The Sicario Effect

The Sicario Effect is a new series from Exclave Media. Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez alias “Popeye” was Pablo Escobar’s top lieutenant and The Medellin Cartel's chief sicario (assassin). He’s publicly admitted to having personally killed 300 people. In 2014, after 23 years in prison, Popeye was released. Rather than lay low and enjoy his new freedom, he took to the internet and became a social media star, “Popeye the Repentant”. And as we discovered, that’s just the beginning. This is a story about crime, drugs, corruption, and a country’s fight to control their narrative about the past, present, and future.

Episode 19: Amnesia 01/28/2019

Episode 19: Amnesia What does the future hold in store for Popeye? With his platform muted, will someone take his place? Or will a different narrative emerge? One thing is for sure in Colombia, the future will be determined by those who control the narrative. www.thesicarioeffect.com /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/8428679

Episode 18: Law Abiding Citizen 01/21/2019

Episode 18: Law Abiding Citizen Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez alias Popeye was once the Medellin Cartel’s chief hitman & Pablo Escobar’s trusted lieutenant.After 23 years in jail-he was released and became a social media star.Since interviewing him in Nov 2017, we watched him grab headlines and create controversy with his narrative.From parties raided by cops, to his Narco-tours of Medellin. In late May just days away from Colombia’s Pres. election, Popeye inserts himself into the fray. And then, everything changes www.thesicarioeffe /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/8332283

Episode 17: Controlling the Narrative 01/09/2019

Episode 17: Controlling the Narrative Popeye continues to make news, by tweeting support to a Spanish right-wing group. Any remaining speculation of a possible return to jail seems to have faded. Following Popeye the last 6 months has proven one thing: The real currency in Colombia-is the narrative & Popeye is engaged in all out battle to control it. Daniel Urrea is an advisor to a Medellin City councilman & professor at the Univ. of Antioquia. He was there when we interviewed Popeye. Daniel gives some insight into the fight for the narrative. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/8197580

Holiday Message & Update 12/24/2018

Holiday Message & Update Some holiday greetings and quick schedule update. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/8032841

Episode 16: The Home Office 12/17/2018

Episode 16: The Home Office April of 2018, five months after being detained in police raid that led to the capture of the alleged head of La Oficina De Envigado, Juan Carlos Mesa, public debate over wether Popeye should return to prison had disappeared. Regardless, his affiliation with La Oficina, gives us a glimpse into one of the most significant criminal groups in the world today. Daniel Rico is a renowned Colombian economist & leading consultant on money laundering and criminal economies analysis-Daniel breaks it all down for us. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7939553

Episode 15: Narcoculture 12/10/2018

Episode 15: Narcoculture The most powerful thing Pablo Escobar did was leave behind a narrative. The young, enterprising Paisa smuggler, who became richer and more powerful than all of the elites in Colombia. It appeals to the masses, especially the disenfranchised. Unfortunately, the narrative often ignores the many innocent victims. The allure of Narcoculture has a number of potentially dangerous implications. Acclaimed Colombian writer, Joseph Avski, gives us some perspective on the impact of narcoculture in Colombia. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7860116

Episode 14: Luck of the Draw 12/03/2018

Episode 14: Luck of the Draw The Medellin Cartel's victims and their families exist more as statistics than real people. Narcoterrorism has touched the lives of everyone in Colombia. Behind the stories of the plotting and scheming, are the people who were at the wrong place and the wrong time, just living their lives. Mónica Gómez Villafañe is a successful banking executive in Colombia. In 1989, a chance encounter at the Bogota airport would change her life forever. www.TheSicarioEffect.com /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7793315

Bonus Episode: Reaction & Theory 11/26/2018

Bonus Episode: Reaction & Theory Bonus Episode: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Episode 14, will be out next Monday, Dec 3, 2018. In the meantime, please enjoy this "behind the scenes" bonus episode. A few days after Popeye was detained by police at a party for Colombia's most wanted man, Jonathan and his team discuss the breaking news and its many implications. www.TheSicarioEffect.com /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7682999

Episode 13: Esteban 11/19/2018

Episode 13: Esteban Esteban Orozco is an accomplished screenwriter and producer. Most recently he was a writer on the hit Netflix series, “El Chapo". From day one, Esteban provided us with insight into Medellin and it’s culture of crime. After returning to LA, Jonathan invited Esteban to sit down to discuss and help process the experience. Neither could have predicted only two days prior, Popeye would be back in the headlines after attending a party for the most wanted man in Colombia. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7608083

Preview Ep 13 11/16/2018

Preview Ep 13 Preview of Episode 13. Coming Monday November 19, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7589336

Episode 12: Surprise Party 11/12/2018

Episode 12: Surprise Party December 2017- Los Angeles. Shortly after returning from Medellin, we start to examine Popeye’s claims of repentance, when a startling event occurs, sending this story in an entirely new and unexpected direction. It all starts with a birthday party, for a man called “Tom”. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7524701

Preview Ep 12 11/10/2018

Preview Ep 12 Preview of Episode 12. Coming Monday November 12, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7507394

Episode 11: Perspective 11/05/2018

Episode 11: Perspective Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez was once Escobar’s chief assassin. He committed unspeakable acts of violence. Now after 23 years in prison, he’s out. For a lot of people this isn’t enough. But Popeye would disagree and say he served his debt to society. However, he’s not your ordinary criminal. And Colombia isn’t a simple place. For more information, credits and bonus features visit www.thesicarioeffect.com /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7432790

Preview Ep 11 11/02/2018

Preview Ep 11 Preview of Episode 11. Coming Monday November 5, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7378004

Episode 10: Empire of Blood and Fire 10/29/2018

Episode 10: Empire of Blood and Fire The Medellin Cartel was like a cult, Pablo Escobar its feared ruler. Yet by 1989 the façade of invincibility would crack. The hunt to capture Pablo was intensifying, and the barriers protecting him would begin to fall. After learning the cops were tracking his own men, Pablo shifts his strategy, instead of remaining shielded by sicarios, he orders Popeye and others to turn themselves into police, opting to be guarded by one man. Shortly after entering jail, Popeye is forced to confront life without Escobar /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7348226

Preview Ep 10 10/26/2018

Preview Ep 10 Preview of Episode 10. Coming Monday October 29, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7320986

Episode 9: The Last Straw 10/22/2018

Episode 9: The Last Straw By August of 1989, Luis Carlos Galan was the most popular politician in Colombia, overshadowing his rivals in the presidential election. He understood the nation's problems and offered hope for the future. Galan supported extradition and viewed narcotrafficking as a threat to the country’s stability. For Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel, preventing Galan from becoming President of Colombia was their top priority. As Pablo’s chief hitman, Popeye participated in the act that changed the country forev /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7263806

Preview Ep 9 10/20/2018

Preview Ep 9 Preview of Episode 9. Coming Monday October 22, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7249502

Episode 8: Force Majeure 10/15/2018

Episode 8: Force Majeure In January of 1988, over the course of eight days, Popeye directed and personally participated in a two-stage terrorist operation which included the kidnapping of then Bogota mayoral candidate, (and future President), Andres Pastrana, and the kidnapping of Colombia’s Inspector General, Carlos Mauro Hoyos. These brazen acts shocked the nation and threatened the national security of Colombia. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7182485

Preview Ep 8 10/12/2018

Preview Ep 8 Preview of Episode 8. Coming Monday October 15, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7158815

Episode 7: Growing Up Colombia 10/08/2018

Episode 7: Growing Up Colombia If you were born in Medellin or lived there in the 1980's, odds are there was at least one person in your family connected to the Narco-trade or touched by its violence. These are just a few of those stories... /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7140487

Preview Ep 7 10/05/2018

Preview Ep 7 Preview of Episode 7. Coming Monday October 8, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7134571

Episode 6: Class Project 10/01/2018

Episode 6: Class Project There is a phenomenon taking place in Medellin today; Narcotourism. Fueled by shows like "Narcos" and Popeye’s “Surviving Escobar”, tourists are flocking to Medellin to hear stories and visit landmarks. Troubled by the storyline of these narcotour's, an intrepid journalism professor seeks to change the narrative, by challenging his students to create their own narcotour, one that focuses on stories of the victims. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7105412

Preview Ep 6 09/27/2018

Preview Ep 6 Preview of Episode 6. Coming Monday October 1, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7099568

Episode 5: No Limits 09/24/2018

Episode 5: No Limits “Pablo Escobar was an evil machine…” Popeye gives a firsthand account of Escobar’s pattern of evil, beginning in 1986, with the killing of pilot Barry Seal, to bombing government buildings, to Avianca. Among all the violence, Pablo looked for ways to innovate his business... /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7082950

Preview Ep 5 09/21/2018

Preview Ep 5 Preview of Episode 5. Coming Monday September 24, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7074702

Episode 4: Holy Warrior 09/17/2018

Episode 4: Holy Warrior Pablo Escobar's top assassin, Popeye, addresses a number of things, from his reasons on why he became a criminal, to the war between the Medellin Cartel and the Colombian police, to international assassination plots. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7048594

Preview Ep 4 09/13/2018

Preview Ep 4 Preview of Episode 4. Coming Monday September 17, 2018. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7040115

Episode 3: Los Magicos 09/10/2018

Episode 3: Los Magicos 1976-Medellin, Colombia. While Popeye contemplates leaving Itagui to join the navy, miles away near the border of Peru, a determined young man is stopped and arrested while transporting 39 pounds of illegal coca paste. After unsuccessful attempts to bribe the judge, he tries a new approach: “Plata o Plomo”, “silver or lead”. Soon the paths of a group disenfranchised young men from the rough barrios of Medellin and Pablo Escobar the enterprising Paisa smuggler would soon converge. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/7020415

Episode 2: DNA 09/03/2018

Episode 2: DNA In the poor barrios of Itagui, Colombia, Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez grows up with violence all around him, including his own home. Obsessed with gangsters and guns, he quickly learns tough lessons on the streets. Searching for a way out, he finds that all roads lead back to Medellin. /episode/index/show/thesicarioeffect/id/6994288

The Sicario Effect

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