Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar

by Steve Murphy, Javier F. Peña

Overview

For the first time, legendary DEA operatives Steve Murphy and Javier F. Peña tell the true story of how they helped put an end to one of the world’s most infamous narco-terrorists in Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar—the subject of the hit Netflix series, Narcos.

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar’s brutal Medellín Cartel was responsible for trafficking tons of cocaine to North America and Europe in the 1980s and ’90s. The nation became a warzone as his sicarios mercilessly murdered thousands of people—competitors, police, and civilians—to ensure he remained Colombia’s reigning kingpin. With billions in personal income, Pablo Escobar bought off politicians and lawmen, and became a hero to poorer communities by building houses and sports centers. He was nearly untouchable despite the efforts of the Colombian National Police to bring him to justice.

But Escobar was also one of America’s most wanted, and the Drug Enforcement Administration was determined to see him pay for his crimes. Agents Steve Murphy and Javier F. Peña were assigned to the Bloque de Búsqueda, the joint Colombian-U.S. taskforce created to end Escobar’s reign of terror. For eighteen months, between July 1992 and December 1993, Steve and Javier lived and worked beside Colombian authorities, finding themselves in the crosshairs of sicarios targeting them for the $300,000 bounty Escobar placed on each of their heads.

Undeterred, they risked the dangers, relentlessly and ruthlessly separating the drug lord from his resources and allies, and tearing apart his empire, leaving him underground and on the run from enemies on both sides of the law.

Manhunters presents Steve and Javier’s history in law enforcement from their rigorous physical training and their early DEA assignments in Miami and Austin to the Escobar mission in Medellin, Colombia—living far from home and serving as frontline soldiers in the never ending war on drugs that continues to devastate America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250202895
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	210,626
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

JAVIER F. PEÑA was hired by the DEA in 1984 as a special agent, and spent six years tracking Pablo Escobar with partner Steve Murphy.

STEVE MURPHY worked undercover sting operations in Miami, and was eventually dispatched to Colombia where he worked with partner Javier Pena to track Escobar.

Editorial Reviews

"Riveting. A must-read for anyone interested in one of the major campaigns on the war on drugs." —Publishers Weekly

"A thriller-esque account...keep[s] the pages turning." —Kirkus Reviews

"A gripping insider account of the hunt for Pablo Escobar. Brilliant, bold, and no holds barred, this is an impeccable true crime story, told by the two brave men who risked everything to bring down the world’s first narco-terrorist. A five-star read!" —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Spymaster

"Manhunters is a riveting account of two brave DEA Agents who put their lives, along with their families lives, on the line to fight the war on drugs in the US and Colombia. A must read on the take down of Pablo Escobar and the part they played in the investigation." —Joe Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco

"A fast-paced tale by two agents for the DEA who had the inside track on bringing down the most wanted man in recent U.S history." —Bruce Porter, New York Times bestselling author of Blow and Snatched

"Manhunters is a gripping story about two true patriots who were the difference makers in the final hunt for Pablo Escobar. They are heroes to a world that was otherwise held captive by the evil of the planet’s first narco-terrorist. Their bravery is unparalleled, and we owe them a great deal of gratitude for their selfless sacrifices. It is an honor to know them and their story." —Robert Mazur, New York Times bestselling author of The Infiltrator

"Steve and Javier's experience on the front lines of the war on drugs over the last thirty years made them an invaluable source of information for us. Their contacts, both foreign and domestic, allowed us to put together a narrative of one of the most complex, poorly reported, and misunderstood chapters in our recent past." —Eric Newman, Executive Producer, "Narcos"

"Steve Murphy and Javier Pena recount their involvement in the pursuit and ultimate victory over a savvy and ruthless killer who declared an uncivil war against his own country. Never failing to credit Colombian heroism in this gripping struggle, Murphy and Pena offer fresh details of the chase for Pablo Escobar that resulted in his defeat and reclamation of the country from the deadly forces of narco-terrorism. A must-read for any fan of Narcos!" Chris Brancato, Executive Producer, "Narcos"

“Steve Murphy and Javier Pena are the real deal; true heroes of the drug war. Manhunters outlines the most important operation in the history of DEA; the killing of the most brutal and notorious drug lord in the world, Pablo Escobar. They give an incredible account of that day in Medellin, Colombia, when Pablo was killed by Colombian police that were supported, advised, and trained by these two American warriors who were on the scene when it all happened. This book is a great read and a critical account of DEA’s finest hour." —LTG (Ret.) William G. Boykin, Former Commander of U.S. Army Special Forces and Founding Member of Delta Force

“Manhunters grabs you from the first page and gives you a front-row seat into the harrowing inter-agency and international hunt for the brutal narcotrafficker Pablo Escobar. Two unlikely heroes recount their stories in a way that is both compelling and captivating.” —Congresswoman Mary Bono

“A compelling read about the adventures of two true American law enforcement heroes who ultimately took on the world’s first narco-terrorist, the world’s most wanted criminal, the world’s largest cocaine baron, Pablo Escobar, and won! They include accounts of other investigations, personal challenges, and the sacrifices made not only by them but their families as well.” —Barbara Comstock, former VA congresswoman

“Prepare to re-live one of the greatest man hunts through the eyes of two unconventional and unrelenting DEA agents. This is a story of two real life underdogs who did the impossible and lived to write about it."
—Patrick Bet-David

From the Publisher

09/23/2019

What was it like to be an American DEA agent in Colombia in the early 1990s? Like living in a war zone is how Murphy and Peña describe their time in Bogotá spent hunting drug lord Pablo Escobar in this riveting account of the multinational effort to stop the man behind the Medellín Cartel. Besides supplying cocaine to America, Escobar was behind the kidnaping and assassination of his country’s attorney general and the bombing of a passenger jet in 1989. Murphy and Peña were paid 50% more than stateside DEA agents because of the danger of their mission, and their lives were put on the line multiple times. Through it all, the two agents became trusted partners and best friends, who watched Escobar surrender on TV in 1991, only to reactivate the search when the drug lord escaped from his prison cell the next year. When Escobar was gunned down by the Colombian police in 1993, people celebrated in Colombia, and, not coincidentally, the murder rate in Medellín dropped by 80%. This is a must-read for anyone interested in one of the major campaigns in the war on drugs. 100,000 copy announced first printing. Agent: Luke Janklow, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-09-11
Two former Drug Enforcement Administration operatives serve up a thriller-esque account of chasing down a notorious narco kingpin.

"It was our colleagues from the Colombian National Police who actually pulled the trigger, but after spending every waking moment going after that scumbag for six years, it was our victory as well." So writes Peña at the end of a narrative in which he and Murphy—the agents who were portrayed in the Netflix series Narcos—take turns recounting the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The exultation at Escobar's demise in a monsoon of bullets is a little unseemly, but one quickly comes to understand why the world should be happy that Escobar is gone—even if, as the authors allow, not a whole lot has changed, with actors on the bad side simply shifting roles and positions of authority. Among the players that Murphy and Peña describe is a "sicario," or hit man, who boasted of killing more than 300 people on Escobar's behalf. Most such foot soldiers were teenagers who lived for only a year or two before being killed by paramilitaries, vigilantes, rival gangsters, or the police, but while they lived, they were able to provide for their families in ways unavailable to otherwise unemployed youth. The narrative is a pretty by-the-numbers affair: There are the obligatory scenes of their early years and how they came to be federal agents, the academy hijinks, and the internal politics and interagency rivalries. The best part of the book is the authors' portrait of two very different countries, Colombia and the U.S., and the different cultures of the police in each country. For example, one leading Colombian law enforcement official who figures prominently in their account was glad to yield to Escobar in negotiations, a concession that "prolonged the war against him and led to the deaths of thousands of innocent victims." Mark Bowden's Killing Pablo is by far the better book, but this one reveals enough interesting details to keep the pages turning.

For Narcos fans and drug-war buffs.

Kirkus Reviews