout the day, Papo explained his complicity in many murders, including those of high-ranking government officials. He told us wild stories of how crazy Pablo Escobar was. He hated his enemies so much, he once starved a tiger of food for a couple of weeks and then let the tiger loose in the backyard of a mansion to devour those enemies ferociously.
The "tiger” story will not be one we ever forget.
So if Papo committed all these crimes, why is he freely walking around today — in Medellin, Colombia, of all places?
When Escobar died in 1993, Papo didn’t stop his life of crime. At that time, he was in his early 20s and he went on to work for another drug lord in Colombia. Remember, he was recruited at 9 years old. He knew no other life.
That didn’t last long. A few years later, Papo was arrested and put in a real Colombian prison, where he served for three years. Then, he was extradited to the United States. He told us he was never a “snitch,” but he did agree to participate in a program with an international human rights court.
They gave him a place to stay — in both North Carolina and South Carolina. He lived pretty much on house arrest in those places. For more than a year, he was given two hours a day of psychological counseling.
He had become such a mental mess himself that his psychologist told him not to have any mirrors around because looking in the mirror might drive him mad. There were other suggestions too, including not eating chicken because it would remind him of other things — but I won’t get into that here. It is repulsive. And I still want to eat chicken. And the good news is: Papo can eat chicken today.
His therapy worked. He’s now about 57 years old — though I don’t think he looks that old. I’d say he looks about 10 years younger, which is kind of shocking considering all he has been through.
And perhaps he’s still working through some kind of therapy. Perhaps that’s why he is out here talking to people like us and sharing his story.
He’s not proud about his past. But as he tells the stories, you can see his mind going right back to the past at times, almost like he’s still in it. The details are very vivid.
But then he is also reflective, able to put some judgment on that past and explain all the mistakes he made. He told us for many years Pablo Escobar was like a father figure to him, even after he died. But in recent years he has come to realize that Pablo Escobar was not truly a father figure. He was a monster, a brutal killer, a mad man who used Papo and other kids to do his dirty work.
With that said, as he is recalls the stories of why they did what they did, there seems to be no love lost for some of his enemies — including the former officials of the Colombian government and the DEA. He will openly tell you about their mistakes too.
***
After we wrapped up our Pablo Escobar tour and finished lunch with Papo, Carlos, and their crew, we went back to our hotel with a few hours of free time. Activities mixed from working out, smoking cigars, having beers, catching up on remote work, meeting locals, and just plain napping. We all regrouped for dinner that night at Carmen restaurant — rated one of the top 50 restaurants in Latin America. We had a 7-course dinner & drink pairing. And that gave us all plenty of time to talk about what we had just experienced together.
Throughout the day I could sense the group was a bit surprised, terrified, uncomfortable, perplexed, and bewildered. But also I think they appreciated this insider experience and the new perspective it brought. We had lots of questions about Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel (which is still active today under new leadership) and there were few better people than Papo to give us the answers — no matter how scary they were.
Fear can often keep us away from confronting the truth. Reality isn’t always pretty. However, it can be truly educational and enlightening. And that’s part of why I love travel so much. As well done as the Narcos series was on Netflix, it doesn’t come close to the kind of first-hand education we got with Papo.
There will be a forthcoming documentary on Papo and his story is also being picked up by one of those streaming services. Look for it in about a year or so. I’ll be sure to keep you informed. But I’m not yet done telling you about Papo.
***
The next afternoon was Friday and we took the public metro a short trip to Plaza Botero. That’s where we were able to take in some of the great big public sculptures from Colombian artist Francisco Botero, who passed away just a month before our visit, at the age of 91.
We walked the streets of Central Medellin for a bit, exploring some local markets. Then, we went back up to the public metro station to meet … you guessed it … Papo.
I had hired Carlos for our Pablo Escobar tour, but also to show us around Comuna 13, where we headed on this Friday afternoon and evening. Our plans for Saturday were also made with Carlos, who arranged for and brought us two hours outside of Medellin to Guatape, an iconic rock formation that has over 700 steps to climb to make it to the top. More on that later…
I was hoping our group would get to meet Papo during our Pablo Escobar tour on Thursday. Not only did that happen, but Papo spent that entire day with us at three Escobar sites and joined us for lunch. He liked our group so much, he wanted to be with us at Comuna 13 on Friday and also at Guatape on Saturday. So, in essence, we spent almost three full days with Papo (and Carlos) during our trip to Medellin.
By the end of our trip, we learned that Papo only recently returned to Colombia a few years ago. He has a 27-year old son back in South Carolina, where he travels to a few times a year.
The more we got to know Papo, the more honest (and bold) we got with our questions. At one point I asked him: “Considering all the people you killed or had a hand in killing, do you ever fear that someone is going to put a hit on you like they did on Griselda Blanco?”
He’s told me he doesn’t fear that at all. And he said the main reason why is that after he got back, he went and visited all the families of people he knew he killed or had a hand in their death. He apologized to them personally and made amends with them. Some even forgave him.
He said this was “part of the peace process.”
As I reflect further, I have to think that if any one of us wants to account for our sins, we must actually repent and ask for forgiveness. We may not always be forgiven by those who we offend, but if we aren’t sincere or truly remorseful how can we possibly expect forgiveness?
Doing this also seemed to be part of the process of wiping away any fear someone like Papo might have had.
***
I’m going to have a little more to say about Papo in a future newsletter (stay tuned) but for now I will let you know that when we were coming back from Guatape on Saturday, after having spent a third full day with Papo (and Carlos), I called the attention of the group for a few announcements before we arrived at our hotel.
It was at that point I told the group that when we arrived back to the hotel we would be saying goodbye to Papo and Carlos for this trip. I also thanked Papo for spending so much time with us and for being honest with us about his story.
His story is terrifying and I have to think shame and humiliation could be part of his feelings, telling these stories to complete strangers. And I am willing to bet many people reading this are probably a little bit terrified (maybe even put off) by the fact our group spent three days in Colombia with a murderer.
But after getting to know Papo, it’s clear as day that this is not the same man who he was in the 1980s or 1990s. When I thanked him for his honesty, he replied that “honesty is always the best policy.”
When you hide from the truth, you are not free. When you tell the truth, you earn the respect and trust of others, he said.
Papo also told us that money isn’t worth chasing, even if you were a poor kid in Medellin in the 1980s and 1990s. He said “God, family, and education are the only three things you need in life.”
This man has the bullet wounds to prove it. At one point during our tour, when we asked him about being caught in the crossfire, he took off his shirt and showed us three bullet wounds and explained how each of them occurred.
Papo also emphasized the Biblical commandment: Honor your parents no matter rich or poor. If you do things for the money, he said, you will pay the consequences. It’s much more important to live for God, family, and knowledge.
Many people, including myself, will tell you that one of the best ways to find education is through travel. We were educated tremendously about the somewhat recent violent history in Colombia from the 1980s to the early 2000s. We witnessed the transformation that this country, and particularly Medellin, has gone through over the past 20 years. And I’ll talk more about that in a future newsletter. However, before we can take a look into the future, I thought it was important to review some of the past.
But there’s something much more we witnessed in Colombia.
Being given the privilege to meet Papo and travel with him for three days in Medellin gave us renewed hope that not only can a city or a country change, but that people can change too.
It might take many years and a lot of work and investment, but redemption is possible for all. That’s the incredible educational gift Papo gave us. I know God is now using this man for a greater purpose.
Perhaps we gave him a little gift as well. After I returned from the trip and sent him a text message to thank him for his time with us, he responded: “I have only recently met all of you but I see that for me you are like family.”
Family. That’s what Pablo Escobar once was to Papo. It’s something so many search for. So many broken people without fathers or even mothers — the void of which is what allows people to be so easily recruited by evil men. But family is also the gift we can give one another when we spend more time together.
I told Papo and Carlos they are now part of the Fearless Journeys family and I look forward to bringing more people to Colombia for the opportunity to meet them and hear their stories.
But they were not the only people we met in Medellin. There are some more really uplifting stories coming your way… and if you’re looking for a family of travelers, I hope maybe you’ll join us on one of these trips where we explore new places and people and break bread together. Our group is growing and many of our travelers are returning for additional Fearless Journeys adventures. The bonds are forming and it is all such a beautiful thing.
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Want to travel with Fearless Journeys? We have a 3-part group trip planned to Argentina for April 2024.
We also want to take others to places we have been with our Fearless Journeys family, including Guatemala and Colombia. And we are open to your ideas. Where do you want to travel with Fearless Journeys? You never know who we’re going to introduce you to. We don’t just travel. We connect you with innovators across the world.