Rodrigo Lara Bonilla ( es, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla; August 11, 1946 – April 30, 1984) was a
Colombian lawyer and politician, who served as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
under President
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its at ...
, and was assassinated by orders of
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in h ...
because of his work as Minister in prosecuting cocaine traffickers mainly belonging to the
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel ( es, Cartel de Medellín) was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered ...
.
Lara's death led to Escobar's indictment for murder and a long-running controversy over extradition in Colombia that would ultimately cost thousands of lives.
Beginnings
Born in
Neiva
Neiva () is the capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 357,392 inhabitants. It is one of the most important cities in southern Colombia, mainly ...
, capital of the department of
Huila, Lara studied law at the
Universidad Externado de Colombia
The Universidad Externado de Colombia (Externado University of Colombia) is a private university in Bogotá, Colombia. It has produced graduates including lawyers, academics, judges, financiers, journalists, as well as senior government officials a ...
. Years later he joined the Liberal Revolutionary Movement party, founded and led by former Liberal president
Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen (30 June 1913 – 11 July 2007) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the 24th President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was nicknamed "El Pollo" (The Chicken), a popular Colombian idiom for people with ...
. In 1969, when he was only 23 years old, Lara was appointed mayor of his hometown.
Minister of Justice
![Iván Marulanda con los fundadores del Nuevo Liberalismo (Colombia)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Iv%C3%A1n_Marulanda_con_los_fundadores_del_Nuevo_Liberalismo_%28Colombia%29.jpg)
In August 1983, Lara, who belonged to the New Liberalism created by him and
Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento (29 September 1943 – 18 August 1989) was a Colombian liberal politician and journalist who ran for the Presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first time for the political movement New Liberalism that he fou ...
, was appointed by President Belisario Betancur as Minister of Justice, replacing Bernardo Gaitán Mahecha. Lara, together with Galán, publicly denounced the drug cartels, especially in Medellín, where the cartel was led by Escobar. When Escobar was elected to the Congress, Lara denounced him, citing his connection to drug cartels. Lara also exposed Escobar and the cartel for influencing politics and sports through corruption. This triggered a trap set by some politicians, drug dealers, and journalists who were threatened by the explosive growth of Lara in government and especially in the fight against drug trafficking.
Jairo Ortega, Escobar's ally in Congress, presented a check (eventually shown to have been falsified) to the chamber, supposedly drawn by known drug trafficker Evaristo Porras. This, in addition to a recorded conversation between Lara and Porras, caused many to question Lara's legitimacy. President Betancur, however, dismissed the allegations and retained Lara in office.
After the alleged link between Lara and the drug cartels was discredited, the government began uncovering the shadowy dealings of the Medellín Cartel, specifically Escobar. Escobar was expelled from the Congress and his U.S. visa cancelled. The Minister went further, reviving criminal charges against Escobar and other drug lords, such as
Carlos Lehder
Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas (born 7 September 1949) is a German-Colombian former drug lord who was co-founder of the Medellín Cartel. He was released from prison in the United States after 33 years in 2020. Born in Armenia, Colombia, Lehder ...
. Lara also ordered the seizure of hundreds of planes and properties that were allegedly used for the production and distribution of illegal substances. While Congress debated approving an extradition treaty with the United States, Escobar and his allies sought to solve their problems by physically eliminating Lara.
Assassination
On April 30, 1984 Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was in his 1976
Mercedes-Benz W116
The Mercedes-Benz W116 is a series of flagship luxury sedans produced from September 1972 until 1980. The W116 automobiles were the first Mercedes-Benz models to be officially called S-Class, although earlier sedan models had already unofficiall ...
when Byron Velasquez and Ivan Dario Guisado drove past his SUV convoy on a Yamaha motorcycle. Guisado shot an
Mac-10
The Military Armament Corporation Model 10, officially abbreviated as "M10" or "M-10", and more commonly known as the MAC-10, is a compact, blowback operated machine pistol/submachine gun that was developed by Gordon B. Ingram in 1964. It is ...
(9mm caliber)through the window hitting him multiple times. Lara was killed instantly, but the driver was left unharmed. His bodyguards shot Ivan Dario Guisado dead but Byron Velasquez was arrested and was paroled on October 15 1995. Within a few days after Lara’s assassination
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in h ...
and his family fled to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
.
![Mac-10 submachine gun used to kill Minister Rodrigo Lara](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Mac-10_submachine_gun_used_to_kill_Minister_Rodrigo_Lara.jpg)
After Lara's death, the Betancur government immediately approved the extradition law and began a war against organized crime. In turn,
Enrique Parejo González
Enrique Parejo González (born August 13, 1930) is a former justice minister in Colombia. A presidential candidate, González was a prominent political figure starting in the 1970s.
González was the target of an assassination attempt in Hunga ...
was appointed Minister of Justice. He directed a harsh attack against drug trafficking, leading to the extradition of three members of the
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel ( es, Cartel de Medellín) was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered ...
to the United States.
[https://www.elespectador.com/investigacion/la-mano-de-la-mafia-en-budapest-article-364557/#]
In 2009, Rodrigo Lara Restrepo and the sons of the late
Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento (29 September 1943 – 18 August 1989) was a Colombian liberal politician and journalist who ran for the Presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first time for the political movement New Liberalism that he fou ...
announced to the media their forgiveness of
Sebastian Marroquin
Sebastian may refer to:
People
* Sebastian (name), including a list of persons with the name
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films and television
* ''Sebastian'' (1968 film), British spy film
* ''Sebastian'' (1995 film), Swedish drama film
...
(formerly Juan Pablo Escobar), son of the late Pablo Escobar, who apologized for the damage done to the country in his two decades of narco-terrorism, as told in the documentary film ''
Sins of My Father'' (2009).
In popular culture
*In the Colombian Caracol TV series ''
Escobar, el Patrón del Mal
''Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'' (international title: ''Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord''; also known as ''Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal'') is a 2012 Colombian telenovela produced and broadcast on Caracol TV, based on a true story about the lif ...
'' (2012), Lara is portrayed by the Colombian actor Ernesto Benjumea.
* In TV series ''
Tres Caínes
''Los Tres Caínes'' (The 3 Cains) is a 2013 Spanish-language telenovela produced by RTI Producciones for Colombia-based television network RCN TV and United States-based television network MundoFox. Based on the story of the Colombian paramilit ...
'' (2013), Lara is portrayed in a minor role by the Colombian actor
Juan Carlos Serrano
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
.
* In TV series ''Alias El Mexicano'' (2013), Lara is portrayed by the Colombian actor
Fabio Rubiano.
*The
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
TV series ''
Narcos
''Narcos'' is an American-Colombian crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are based on the story of Colombian narcoterrorist and drug kin ...
'' (2015) (Season 1, Episode 3, "The Men of Always"), Lara (played by Mexican actor
Adan Canto
Adan Canto (born December 5, 1981) is a Mexican actor. He is known for his role as Sunspot in the 2014 superhero film '' X-Men: Days of Future Past''. On television, Canto played Paul Torres on the Fox drama series ''The Following'', and in 2015 ...
) is depicted denouncing Escobar and being assassinated.
* In TV Series ''
En la boca del lobo
''En la boca del lobo'' (English: ''Into the Wolf's Mouth'') is a Colombian telenovela produced by Sony Pictures Television and Teleset for RCN Televisión and UniMás
UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura fr ...
'' is referred as Roberto Lora Pinilla.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lara Bonilla, Rodrigo
1946 births
1984 deaths
People murdered by Colombian organized crime
Free University of Colombia faculty
Colombian Ministers of Justice
People from Huila Department
Assassinated Colombian politicians
Deaths by firearm in Colombia
People murdered in Colombia
Colombian politicians