When you head up of the world’s biggest drug cartels you have some spare cash to throw around, which is why every self-respecting drug lord has an opulent house or seven dotted around the world.

Pablo Escobar was no different, estimated by some to be worth $30 billion at the height of his powers and not afraid to splash the cash on his digs. Back in 1978 he bought an estate about 160 km from the city of Medellin, dubbing it ‘Hacienda Nápoles’ and kitting it out with some classic drug kingpin purchases.

Here’s Mashable:

The entrance was decorated with a Piper airplane identical to the one used by Escobar to fly his first shipment of cocaine to the United States, and the grounds were populated with statues of dinosaurs and other creatures. The hacienda also boasted a robust zoo, complete with horses, elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamuses and giraffes.

The estate was eventually seized by Colombian drug enforcement agents, and after years on the lam, Escobar was killed in 1993.

Today, the hacienda has been turned into a public zoo and water park, complete with a Jurassic Park-inspired logo.

It may please you to know that the hippos have since escaped and formed a large feral population in the area. Let’s take a stroll through the grounds then…

Escobar was eventually killed in Medellin back in 1993, shot in the head by Colombian National Police. His funeral was attended by an estimated 25 000 people, his Robin Hood-like status amongst the locals leading so many to pay their respects.

[source:mashable]