Pablo Escobar's gardener finally evicted from drug lords once glamorous holiday retreat 'La Manue

PABLO Escobar's gardener has finally been evicted from the drug lord's estate 25 years after his boss was killed by police.

William Duque arrived at La Manuela, a resort on the shores of the Peñol Reservoir near Guatapé, Columbia, 30 years ago to look after the the grounds and continued to live there with his family.

Escobar was the leader of the powerful Medellin drugs cartel who were behind the importation of 80 per cent of all cocaine into the US.

At the height of his power, Escobar was said to be the seventh richest man in the world.

Dubbed the “King of Cocaine”, he stopped at nothing to protect his drug trafficking business and was behind the murders of thousands of people.

With an estimated worth of £24billion, Escobar made the Forbes' billionaires list of the world's richest people seven years in a row beginning in 1987 and peaked at number seven in 1989.

KINGPIN'S EMPIRE

Escobar's business was so big that in addition to planes, helicopters, cars, trucks, and boats, he even bought two submarines for transporting his cocaine into the US.

Many of his properties had hidden stashes of cash and jewellery.

The kingpin even opened his own zoo, smuggling in elephants, giraffes and hippos into the lavish grounds.

The Manuela resort, where Duque lives with his father, sister and two sons, covers 20 acres of land and was once a luxurious hideaway for Escobar.

RUINS OF LA MANUELA

It was hit with a bomb in 1993 by Los Pepes, a vigilante group whose name stood for “Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar” (“People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar”), eight months before the drug lord was killed in Medellín.

But it was once home to a stately mansion with a pool, tennis courts, football pitch - which doubled up as a helipad - plus stables, motorcycle tracks and an 120-man strong security force.

The main house was built with double-layered walls to hide huge stashes of cash and cocaine.

But La Manuela (named after Escobar's daughter) is now left in ruins with nature overgrowing.

TOURIST SPOT

It is open to the public and tourists can now enter the main house and even Escobar's old bedroom.

There are many holes in the house's walls where visitors have attempted to search for cash, but none is ever reported to have been found.

Starting off as a gardener, Duque was later asked to be a guard and then, when his employer died, to take over the grounds, where he opened a bar and restaurant to provide for his family.

But yesterday the Special Assets Society (SAE) recovered ownership of the land, removing Duque and his family from the property, because he is an "irregular occupant".

The place was confiscated by the Colombian government in 2005 after a legal process involving the recovery of assets from criminals.

NARCOTOURISM

The SAE says the site has an "irregular operation through the so-called 'narcotours'", a claim that Duque rejected, saying during his time there he has only been involved in legal activities including the sale of food and drinks for domestic and foreign tourists.

This comes after the Colombian government has cracked down on Cocaine tourism, destroying Escobar's former properties to discourage tourists coming to the country for its drug trade and history.

Tourists are being snapped 'snorting cocaine' from drug baron Pablo Escobar's grave headstone in a new social media trend.

The "cocaine pilgrimage" - thought to be inspired by hit Netflix show Narcos - came to light after an ex-lag was seen kneeling at the tomb in Itagui, Colombia, in footage exclusively obtained by the Sun.

He was nicknamed "Robin Hood" as he spent a lot of money helping poor communities.

Brit tourist Steven Semmens has been filmed appearing to snort cocaine off the grave of Pablo Escobar

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Escobar once offered to pay of the Colombian government's debt in return for amnesty.

But in an agreement with the Colombian government in 1991, Escobar agreed to go to a prison called La Catedral for what was meant to be five years so he wouldn't be extradited to the US.

La Catedral was yet another of Escobar's lavish properties - a luxury prison built specially for him which included a football pitch, bar, jacuzzi and waterfall.

Pablo Escobar’s ‘anxious ghost’ spotted lurking inside billionaire drug lord’s former mansion seconds before it was demolished

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