The Medellín City Hall is demolishing Pablo Escobar’s house

The city administration of Medellín, in northwestern Colombia, began demolishing on Tuesday a house that belonged to drug trafficker Pablo Escobar. Authorities made the decision because the abandoned property was being used for drug and alcohol consumption, sexual activities and alleged satanic rituals, becoming a problem for security and public order.

The 1,854-square-meter property had been abandoned for several years. According to the municipal administration, the demolition aims to restore peace in the community and send a message against glorifying drug trafficking.

“In Medellín, there is no place for anything that glorifies crime,” interim mayor Manuel Villa Mejía said. He noted that the intervention also aims to prevent the property from being used for narcotourism or other activities that affect the life of the community.

Documents show that the property was purchased in 1979 by Victoria Eugenia Henao, Pablo Escobar’s wife. In 2004, the property was placed under preventive seizure by the Office of the Attorney General, and in 2018 it was transferred to the Fund for Rehabilitation, Social Investment and the Fight against Organized Crime.