Chapter 8 Summary

Though Villamizar has now resolved to meet Escobar, finding him is another matter entirely. Medellín is a city categorized by senseless, brutal violence – twelve hundred murders, the equivalent of twenty a day, in 1991 alone. A great many of its citizens are on Escobar's payroll, and among their number, countless adolescents. Here, Escobar is a legend, practically a god.

Having decided on this course of action, Villamizar begins by visiting Nydia Quintero to learn of her dealings with the Ochoas. She gives him a letter addressed to Escobar. From there, he travels to Itagüí where the entire Ochoa family – children et al – have been incarcerated. Their meeting lasts for three hours, during which time a rapport is established between Villamizar and Jorge Luis, the eldest Ochoa brother. On his advice, Villamizar then pays a visit to the patriarch of the Ochoa family, don...