Pablo Escobar’s brother is not happy with the Netflix series Narcos. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 71-year-old Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria said that if Netflix fails to pay a billion dollars to his company Escobar Inc., he will close their “little show”.
Gaviria was Escobar’s lead accountant and was known as the Medellin cartel’s “chief of the hitmen”. In 2014, Gaviria founded a company called Escobar Inc, which holds the intellectual property rights to Escobar’s story.
Last year, Gaviria sent Netflix a letter demanding a fee for violating intellectual property rights. Netflix refused to pay and sent a letter back to Gaviria.
“Netflix are scared. They sent us a long letter to threaten us,” Gaviria said. “You see, we own all the trademarks to all of our names and also for the Narcos brand. I don’t play around with these people in Silicon Valley. They have their phones and nice products. But they don’t know life and would never dare to survive in the jungle of Medellin or Colombia. I have done that. Their mothers should have left them in the womb. That is what we tell people like this if they come to Colombia.”
Seasons one and two of Narcos dealt with the rise and fall of Escobar, played by Wagner Moura. The latest season depicts the rise of the Cali cartel following the death of Escobar and the dissolution of the Medellin cartel.
On September 16, Carlos Munoz Portal, a location manager, was found dead in a rural area of Mexico. He had been shot multiple times. Speaking about the murder, Gaviria suggested that Netflix should hire hitmen as security for its crew.
“I don’t want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother Pablo without authorization from Escobar Inc,” he said. “It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing.”