Could Poison Be the 'Narcos' Character That's Based on "Popeye?"

Publish date: 2024-05-31

Who played Popeye in 'Narcos?' Although Escobar's major hitman wasn't referenced by name, positive characters showcase uncanny similarities to him.

Source: YouTube

Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez "Popeye" died on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, from stomach most cancers.

Pablo Escobar's primary hitman was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 1991 for the assassination of a presidential candidate who pledged to get rid of the drug trade, Luis Carlos Galán. He confessed to the murder of 300 folks throughout the trial. After his free up, he went on to construct a profitable profession as a YouTuber and creator, and he even earned a point out on Narcos.

So, who performed Popeye in Narcos?

Popeye used to be an influential chief in the Medellín Cartel. How did that play out on 'Narcos'?

Popeye was the most-dreaded sicario — or lieutenant — of the Medellín Cartel, the Escobar-led 15 may organization that targeted leading politicians, judges, prosecutors, and make a selection contributors of the police.

The drug cartel is believed to be accountable for the murder of at least 3,500 other people, including Rodrigo Lara, the Colombian Minister of Justice between 1983 and 1984; presidential candidate Jaime Pardo Leal; police commander Waldemar Franklin Quintero, and lots of others. 

Source: YouTube

As one of the most influential figures of the staff, Popeye helped prepare bomb assaults, plane assaults, and murders, overseeing loads of hitmen, and drug traffickers.

According to The Sun, some of his most notorious deeds come with the 1989 bombing of an Avianca jet, the homicide of Attorney General Carlos Mauro Hoyos, and a terrorist assault that saw the cartel plant 2 hundred car bombs around Medellín. As the newspaper notes, he additionally killed his female friend, Wendy Chavarriaga, on Escobar's orders.

"You have to understand I was a professional killer. Whenever I took a life, I didn’t feel anything. Not shame, not sadness, not happiness, it was simply like a day at the office carrying out Don Pablo’s orders," Popeye advised The Daily Mail in 2016. 

"Killing was too easy. I was in a war and they were killing my family, my friends and my colleagues. I found them beheaded and with hands and limbs cut off," he advised The Sun.

"We had to fight fire with fire," he reasoned.

Source: Reddit

After his free up, Popeye cast a a hit occupation as a media persona.

Popeye was launched from prison on Aug. 26, 2014 — having served 23 years — on probation. He began his YouTube channel, Popeye Arrepentido — Remorseful Popeye — just one year later, in Aug. 2015, and he additionally published an autobiography, Surviving Pablo Escobar: "Popeye" The Hitman 23 Years and 3 Months in Prison.

The e-book served as the primary supply of inspiration at the back of Surviving Escobar: Alias JJ, a 2017 TV collection commissioned by way of Caracol Televisión. Due to its remarkable reputation, the display became to be had on Netflix in 2017. What's extra, Season 1 and a pair of of Narcos alludes to Popeye's existence story as neatly. 

Although maximum Narcos characters are based on real life figures — take Javier Peña, Pablo Escobar, or Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela — there is not any character named after Popeye. However, this did not forestall enthusiasts from guessing. 

"My guess is its Poison," opined a Redditor. 

"My guess is Velasco, they slightly change the last names because he is alive," claimed somebody else. 

"People seem to think that Poison was based on a guy named Jhon Jairo Velasquez. As far as changing names and events the people who work on the show say they took a too a lot of liberties with what actually happened," argued someone else. 

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