The Prison Pablo Escobar Built for Himself

In 1991, Pablo Escobar finally surrendered to Colombian authorities—but the “prison” he entered was unlike anything the world expected. La Catedral sat high in the mountains above Medellín, and instead of looking like a normal prison, it became a place where Escobar kept enormous control over his surroundings. Comfortable living conditions, visitors, continued cartel influence, and a location that protected him almost as much as it confined him turned La Catedral into one of the strangest prisons ever built. In this Ninth Static documentary, we break down how Escobar negotiated his surrender, what life inside La Catedral was really like, why the Colombian government eventually tried to move him, and how he escaped when the arrangement finally began to collapse.