13:59-14:45 2 December 1993

After 499 days on the run, Columbian Special Forces finally track Pablo Escobar to a safe house in his hometown of Medellín. The Search Bloc use Escobar's telephone signal to pinpoint his exact location. Zero hour occurs as they storm the building, catching Escobar and his men off-guard, and ending the reign of the richest and most violent criminal in history.

For Pablo Escobar, life started as a teenage car thief in the streets of Medellín. Inevitably, Escobar moved into the cocaine business and by the 1970s had built up an enormous drug empire. At the height of his empire, Escobar was estimated by Forbes magazine to be the seventh richest man in the world.

Escobar is cornered on the rooftop of the safehouse

Escobar's location was discovered when the police tracked the phone call he placed to his son.

He lived an extravagant life and purchased a lavish estate, a private zoo, several planes, helicopters, automobiles, and even a private army. Escobar was once caught and the Colombian government struck a deal with him to send him to prison. However, it was a prison that he himself had constructed. The prison was more of a mountainside resort and from within its country club-like walls, Escobar continued his drug operation.

In 1992, the Colombian government attempted to transfer Escobar to a real prison, but he escaped. Once again, the manhunt was on. This time, the United States offered the Colombian government a huge amount of assistance. While on the run, Escobar would kill those who were hunting him down: the Colombian police, U.S. Special Forces, and the vigilante force, Los Pepes. His empire crumbling, the authorities finally located him during a phone call to his son. Pablo Escobar was killed in the ensuing gun battle.

*Images from Zero Hour program.