Los Pepes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Los Pepes, or the People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar, was a short-lived vigilante group composed of various enemies of narcotics kingpin Pablo Escobar. Los Pepes waged a bloody war against Escobar and his associates in the early 1990s. The group is alleged to have committed numerous human rights violations in Colombia, including torture, rape, and killing of civilians. For example, Los Pepes murdered both Escobar's horse trainer and the 18-year-old son of one of Escobar's lawyers.
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[edit] Name
While the name suggested that all members of Los Pepes were previously persecuted by Escobar, the truth is that only a handful of the group's members had suffered at the hands of the notorious drug kingpin. Many members were actually rival drug traffickers. Los Pepes were funded, among other parties, by the rival Cali Cartel and the Castaño Brothers.
[edit] History
[edit] Aftermath
After Escobar's death in 1993, several of their leaders eventually went on to become the heads of a national paramilitary alliance in Colombia, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a vigilante group that is responsible for numerous massacres and political assassinations in Colombia. The Castaño Brothers (Carlos 1965-2004, Vicente, and Fidel, who went missing in 1994) were founders of several paramilitary groups and the driving force behind the AUC's creation.
Another member of Los Pepes, Diego Murillo-Bejarano aka "Don Berna", became an important drug lord and eventually Inspector General of the AUC.
The Institute for Policy Studies is currently searching for additional information about the exact details of what connections the US had to Los Pepes.
[edit] Depictions
Mark Bowden's book entitled Killing Pablo (ISBN 0-14-200095-7) highlights some of the operations of Los Pepes and describes some of the forms of cooperation and support that the group allegedly received from members of the Colombian National Police.
[edit] See also
- Diego Murillo Bejarano
- Pablo Escobar
- Carlos Castaño
- Fidel Castaño
- Cordoba and Uraba Peasants Self-Defense
- United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
