Random Wiki - La Catedral

La Catedral prison

This season on HBO's hit series Entourage, the main character Vince films the movie Medellin about the life of Pablo Escobar. After watching this episode a few weeks ago my curiosity kicked in and I wanted to know about the man who Forbes magazine listed as the 7th richest person in the world in 1989. Below is the excerpt I found most interesting.

In 1991, after declaring an end to a series of previous violent or terrorist acts meant to pressure authorities and public opinion, Escobar turned himself in to the Colombian government in order to avoid extradition to the United States or assassination by a rival cartel. Escobar was confined in what became his own luxurious private prison, La Catedral, which he was allowed to build for his confinement in return for turning himself in. He negotiated an agreement with the Colombian government whereby he would be jailed for a mandatory five-year sentence and guaranteed no extradition to the United States, if he stopped any further drug trafficking activities. Before Escobar gave himself up, the extradition of Colombian citizens had been prohibited by the newly approved Colombian Constitution of 1991.

However, La Catedral prison was actually more of a country-club fortress, and he showed little regard for the sanctity of his sentence there. There have been allegations, many of them unconfirmed, that he was often seen outside of the jail: shopping in Medellín or at parties, soccer games, and other public places.^{[citation needed]} After an account appeared in the local media showing photos of his lavish jail/residence and claiming that he had murdered several business associates (the Moncada brothers) when they came to meet him at La Catedral, public opinion forced the government to act. When the government attempted to move Escobar to another jail on July 22, 1992, he escaped, fearing that he could be extradited to the United States.

So the moral of the story is if you have to go to prison just cut a deal with your government that allows you to build your own prison.

Below is the link to Pablo Escobars Wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Escobar