Despite his unsavory wealth and power acquisition techniques in addition to the particularly feral way he dealt with a problem (in his case, an authority problem), Pablo Escobar and his methods have garnered an almost cult-like rapport from the rebel-hearted and audacious population.
As it would appear, the man’s influence is still quite relevant in 2020 evidenced by a life-sized portrait of the notorious kingpin that was found strategically plastered on the wall of a recently detained Columbian drug trafficker.
The artwork alongside other exhibit is now in the Australian federal police custody after a successful drug bust at the residence of one McBeth Mernda. The Australian authorities collaborated with the FBI in this mission.
The 29-year-old was earlier this week locked up for a seven-year term in which he is only allowed to plea for parole after the completion of the first four years. The convict was operating with the support of his right-wing man Jackson Li (who is also in custody) in activities where they colluded in buying and importing narcotics using cryptocurrencies.
The pair would then settle the Australian quenching demand for narcotics by mailing the substances to customers who paid in bitcoin. Court intel reveals that the two, who were New Zealand nationals, were deep in the AFPradar long before Australian authorities pursued them.
The feds raided Mernda’s residence and a connected safehouse towards the end of 2017 where they found and confiscated narcotics. The authorities also raided Mernda’s flashy Lamborghini in which they found fifty thousand dollars in hard cash and a bill counter.
His partner Li, whose resident home is in Kew, was also raided by the authorities and one hundred and thirteen thousand dollars was found. Indeed the business had huge returns.
In the period between February and October 2017, it is confirmed that the two partners were part of an online drug syndicate that trafficked controlled substances on the dark web. The mastermind of this whole operation directed the importation of the substances and required a 60% share.
According to police reports, McBeth was connected to the mastermind as a signwriter but he soon earned his trust and acquired shares in the drug business. The authorities who were on their trail explained that the two concealed the drugs in children's toys, cushions, and pillows.
The quantities confiscated included an upwards of 120 international parcels containing drugs and 14 others were discovered in post offices as already made mailing orders between March and September 2017.
The substances in this parcels included cocaine, ketamine, and MDA the total weight of all the drugs coming to an estimated 30 kilograms. The two also partook in their supply as they seemed to be battling substance addictions of their own
