The Takedown of Pablo Escobar

An IACSP Q&A with Former DEA Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena

Interviewed by IACSP Senior Writer, Paul Davis

Retired DEA special agents Javier F. Peña and Stephen E. Murphy were assigned as the lead investigators targeting Pablo Escobar and his Colombian Medellin drug trafficking cartel and they were instrumental in his eventual take down.

Their experiences were dramatized in the popular Netflix series “Narcos.”

They are also the authors of “Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar.”

IACSP: Why did you write the book?

Murphy: For me, writing the book was another opportunity to tell the truth. We loved the series Narcos, and it’s a great action series, but it was not all true. We wanted to get the truth out there.

Pena: We just wanted to make sure history is told correctly. We wanted to give credit to the Colombian National Police and the Search Bloc, because they have been criticized a lot. We wanted to recognize some of the unsung heroes and tell the truth.

IACSP: In the book you two were very generous with giving credit to the Colombians. I also like that you both covered your careers prior to your assignments in Colombia. I thought that was interesting. One thing that surprised me was that you didn’t get any public credit for Pablo Escobar’s downfall until the Narcos series. Is that true?

Pena: Yes, that is very true. After Pablo Escobar was taken down, I was promoted to group supervisor which was like a sergeant in a police ...