The Honey Valley rests southeast of Medellin in the mountainous outskirts of the neighboring town, Envigado. Tracts of native forest still cover large sections of the area, although new home construction has felled much during the past few years. In the forests, you find armadillos, sloths and large, iridescent butterflies. Medellin Cartel boss Pablo Escobar chose an area high above this valley in the cool mountains for his self-designed prison in as part of an agreement he worked out with Colombian authorities.
He was at war with the Cali Cartel. His daughter Manuela had been injured in a bombing of his home. He was a man succumbing to the constant pressure of being hunted. Six months of secret negotiations brought a deal with the Colombian government. Escobar would go to jail β the prison, however, would be built to his specifications on three hectares of land that he had bought in preparation of a possible agreement with the state. As part of the arrangement, he would also have the right to choose his guards.
Entering prison not only gave Escobar protection from possible assassins, but also from what he was most afraid of: extradition to the United States. He feared a system in which prison guards and judges could not be easily bribed. One of his mottoes was "Better a grave in Colombia than a cell in the U. In return, Colombia would have Escobar in prison for five years and rid themselves of a national headache and embarrassment, even if only temporarily.
The arrangement also brought an end to the costs and time invested in the endless pursuit of the cartel boss. So on June 19, , Escobar arrived at the prison in a helicopter to serve his time. The compound included a soccer field, a discotheque, a doll house for his daughter and its own bar.
There was a waterfall. While Escobar was living at La Catedral, his family made the trip up from Envigado to visit him three or four times a week, as did friends, professional soccer players and prostitutes when he wished. He hosted drug and booze-fueled parties with regularity.
