The Attorney General’s Office and the Colombian police seized two properties in Medellin linked to Roberto de Jesus Escobar, brother of the notorious drug trafficker and head of the Medellin Cartel, Pablo Escobar, who was killed more than 30 years ago, and Sebastian Alzate, a former hitman boss of the same cartel.
The properties, valued at more than 1 billion Colombian pesos (approximately US$250,000), were acquired with funds from the now-defunct cartel, according to authorities, and were therefore confiscated by the state.
This represents a new blow to the back channels and network of front men of the disbanded Medellin Cartel, remnants of which survive more than three decades after the death of its leader, who left behind millions in cash still hidden and sought by the state.
Colombia confiscates assets of Pablo Escobar’s brother, Medellin Cartel hitman leader
On Monday, Sept. 1, the Attorney General’s Office and the Colombian police reported that they had seized two properties in Medellin allegedly connected to Roberto Escobar, brother of drug lord Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993, and to his hitmen boss, Sebastian Alzate, known as alias “Arete.”
The Attorney General’s Office determined that both Roberto Escobar and Sebastian Alzate played a significant role in concealing assets tied to the defunct Medellin Cartel. To that end, the public entity reported, Pablo Escobar relied on family members and close associates to establish assets through fraudulent operations and thereby hinder the work of the authorities.
As a result, a prosecutor from the Specialized Directorate for Asset Forfeiture imposed precautionary measures on two properties valued at more than 1 billion pesos, including the temporary suspension of disposal rights, as well as their seizure, an action carried out last night by the police.
“New material evidence obtained by the Attorney General’s Office allowed us to identify two properties located in Medellin that were allegedly acquired by two former members of the Medellin Cartel with funds derived from drug trafficking and other criminal activities. One of the properties is registered to a person close to Sebastian Alzate Urquijo, alias “El Arete.” Asset analysis indicates it was purchased during the period when this man became the cartel’s hitmen boss and amassed illicit profits from cocaine shipments to the United States and the execution of terrorist acts,” said the public statement from the Attorney General’s Office.
The public entity added that “the other property is a building located in the Aranjuez neighborhood, of which Roberto de Jesus Escobar Gaviria, alias “El Osito,” brother of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar Gaviria, acquired 50% in 1979. The funds used for that transaction allegedly came from illegal operations linked to drug trafficking.”
La Fiscalía detectó dos inmuebles en Medellín (Antioquia), avaluados en más de 1.000 millones de pesos, que habrían sido adquiridos con dineros del Cartel de Medellín. Los bienes, que estarían asociados a Roberto Escobar, alias El Osito, y Sebastián Alzate (anteriormente Carlos… pic.twitter.com/9shKIDmMob
— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) September 1, 2025
Roberto Escobar and Sebastian Alzate: two names tied to the shadow of drug trafficking in Colombia
Roberto Escobar Gaviria is the older brother of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar. Now 78 years old and living in Medellin, he was a key figure in the Medellin Cartel during the 1980s, serving as accountant and head of finances.
His discreet and calm profile contrasted with the organization’s violence, although he was imprisoned several times for his role within the criminal network. After his release in the 1990s, Roberto Escobar turned to legal businesses and the promotion of the Escobar Inc. brand, through which he sought to capitalize on his family’s name.
His most recent public appearances have been tied precisely to disputes over properties that authorities link to drug money. In fact, in March of last year, the state seized a house in Medellin, valued at 12 billion pesos (approximately US$3 million), which Roberto had turned into a museum in memory of his brother.
The museum had been closed since 2018, but the web of names listed as owners — identified by police as frontmen — delayed its public seizure for six years.
As for Sebastian Alzate, he was one of the most feared hitmen of the same cartel. Known for his closeness to Pablo Escobar, he is believed responsible for dozens of murders and attacks in Medellin during the years of greatest violence.
He surrendered to the police and was captured in 1991, accused of crimes as serious as the bombing of the former headquarters of Colombia’s intelligence agency, DAS, and served 10 years in prison. Later, after regaining his freedom, he survived an assassination attempt that left him gravely injured. Sheltered in an undisclosed location, his whereabouts remain unknown, and he is still wanted in Colombia for crimes from a past that continues to evoke the brutality and amorality of an era that ravaged the South American country.