Cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar was killed more than two decades ago, but one of the last surviving members of Escobar’s ultra-violent Medellin cartel just became a free man. The release of John Jairo Velásquez, who left prison on August 19, has sparked controversy in Colombia.
Pablo Escobar's new line of clothing is selling well, but not in Colombia
In the past few years, Medellin, Colombia has seemingly been transformed from a blighted haven for drug trafficking to an award-winning place of smart urban design. The man who gets a lot of the credit for that is the former mayor, Sergio Fajardo.
Colombia was wracked with violence during the era of the Escobar drug cartel. And while the cartel has been curtailed, regular street violence persists. Now, arts groups are trying to give youth an alternative path to the future.
Colombia's second largest city was once dominated by the drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. Crime remains high. Which is why several groups in the city are determined to provide peaceful alternatives for young people through art and music.
Colombia's "Queen of Cocaine," Griselda Blanco was gunned down in Medellin yesterday. She was 69. John Otis has more on the country's infamous female drug lord.
Millions of Colombians have been forced off their land in the country's long civil war. Now some of those people are getting their land back.
Authorities in Colombia have been fighting an effective battle against drug traffickers. Police have confiscated thousands of assets for use as evidence in court. But John Otis reports from Bogota that keeping track of everything has proved impossible.