Jhon Jairo Velásquez, Pablo Escobar’s former top hitman nicknamed ‘Popeye’, died of stomach cancer on Thursday 6th February 2020 according to Columbian officials.

The release from INPEC (shown above) reveals that: “The National Penitentiary and Prison Institute – INPEC – reports that Mr. Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez ‘ Popeye’, passed away in the early hours of today, at the National Cancer Institute.”

Jhon Jairo Velásquez previously worked as Pablo Escobar’s top ranking hitman throughout the 80s.

In 1989, he revealed that he was responsible for the deaths of 110 people using a briefcase bomb in an attempt to assassinate César Gaviria, a presidential candidate at the time who was in support of the extradition of Colombian drug dealers to America.

Featured image credit: Télam


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