According to the Voz de la Almeria newspaper, the authorities of a seaside town in the Spanish province of Almeria have attracted John Jairo Velasquez, the former "security chief" of Pablo Escobar, the famous Colombian drug lord, to advertise a resort. Pascual Diaz, councillor for tourism of the City Council of Almeria's resort town of Carboneras, posted clips with Velasquez (who has admitted to 250 murders) on his Facebook page.
The official attributed his decision to the popularity of Velasquez, nicknamed Popeye, in the media. He has more than 30 million subscribers on YouTube.
In the video, the former hitman praises the "pretty town of Carboneras," its beaches and fine cuisine, especially noting that "Almeria has the best shrimp in all of Europe and Spain."
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The Socialist Party, the political rival of the Conservatives, has already criticized Diaz's advertising methods and demanded his resignation. The department head defends the project and points out the increased number of requests to provide tourist information on Carboneras.
Pablo Escobar is considered to be the most famous drug trafficker in history — in the 1980s he earned about $30 billion, supplying almost 80% of all cocaine consumed in the US. In December 1993, he was shot by a Colombian police sniper. Velazquez, his wingman, had been imprisoned since 1992. In August 2014, at the age of 52, he was granted parole.