We got Pablo. We’ll help you nail your narcos too
Cocaine war agents offer to meet our detectives
The US agent who inspired hit crime show Narcos hopes to meet with Police Scotland drug detectives when he visits the country next month.
Former DEA officer Steve Murphy – famously pictured grinning with drug lord Pablo Escobar’s bloodied corpse – is to perform a stage show in Edinburgh and Glasgow with former partner Javier Pena.
The duo’s bloody battle bringing down the Colombian’s multi-billion-pound Medellin cocaine cartel is told in the smash hit Netflix series.
They now travel the globe meeting police officers who bust drug gangs – and retired Steve is keen to meet with Police Scotland.
The 60-year- old said: “It’s extremely common that we’ve worked with police off icers when we travel to shows.
“We’re off to Australia and New Zealand in a few days and we’ve got requests from officers and prosecutors who would like to meet us. We always honour those requests.
“I don’t know if anyone from Scotland has approached us but our door’s always open to any officer who wants to speak to us, just out of respect and honour for what they do for their country.”
Steve added: “The DEA already work with overseas forces, especially UK police. They offer training, share information and there’s already a strong connection. Javier and I have been retired for about four years and the drug situation changes.
“But we can still talk about strategies and programmes that we implemented which are still being used around the world today.”
Steve wa s pos ted to Colombia in 1991 to help local police bring down Escobar.
The drug baron’s ruthless cartel ran 80 per cent of the world’s cocaine market and are considered responsible for up to 50,000 deaths. They were also estimated to provide income for around 100,000 people.
Escobar’s brother Roberto once boasted that the organisation were making so much cash they used to spend $1700 a month on rubber bands to hold it in bundles.
Netflix’s screen adaption – starring Boyd Holbrook as Steve, Pedro Pascal as Javier and Wagner Moura as Escobar – has become a worldwide sensation.
Steve has loved being immortalised in Narcos – but warns that Hollywood scriptwriters did take some liberties with its story.
He said: “They came up with one hell of an action series. I love it.
“After season one came out, my two sons said, ‘ Holy cow, dad. We had no
idea you were doing that kind of stuff down there.’ The Netflix contract allows them to use literary licence, which is a nice way of saying they can say whatever they want.
“But the one thing we want everybody to know is that we never stepped across the line. We were always the good guys.
“Season two shows Javier giving classified information to someone he shouldn’t – that’s not true. That’s Hollywood.
“We had already signed releases in our contract that allowed them to say whatever. But that one was so outrageous that they called Javier and said, ‘ Would you mind signing another release form saying that you won’t sue us because we’re gonna make you look like a bad guy?’
“They show me on a helicopter when police are throwing suspects out of the door. That’s not true. That’s also Hollywood. And the part where my wife flees back to Miami isn’t true.
“She was mad at that, saying, ‘ This isn’t right. You’ve got to do something about this. You know I never left you down there.’
“And damn right, she stayed the whole time – she’s a tough girl.”
Steve added: “The show is probably about 75 per cent accurate but some of that accuracy is not quite 100 per cent accurate, if that makes sense.
“There’s three levels. There’s a lot of things in there that are accurate and they happened the way they’re depicted. The second happened but not quite as depicted in the show. And then probably about a third of it is make-believe.
“But they did a great job. It’s my favourite show. When I watch it, it ’s not like watchingh myself.lf It’s’ just likelk watchingh a really good action series.”
Steve revealed that he and Javier are now writing a book to reveal exactly what happened in the hunt for Escobar.
He said: “I’m happy to announce that we’re in the process of writing our own book now.
“It wi l l tel l the true story of what happened down there.
“It’s not in conjunction with Netflix. We had it in our contract that we retained the right to write a book.
“We’re not sure when it’s coming out but probably next year.”
Escobar turned Colombia into a war zone and police, journalists, politicians and judges who tried to get in his way were murdered.mur There was a $ 300,000 bountyboun on US DEA officers’ heads. SteveSt said: “One thing I like to joke aboutabou was my wife was aware there was a $300,000 bounty on my head so tthe biggest fear I faced was her tryingtry to collect it. “We had a few scary moments bututbu before I went to Colombia I was in Miami M and my partner Kevin was waas shot. “HeH survived but the informant was killed and I occasionally, not havehav nightmares, but dream about Kevin Kev and wake up sweating. “ButB there’s nothing from the Colombia Colo days. I have no regrets down there whatsoever. It’s never botheredbothe me.” SteveStev insists he has no fears about being b bumped off in a revenge attack. He added: “Jav ier and I are Christians Christ and we both believe that theth good Lord has a plan for every oneon of us. “When hour time is up, it doesn’t matter if we’re fighting narcos in the jungles of Colombia, performing on a stage in Scotland or if I’m sitting at home and have a heart attack and die. When your time is up, your time is up. “But we pay very close attention to where we are. I’m not getting into security but there are systems in place that help us. I’ll just leave it at that. “It would be horrible if it ends in Scotland but, if it has to, I hope I enjoy a whisky there before it happens.”
Narcos – A Conversation on the capturing of Pablo Escobar with DEA Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena will take place in Edinburgh and Glasgow next month. For more information, visit www.seetickets.com
When your time is up, your time is up. I just hope I can enjoy a whisky in Scotland before it happens