‘Hitman chief’: Robert Escobar Gaviria, 71, has weighed in on the killing of a location scout for the Netflix show Narcos, saying the network should hire ‘hitmen’ as security personnel
Pablo Escobar’s brother has weighed in on the brutal killing of a location scout for the Netflix show Narcos in central Mexico, suggesting that the network hire ‘hitmen’ to provide security for their personnel.
Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria also addressed his ongoing dispute with Netflix concerning what he has described as unauthorized use of his and his late brother’s names and likenesses, saying that if his company, Escobar Inc, is not paid a fee of $1billion, ‘we will close their little show.’
Netflix location scout Carlos Muñoz Portal, 37, was found shot to death on September 11 near the border of Hidalgo state – an area in central Mexico where crime is rampant.
The Mexico State prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the victim’s bullet-riddled body was discovered in his car in farm fields in the township of Temascalapa, about 40 miles northeast of Mexico City, after an apparent chase over back country roads.
At the time of his death, Muñoz Portal was taking pictures while working on Season 4 of Narcos, which is set in Colombia and chronicles the rise and fall of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
Carlos Muñoz Portal’s car was discovered on unnamed dirt road in the community of San Bartolo Actopan, in the municipality of Temascalapa near the border with Hidalgo, Mexico
On Monday, Escobar’s 71-year-old brother, formerly known as the ‘chief of the hitmen’ for the ultra-violent Medellin drug cartel, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Muñoz Portal’s death.
‘You have to eliminate all threats,’ said Escobar Gaviria. ‘If you have the intellect, you don’t need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security.’
Escobar Gaviria was arrested in December 1993, after his brother Pablo was killed in a shootout with the Colombian National Police.
He had served 10 years in prison for his role in Colombia’s drug trade and was released in 2013.
A year later, Escobar Gaviria founded Escobar Inc and registered successor-in-interest rights for his slain brother.
As the time of his killing, Muñoz Portal was taking pictures in preparation for Season 4 of the Netflix how Narcos, which follows the rise and fall of Colombia’s Medellin cartel
Playing Pablo: The shows stars Wagner Moura (left) and Colombia drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (pictured right in 1983)
On July 1, 2016, the former cartel accountant and ‘hitman chief’ sent a letter to Netflix demanding a $1billion playout for unauthorized use of content related to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel.
‘I don’t want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother Pablo without authorization from Escobar Inc,’ Escobar Gaviria told The Hollywood Reporter over the phone. ‘It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing. This is my country.’
According to Escobar Gaviria, the network is ‘scared.’ He claimed that his company’s attorneys are currently in talks with Netflix about securing the ten-figure payment.
‘If we don’t receive it, we will close their little show,’ he said of Narcos. ‘You see, we own all the trademarks to all of our names and also for the Narcos brand.’
Then and now: Escobar Gaviria (pictured in an old undated, left) was arrested in December 1993 and served 10 years in prison. In 2014, he founded Escobar Inc and registered successor-in-interest rights for his slain brother
Meanwhile, authorities in Mexico told El Pais that they had no suspects in the killing of Muñoz Portal due to the lack of witnesses.
A friend of the deceased told the Spanish-language newspaper that Muñoz was out taking photographs when he was shot, and speculated that an unfamiliar man with a camera may have spooked locals in the crime-ridden area.
Muñoz’s car was discovered on unnamed dirt road in the community of San Bartolo Actopan, in the municipality of Temascalapa near the border with Hidalgo, the Mexican state with the highest homicide rate.
Police said the car appeared to have been involved in some kind of chase, but they were uncertain whether the chase began in Hidalgo or the State of Mexico, where the car was found.
Muñoz Portal (left) was found dead in his car after an apparent chase in central Mexico
Muñoz, 37, had worked in film for over a decade, on productions including Man On Fire, Apocalypto, and the James Bond film Spectre
Netflix issued the following statement: ‘We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family.’
‘The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate,’ the statement continued.
Muñoz, a Mexican national, had worked as a film location scout since 2003.
Among the many productions he assisted on were Man On Fire, Apocalypto, and the James Bond movie Spectre.
Narcos is a crime drama set in Colombia which tells the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.