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Birth
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria is born -
DEA is established
Richard Nixon establishes the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). -
Large Colombian Drug Seizure
Colombian police seize 600 kilograms of cocaine — the largest seizure to date — from a small plane. Drug traffickers respond with a vendetta, killing 40 people in one weekend in what's known as the "Medellin Massacre." The event signals the new power of Colombia's cocaine industry, headquartered in Medellin. -
Medellin Cartel Rises to Power
The Medellin cartel rises to power. The alliance includes the Ochoa family, Pablo Escobar, Carolos Lehder and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha. -
Escobar is elected
Building up a Robin Hood-esque image with the poor of Colombia, he is elected to the Colombian National Congress. He will later be ran out of office after officials accuse him for being a drug trafficker. -
"Just Say No"
Nancy Reagan launches her "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign -
Minister of Justice Assassination
Escobar's assassin kills Minster of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, one of the men who drove Escobar out of Congress years earlier. -
First Extradition
Colombia extradites drug traffickers to the United States for the first time. U.S. officials discover that the Medellin cartel has a "hit list" that includes embassy members, their families, U.S. businessmen and journalists. -
Guerrillas attack Palace of Justice
Financed by Pablo Escobar to destroy evidence that could get him extradited to the US, armed Guerrillas storm Colombia's Palace of Justice, killing over 100. -
Colombia annuls extradition
Colombia annuls extradition treaty with the United States -
Escobar Forbes listing
Pablo Escobar is featured in Forbes Magazine as one of the world's richest people. -
Presidential candidate assassinated
Colombian Presidential Candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento was shot and killed, he was an opponent of the drug cartels and supporter of Colombian-US extradition policies -
Avianva Flight 203 explosion
Avianca Flight 203 exploded due to a bomb onboard, killing 110 people, Escobar was suspected culprit. -
Escobar's Death
Escobar was shot on the roof of his Colombian home, surrounded by the military.
