Javier Pena & Steve Murphy on Taking Down Pablo Escobar, Story Told on "Narcos"

Steve Murphy and Javier Pena, DEA agents depicted in the Netflix series "Narcos," discussed their careers and the hunt for Pablo Escobar. Murphy grew up in Tennessee and joined the DEA in 1987, while Pena, a sociology major, joined in 1984. They detailed Escobar's crimes, including the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán and the bombing of Avianca Flight 203, which killed 107 people. Escobar was eventually located and killed in 1993. They also addressed the misconceptions about Escobar's legacy and the ongoing challenges of trafficking. Steve Murphy and Javier Pena discussed their experiences with Pablo Escobar and the ongoing narcotics crisis. They also discussed the impact of legalizing marijuana, citing a retired wildlife officer's report that 8 billion gallons of water were diverted to growhouses from 2013 to 2018. Despite the shift in trafficking from Colombia to Mexico and China, they stressed the importance of education to combat the narcotics problem.