Capítulo 24: The Extraditable’s:-
After the MAS had started to annihilate the guerrillas responsible for kidnapping Martha Ochoa, Pablo had met their leader, Ivan Marino Ospina. Not only did each side agree not to attack the other, but as a show of good faith, Ospina gave Pablo the famous sword of the liberator Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan military leader who'd helped Colombia gain independence from Spain in 1810. The founder of the M-19, Jaime Bateman, had stolen the sword - a symbol of unfulfilled liberation from a museum in 1974 and announced that it would not be returned until the government agreed to peace with the M-19. Initially, Pablo hung it on a wall. Eventually, he gave it to a nephew to hide. The chronology of these events was condensed in Narcos, which showed a sad and incompetent member of the M-19 and his glamorous lover breaking into a museum to steal the sword, only to have their leader hand it to Pablo in the next episode.
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Relations between the guerrilla groups and the cartel were generally in a state of flux; however, since the handing over of the sword, the friendship between Pablo and the M-19 leader, Ivan, had lasted. With the M-19 known for committing spectacular attacks against the government, they came to mind when Pablo thought of targeting the government's files on extradition, which were housed in the Palace of Justice in Bogotá. If Pablo could destroy or intimidate the Colombian judiciary system in a sensational way, then maybe he could take over the entire country. He would do the unthinkable: go after the Supreme Court.
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By September 1985, six Colombians out of 105 on the US list had been extradited, and nine were in jail. Pablo formed a group called the Extraditable's with the motto: "Better a grave in Colombia than a jail cell in the US." The cartel leaders made a blood pact that they would commit suicide rather than rot away in an American prison. Their preferred method was to shoot themselves behind the ear, which allowed a bullet easy access to the brain by circumventing the skull.
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Since his early arrests, Pablo had refined his intimidation tactics against judges. A judge assigned to a narcotics case would be visited by a bright young well-dressed lawyer, carrying a briefcase. On the judge's desk, he'd put a brown envelope.
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The lawyer would say something like, "You have a choice. You can have lead, bullet in your head, or silver, some money as a payoff. It's your call." If the judge prevaricated, the lawyer would reach inside his briefcase and take out a photo album containing pictures of the closest family members and friends of the judge: their children leaving home in the morning, going to school, playing in the play-ground, talking to friends. The threat of their entire family being wiped out persuaded most judges.
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Pablo was about to refine his tactics again. The Extraditable's sent letters to the Supreme Court justices, demanding that they declare the extradition treaty illegal. The letters were designed not to give any evidence to the police. Block letters were used. They were signed by the Extraditable's or a first name such as Manuel. When Pablo wasn't writing on behalf of the Extraditables and he wanted people to know that he'd authored a letter, he wrote in his own handwriting, signed his name and added his thumbprint. Some people wondered whether Pablo was the Extraditable's, whereas others thought that he was a front for them.
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The Extraditable's obtained the justices' private phone numbers and threatened them. With a ruling due on extradition, the justices were afraid. More letters came for the justices stating that the Extraditable's knew everything going on in their lives.
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"We declare war against you. We declare war against the members of your family. As you may suppose, we know exactly where they are - we will do away with your entire family. We have no compassion whatsoever we are capable of anything,absolutely anything."
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Some letters included taped recordings of private conversations they'd had. A voice on a tape recorder warned a justice called Alfonso that his wife wouldn't be alive to make an upcoming trip.
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"I'm having a little trouble," Alfonso told his wife. "You should change your travel routes during the day. Don't talk to me over the phone about your plans, and, really, be very careful."
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After Alfonso reported the intimidation tactics, he was assigned four DAS bodyguards, and his wife got one.
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Alfonso learned that all of the justices were suffering the same treatment. One had taken his daughter to a hospital for an operation and was about to leave her there when he was paged to the reception. A nurse handed him a phone. A voice said, "We know where she is."
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A judge with a heart condition received a miniature coffin with his name on it, which caused him panic attacks.
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Even though Alfonso had four bodyguards, the pressure from the cartel increased. Numerous letters arrived on one day, including one for his wife: "You must convince your husband to abrogate the treaty. Remember, we are the same people who dealt with Rodrigo Lara Bonilla. Your bodyguards won't save you, no matter how many you have." An accompanying cassette contained recordings of his wife on the phone in her office in the Foreign Ministry.
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The couple stopped taking walks and going out at night. They gave relatives numbers to decode tO ascertain their whereabouts. Alfonso insisted that they no longer drive to work together. "That way, you'll save yourself."
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The night before the decision about extradition, the couple couldn't sleep. Before leaving for work, Alfonso kissed his wife. Heading for the Palace of Justice on November 6, 1985, he had a bad feeling in his stomach.
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Due to visiting foreign dignitaries, pomp and circumstance was in full swing in the Protocol Salon of the National Palace. National anthems were being played. Armed grenadiers were marching in the courtyard. At first, the gunfire was difficult to hear over the noise, but the sound of marching boots made people question what was going on.
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