The narrative offers an unvarnished look at the cartel's war against the Colombian state and its rivals. Key historical events Velásquez describes include:
In the autobiography Mi vida como sicario de Pablo Escobar (2016), Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez —infamously known as "Popeye"—provides a chilling, first-person account of his life as the chief assassin for the Medellín Cartel. The book serves as both a historical witness to one of Colombia’s darkest eras and a controversial attempt at personal redemption by a man who confessed to killing 250 people and organizing thousands of others. The Ascension of a Hitman Mi vida como sicario de Pablo Escobar autobiogr...
: His role in planning the 1989 bombing of Avianca Flight 203, which killed 110 people. The narrative offers an unvarnished look at the
: The brutal reality of life inside Colombian prisons like Combita , where he survived multiple assassination attempts and led an internal "army" of prisoners. Themes of Loyalty and Betrayal The Ascension of a Hitman : His role
: His involvement in the murder of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento and the kidnapping of future political figures like Andrés Pastrana Arango.
A recurring theme is Velásquez's unwavering, almost cult-like loyalty to Pablo Escobar, whom he often portrays with a mix of fear and reverence. He explores the "logic" of the narco-world, where mistrust and treachery were constant and lives were taken for even minor transgressions. Despite his later "spiritual change" in prison, his loyalty remained a defining feature of his public persona until his death in 2020. Controversy and "Narco-Star" Culture