Roberto Escobar

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Lore & Background

Roberto Escobar's nickname El Osito came from a dramatic moment during a cycling race. As he led a caravan into Medellín, a downpour turned the uncovered highway into a river of mud. The tires of his bicycle sent mud to his face until it was completely covered, exposing only his eyes. When he reached the finish line, the radio journalist broadcasting the stage said: 'Ahí llega Roberto Escobar Gaviria, que más bien parece un osito' ('Here comes Roberto Escobar Gaviria, who looks more like a little bear/teddy bear'). For his part in the operations of the Medellín Cartel, Roberto succeeded his cousin Gustavo Gaviria after he was imprisoned in 1991. He escaped with his brother in July 1992 but surrendered to authorities a year later. On December 18, 1993, while still in prison, he was blinded in one eye by a letter bomb sent by Los Pepes. The prison bombing also caused him to suffer partial deafness for life, losing approximately 60% of his hearing. After more than 10 years, Escobar was released in 2006. In the 2009 book, The Accountant's Story, Roberto relates his story as head accountant of the cartel, including that the cartel lost billions of dollars eaten by rats or damaged by water in storage, and spent up to $2,500 per month purchasing rubber bands to hold stacks of money together.

In Their Own Story

In 2014, Escobar reincorporated Escobar Inc with Olof K. Gustafsson and registered successor in interest rights for his brother in the US state of California. On July 1, 2016, he sent a letter to Netflix regarding the Narcos TV series demanding $1 billion in payment for unauthorized usage of content. In January 2019, he launched a GoFundMe fundraiser in an effort to impeach President Donald Trump. In July 2019, Escobar started selling a propane torch made to look like a flamethrower and accused CEO of The Boring Company Elon Musk of intellectual property theft, alleging that The Boring Company's promotional Not-a-Flamethrower is based on a design that Escobar discussed in 2017 with an engineer associated with Musk. Via media Escobar publicly offered Musk to settle the dispute for $100 million, in cash or shares of Tesla, or alternatively to use the legal system to become the new CEO of Tesla, Inc. In December 2019, Escobar announced a folding phone, the Escobar Fold 1, priced at $349. He said 'I have told many people that I will defeat Apple — and I will' and claimed it can only be destroyed by fire. Two months later, on February 10, 2020, the Escobar Fold 2 was released, which is reportedly a Galaxy Fold with poorly-added Escobar branding. Many customers said they never received their phones, with only tech influencers actually receiving products. It has also been alleged that Escobar Inc sent bogus product orders consisting of a book, allowing Escobar Inc to claim the phone had been delivered. In May 2020, the company released a refurbished version of the iPhone 11 Pro and allegedly sued Apple for $2.6 billion.

Reader's Guide

In the television series Narcos, Roberto Escobar is depicted as a figure involved in the cartel's operations. The source material does not cover the specific portrayal of Roberto in the Narcos TV series, nor does it provide details about his role as an enforcer or his fate after Pablo's death as shown in the show. The source confirms he was the brother of Pablo Escobar, the former accountant and co-founder of the Medellín Cartel, and that he was imprisoned, escaped, surrendered, and was released after more than 10 years in 2006. The source does not state that he died in prison or that he was captured after Pablo's death in the manner depicted in the series. For accurate historical details, refer to the source above.

Did You Know?

• Roberto Escobar was a champion cyclist who obtained third place in the team event of the National Cycling Championship of Colombia and 37 victories in a single year.
• His nickname 'El Osito' came from a radio journalist who said he looked like a little bear after mud covered his face during a race.
• On December 18, 1993, while in prison, he was blinded in one eye and lost approximately 60% of his hearing from a letter bomb sent by Los Pepes.
• The Medellín Cartel spent up to $2,500 per month on rubber bands to hold stacks of money together, according to Roberto's book.
• In 2019, Roberto offered Elon Musk a $100 million settlement over a flamethrower design dispute, threatening to become CEO of Tesla through the legal system.