Colombia tears down drugs kingpin Pablo Escobar's infamous eight-storey apartment because it was becoming a 'sick attraction'

The home of the late infamous Pablo Escobar has been destroyed in a controlled implosion after it became a tourist attraction in Colombia

The Colombian fortress of infamous drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar, has been destroyed in a controlled implosion after it became a tourist destination.

The 'Monaco' apartments, where Escobar lived in the 1980s, were a 'symbol of evil', Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said.

A crowd of 1,600 people including some families of Escobar victims, watched as a loud detonation was heard and the eight storeys of white concrete crumbled to the ground in three seconds, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that lingered for several minutes.

In its place will be a memorial to the victims of Escobar's reign of terror that ended when he was killed by police in 1993. 

A crowd of 1,600 people including some families of Escobar victims, watched at the 'Monaco' apartment building was destroyed 

Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez said the building had become a 'symbol of evil' and had become a destination for tourists on 'narco-tours' which take visitors around sites related to the history of drug trafficking

Gutierrez said that the eight-storey building had become a destination for tourists on 'narco-tours', which take visitors around sites related to the history of drug trafficking.

Critics say the tours glorify the drug violence of the 1980s, when thousands of Colombians were murdered. 

While some elements of society criticised the move, claiming it was erasing history, authorities insisted they were just transforming the narrative to focus on the victims rather than the perpetrator.

The demolition of the ostentatious building, which had once drawn crowds of curious sightseers, 'signifies the defeat of the culture of illegality,' said Colombia President Ivan Duque.

'It signifies that history won't be written from the perpetrator's perspective.'

Colombia will now erect a memorial to the victims of Escobar's reign of terror that ended when he was killed by police in 1993

The city plans to build a park and memorial museum to replace the abandoned building.

President Ivan Duque said: 'This means that history will not be written in service to the victimisers, but in recognition of the victims'.

The 'Monaco' survived a car bomb attack during the 1987 height of fighting between the Medellin and Cali drug cartels, and played host to Escobar's storied vintage car collection.

It was expropriated by Colombia in 1990 and for a time served as extra office space for the attorney general's office. 

Who was Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellin Cartel?

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug trafficker.

During his time at the helm of the Medellin Cartel he controlled over 80 per cent of the cocaine shipped to the US. 

This earned him the rank of one of Forbes Magazine’s ten wealthiest people in the world. 

Escobar entered the cocaine trade in the early 1970s, collaborating with other criminals to form the Medellin Cartel.

Despite his role as a drug lord Escobar earned popularity by sponsoring charity projects and soccer clubs.

However terror campaigns run by Escobar resulted in the murder of thousands turned the public against him.  

By the mid-1980s, Pablo Escobar had an estimated net worth of $30 billion and cash was so prevalent that Escobar purchased a Learjet for the sole purpose of flying his money.  

More than 15 tons of cocaine were reportedly smuggled each day, netting the Cartel as much as $420 million a week.

Colombian law enforcement finally caught up to Pablo Escobar on December 2, 1993 in a middle-class neighborhood in Medellin. 

A firefight ensued and, as Escobar tried to escape across a series of rooftops, he and his bodyguard were shot and killed. 

Source: Biography.com