Things are getting insanely real for the team behind Narcos. Fiction is coming to reality as Pablo Escobar's brother comes forward with new threats against the Netflix cast and crew, following the brutal murder of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a 37 year old location scout whose body was found riddled with bullets outside of Hidalgo. Portal was killed while scouting out locations for Season 4 of Netflix's Narcos, which will chronicle the Escobar crime empire in Mexico. At least, that was the plan, but at this rate, it seems that continuing to press against the Escobars is extremely risky, and will result in more pointless death and destruction. Pablo Escobar's brother, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, who is 71 years old, has advised Netflix to hire 'hitmen' for their own protection after Portal's murder. Roberto was once known as the 'chief of hitmen' while working for the Medellin cartel. He has only served ten years in prison for his crimes, and was released in 2013. "You have to eliminate all threats," said Roberto. "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." Here's the kicker - last July, Roberto demanded 1 billion dollars from Netflix for using the 'Escobar name and brand'. He said: "If we don't receive it, we will close their little show. You see, we own all the trademarks to all of our names and also for the Narcos brand." Pablo Escobar, of course, died in a shootout with the Columbian police. But if his brother is free, and has trademarked his family name for all purposes, and is free to make threats and advise Netflix to hire 'hitmen', is he gearing up for another wave of major murder and crime? “If they decline my offer we have attorneys ready to proceed with necessary actions. I don't think there will be any more 'Narcos' if they do not talk to me. You have to pay to play, and they are playing me without paying. I am not a monkey in a circus, I don’t work for pennies.” Certainly, it would be immoral and absurd to pay any member of the Escobar family for the right to use their name and tell stories about their cartel. They don't deserve anything, right? But Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria sounds serious, and the family of Carlos Muñoz Portal deserves better for their suffering. A man has already died for a season of a television show. What next? What do you think? Should Netflix move the location of the show to avoid dealing with Pablo Escobar's brother, or should they take the risk and continue to film in Mexico despite the previous death of Carlos Muñoz Portal? Is art worth the sacrifice of more life? This could get very ugly very fast for Netflix and their insanely popular show. Whatever comes next, we hope they place the potential risk to their cast and crew as a higher priority than the millions of dollars that the show may earn.

For anyone with a penchant for true crime documentaries, Netflix is a goldmine of entertainment. It's got hit series such as Making a Murderer, binge-worthy case studies in the form of Forensic Files, and literally hundreds of one-off investigations into specific crimes or offenders. And now it's added one more show to its collection: Murder Mountain.

"In Humboldt County, California, the big business of legal marijuana brings in visitors from around the world. Some are never seen again," the series description teases.

The documentary speaks of the disappearances of hundreds of people in the area, but follows one particular mystery: the case of Garret Rodriguez, a 29-year-old cannabis grower who was murdered in the region in 2013.

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The name "Murder Mountain" comes from a serial-killing couple, James and Suzan Carson, who lived in the area in the 1980s. Their first murder took place in San Francisco, but they fled to Humboldt County (the real name of the "Murder Mountain" region) in order to evade capture. They were eventually caught in 1983, however, and the name stuck.

But this wasn't the only crime to be associated with the area. Since 1977, 35 people have remained missing in the area. A mix of men and women, the youngest disappearance victim was just a year old, while the oldest was 94. Some of the group, dubbed the The Humboldt 35, are suspected to have been victims of the same serial killer, whereas the circumstances of other disappearances remain a total mystery.

Despite it's legitimately creepy past, though, the show has come under fire for sensationalising the story of the area.

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The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office have claimed that the producers relied on "unofficial and biased sources" in order to change the narrative of the show, and claim that the premise of the documentary was changed after filming started.

"The original plot line of this series, as presented to the Sheriff's Office upon consideration of our participation, was to examine the changes in the county as a result of marijuana legalization, highlight the challenges of law enforcement in rural jurisdictions, and present a historic comparison of the county's 'green rush' and timber rushes," said the Sheriff's Department. "At some point during their time in Humboldt County, the producers of 'Murder Mountain' decided to change the scope of the series to focus on the ongoing homicide investigation of Garret Rodriguez."

Law enforcement have also argued that, though "Murder Mountain" is an area in which hundreds go missing, it's also true that most of those hundreds are found again. Indeed, while Humboldt County has the highest per-capita missing persons rate in California, it also has the highest per-capita rate of found people in the state.

The filmmaker, Josh Zeman, is aware of this, too, and said to Rolling Stone that Humboldt is "a place where people love to go off the grid."

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If you want to decide for yourself what you think is going on with Murder Mountain, the series is available to stream now.

This is Jesús Malverde: the patron saint of Mexican drug cartels - worshiped as a sort of Robin Hood demigod by the dealers, enforcers and suppliers of the cartels. To us, the idea of a saint of traffickers might seem surreal, even darkly comical, but in certain areas of Latin America it's just another part of cartel culture; one more aspect of a life lived through the looking glass. In some of the poorer, more remote regions of Latin America, the cartels represent the only form of infrastructure that the poor and destitute have access to. They provide schools for young children, places for the youth to be indoctrinated and then recruited, and narco culture now boasts its own multimillion dollar music genre, Narcocorrido, which is stylistically similar to gangster rap. Life lived under the rule of the cartel is akin to a dictatorship. The syndicates exercise complete control over those who live in their territory, and brag about the money they make and the drugs they smuggle with complete impunity. They're capable of brandishing weapons in the street (even though it's illegal to purchase guns in Mexico) and kidnapping people from public places in front of dozens of witnesses. In Mexico, the war on drugs is a literal campaign, a conflict of attrition with no end in sight, waged between the police and the gangs. Each side has access to military ordinance and commands swathes of territory, recruiting scores of soldiers from the local populace. They practice scorched earth tactics and drive armoured cars, wear body armour and employ heavy artillery. Yet, like a many-headed hydra, the moment one gang is eliminated, another three spring up in its place. The situation is downright hopeless. Everything has become secondary to the almost boundless profit supplied by meth, cocaine and cannabis. Rural farmers now forgo growing legal crops in favour of narcotics. Meanwhile, narcotics agents have sprayed pesticides, burned farms to the ground and sown salt in the ashes, all in a bid to restrict supply and halt production. The only clear result of these tactics have been widespread deforestation. A report by CountTheCosts states: "Drug cartels target areas for production that are remote, have little economic infrastructure or governance and suffer from high levels of poverty, so farmers have few alternative means of earning a living outside of the drug trade ... As a result, drug crop eradication threatens biodiversity, fuels deforestation, and drives illicit crop growers to pursue environmentally hazardous methods of drug production." [[heroimage||http://cdn.junglecreations.com/wp/junglecms/2017/08/rsz_2003-05-08t120000z_1659118492_rp3drinzdvaa_rtrmadp_3_crime-mexico-women-compressor.jpg]] Population centres have also been threatened as a result of the cartels' violent methods. Mexico's most bloody cartel, Los Zetas, once convinced the entire population of the small city of Ciudad Mier that they would meet with a gory, protracted death if they did not submit to cartel rule. All 4,000 inhabitants evacuated at once, leaving it completely abandoned. There are hundreds of other ghost towns like this dotted around Mexico. The cartels can arrive at any time. They can drive right up to your home in the middle of the night and snatch your family from their beds. They slaughter anyone they suspect to be an informant, and actively encourage an atmosphere of constant suspicion and surveillance. Gangs like the Zetas and The Knights Templar are notorious for running protection rackets against anyone, no matter whether they're capable of paying up or not. The cartels love to micromanage: they even have their own form of news on social media, where they post videos of gruesome beheadings, threats of attrition, and inform locals about curfews. Groups like the Templars have the power to inform people not to go out between certain hours, unless they want to be killed. In response to this, citizen militias have been formed by vigilantes, who are attempting to combat the gangs, and the autodefensas have managed to wrest control of approximately five per cent of Mexico from them. In Michoacán, a region renowned for its gang violence, approximately 25 per cent of the state is controlled by self-defence groups, which boast 25,000 armed members. But the cartels are here to stay, and no amount of police or military intervention is going to change that - the criminal economy supports too many livelihoods, and so long as drugs and crime make money, gangs will continue to hold power and influence. Since 2006, at least 80,000 people have died as a result of the war on drugs. That's 30,000 more casualties than America suffered in the Vietnam War. And in all that time, the cartels haven't budged. Featured illustration by Egarcigu

Netflix actor Kevin Muñoz has been found dead with several machete wounds and his hands and feet tied, local media reported.

According to Noticias RCN, the 23-year-old actor, who starred in the streaming site's film Lavaperros, was found with multiple blunt-force wounds across his body in Tuluá, Colombia on Tuesday (November 21).

Authorities and the CTI of the Prosecutor's Office believe the Colombian star had been tortured with a sharp blade like a machete in the moments before his death, following a suspected armed robbery.

An unnamed 19-year-old has been arrested as a suspect in the murder, according to the head of local police Nicolás Suárez.

Suárez spoke to the outlet about the tragedy, stating: "The Valle Police Department reports that, thanks to the timely information provided by citizens, in an operational deployment of the Police, the capture of a 19-year-old man was achieved who, minutes before, had allegedly participated in the homicide of Kevin Andres Munoz Tovar, a renowned actor from a Colombian film."

"The subjects who caused the injuries then fled the scene, but thanks to information from the community, one of them was captured," the police added.

Local media stated that Muñoz's murder is reportedly the 11th recorded so far this year in Tulua.

Per IMBD, Muñoz participated as a secondary actor as "Yoiner" in the 2020 Netflix film titled Lavaperros which was called Dogwashers when released to Western audiences. Directed by Carlos Moreno, the flick follows the story of a man in financial trouble with a loan shark looking to kill him.

The late actor also participated in the Apple TV series Echo 3, in which he also had a secondary role alongside Michiel Huisman, Luke Evans, and Jessica Collins. The movie is about an American scientist in Colombia who is abducted, and the attempts by her husband and brother to rescue her, as stated by Daily Mail.

Additionally, Muñoz featured in an episode of the streaming Colombian TV show Turbia, which tells the story of two communities, one wealthy and one poor, who are faced with water shortages following several months of drought.

Tributes for the young star have poured in on social media since the heartbreaking news of his death broke.

One user wrote (translated from Spanish to English): "It is with great sadness that I learned today of the violent death of Kevin Andrés Muñoz Tovar, who played Yoiner in the movie 'Lavaperros'. He was 23 years old and had a promising future in music and acting. Rest in peace."

Another said: "His talent illuminated the screen in Netflix's Lavaperros, and his promising career was cut short in a shocking incident. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. Let's remember Kevin for the joy he brought us through his performances."

A third commented: "My condolences to his family, and although the alleged murderer has already been captured, nothing will bring him back to life."

The investigation into Muñoz’s murder continues.

Our thoughts are with the actor's family, friends, and fans at this time.

Featured image credit: AzmanL / Getty

Two actors that were working on the upcoming Netflix series The Chosen One have died in Mexico.

In a statement to The Independent, Netflix confirmed the tragic news, adding that the two actors died after the van they were traveling in crashed near Mulegé on the Baja California Sur peninsula on June 16.

Officials for the streaming giant added that the crash happened while the actors were in transit to the local airport, and not on the set of the show.

"We’re sad to confirm that two cast members have passed away after a tragic accident in transit from Santa Rosalía to the local airport. Our thoughts are with them and their family at this time," Netflix officials said in the statement.

Santispac beach on the Baja peninsula. Credit: Emily Marie Wilson / Alamy

Six others - said to all be cast and crew of the upcoming series - were injured in the crash.

Redrum, the independent production company behind the show, has confirmed that production has been temporarily paused, per USA Today.

The Hollywood Reporter has named the two late actors as Raymundo Garduño Cruz and Juan Francisco González. The other six cast and crew members have not been named, but are reported to be in a stable condition.

The outlet adds that the crew had been working in the nearby city of Santa Rosalia. On their way to the airport, their van reportedly flipped after going off-road.

Netflix has confirmed that an investigation into the incident is underway.

Additionally, per The Independent, The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has also released a statement on the incident.

SAG-AFTRA says it has "been in contact with Netflix and with the Mexican actors union ANDA about this incident and we are investigating the circumstances with local production.

"On-set safety is always our top priority. We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that our members and others are safe in their workplace."

Credit: Cyberstock / Alamy

A Netflix synopsis for The Chosen One reads: "A 12-year-old boy learns he’s the returned Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind. Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Peter Gross."

The series is based on a comic book created by Peter Gross and Mark Millar.

(There is another show available on Netflix also called The Chosen One, but it is unrelated to the show the crew was working on in Mexico. Rather, that show features three doctors determined to bring a Zika vaccine to the remote Pantanal in South America.)

Our thoughts at this time are with anyone affected by this heartbreaking incident...

Featured image credit: M4OS Photos / Alamy