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.

We've all heard of the infamous Mexican cartels. Born of the drug war and the massive smuggling operations taking place on the US border, these criminal enterprises capture the mind of fiction and reportage alike. Drugs that cross the US-Mexico border fuel the demand for an illegal supply. If drugs aren't being sold legally, some criminals will always step in to satisfy the gap. TV shows like Netflix's Narcos and Breaking Bad have gotten huge by examining this new culture, this new industry, and American audiences have always loved gangster stories. But what happens when fiction becomes too real? What happens when the portrayal of the cartel bleeds into reality, and ends up destroying lives? Carlos Muñoz Portal, a location scout for Netflix's Narcos, was murdered at the young age of 37 while in Mexico working for the show. His untimely death is a horrible reminder that the show is not fantasy - the people it portrays are dangerous and courageous men like Carlos who brave the cartels to bring us television do not get the credit they deserve. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/julioastillero/status/908854622244294662]] Carlos Muñoz Portal was discovered in a car ton apart by bullet holes, on the border and outskirts of Hidalgo, Mexico's most dangerous city. Hidalgo has the highest rate of murders in Mexico, so cartel activity is at an all-time high. The murderers have not been identified, but they seem to be professionals, having killed Portal in a remote location in what is presumably his vehicle. This senseless act of violence has disturbed the case and crew of the show, and stolen away a young man's life. The odds of there being justice for his murder are low. There are no witnesses to the crime. The murder has also put the future of the season in flux. Production could move to Columbia, which would result in the loss of hundreds of jobs for Mexicans that would be created through filming. If the choice parts of Mexico are just too dangerous to scout locations for, the show can't be blamed for re-locating. Still, it casts a shadow over the whole thing, and shows how difficult it is to bring cartel members to justice. Carlos Muñoz Portal will be remembered as an extremely talented scouter, having found locations for films like "Sicario", "Spectre", "Apocalypto" and "Fast & Furious". He was clearly an expert in finding locations in South and Latin America, and helped create some extremely successful films and contributed to massive franchises. Netflix issued a brief statement: “We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate." Season 4, the season that Portal was scouting for, was expected to chronicle the legendary and vicious Juarez cartel in Mexico. Season 3, which is currently airing, has focused on Columbian cartels. Is it worth it? Perhaps we have to ask ourselves - at what cost is fiction worth to human life? Perhaps the show should compromise and not send its crew out into extremely dangerous areas.

The life and times of Pablo Escobar are well-documented thanks to the Netflix series, 'Narcos.' However, while much is known about the notorious drug dealer, who at one point was making millions of dollars a day through smuggling cocaine into the US, his legacy still contains mysteries that have gone unanswered. The biggest mystery of all is what happened to Escobar's rumoured $50 billion fortune, which is reported to be hidden somewhere in an unknown location. While the money has gone AWOL, former CIA agents have reportedly found one of Escobar's old cocaine smuggling submarines that he used to transport cocaine from Colombia into Puerto Rico, and they hope that it may contain a few clues. According to reports in The Sun, divers who used to work for the US intelligence agency are now exploring an unknown location just off the coast of Colombia. The exploration has been documented in a programme on the Discovery Channel, which covers the two agent's search for Escobar's unconfirmed fortune. In a clip from the show, which has been uploaded onto the Discovery Channel's YouTube channel, the ex-CIA agents Doug Laux and Ben Smith can be seen diving off of the coast, but they don't discover anything of significant value. The cameras show the pair scouring the seabed and finding metal and a box, but no further clues as to where the potential fortune may be. However, not to be discouraged by their fruitless search, the group conclude that the shifting seabed will have moved the wreckage and are convinced that they will find the submarine somewhere in the vicinity of the site. Escobar led the Medellin Cartel, a large network of gangs that supplied 80 percent of the cocaine consumed in the US during the 1980s. He began his criminal career in humble surroundings: selling contraband cigarettes and stealing cars on the streets of Medellin. However, he quickly began to move into the world of cocaine trafficking and became so successful that he had a fleet of vehicles, including 15 planes and six helicopters, that would help smuggle drugs into the US. By the mid-1980s, the cartel was bringing in over $420 million a week, nearly $22 billion a year. It's believed that the notorious drug dealer stashed the majority of his cash in various locations around the world. It is also claimed that he had so much money, that he had to spend $2,500 a month on rubber bands in order to keep his notes in order. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BeDjaCTA0aH/?taken-by=escobargpablo]] At the peak of his powers, Escobar was listed as the seventh richest man in 1989 by Forbes Magazine and had become a 'Robin Hood' figure in his local area due to the fact that he gave money to the poor in Colombia. The cartel boss was shot dead in December 1993 while running away from policemen on the rooftops of a local town. However, despite the cops claiming that they killed Escobar, many people believe that he committed suicide after he had hidden the majority of his fortune at unknown locations. While most of his money has never been found, $8 million was discovered at a hidden complex in the jungle, where there had previously been cocaine factories owned by Escobar. Christian de Berdouare, a restaurant owner who bought one of Escobar's Miami properties in 2014, believes that there may be hidden treasure hidden inside of his house and cited it as part of the reason he bought the home. Escobar was undoubtedly an incredibly dangerous man, but the fact that he has managed to leave behind a genuine treasure hunt is pretty impressive. In all seriousness, if you came across the $50 billion, would you hand it in?

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

Pablo Escobar's so-called cocaine hippos must be culled as they pose a threat to the natural wildlife of Colombia, scientists argue.

Otherwise, scientists warn, the species could become impossible to control.

As reported by the New York Post, the animals were brought to the country illegally by the late founder of the Medellín Cartel, who died in December of 1993 after being fatally shot by the authorities.

The large animals are breeding at a rapid rate and have now become the largest invasive species in the world. In the next 20 years, the hippos could reach worrying numbers.

Related video - Pablo Escobar's brother, Roberto, has launched his own foldable smartphone, accompanied by a very sexy commercial:

"Nobody likes the idea of shooting a hippo, but we have to accept that no other strategy is going to work," ecologist Nataly Castelblanco-Martínez told the Telegraph.

When the infamous drug lord was shot dead, authorities took control of his 7,000-acre estate, which included his own personal zoo.

The majority of the animals were transported to zoos in other locations, however, four of the hippos managed to escape.

Per the Telegraph, as they have no predators to watch out for, the estimated numbers of descendants of Escobar's original hippos range between 80 and 100.

Credit: Pexels

They are a real danger to wildlife around the country’s lakes and rivers. Furthermore, according to scientists, the hippo population could rise exponentially to a staggering 1,500 by the year 2040.

The hippos threaten the existence of natural wildlife as their urine and feces are toxic and could make people as well as other animals ill, the Telegraph reports.

David Echeverri Lopez, a government environmentalist, said they have to castrate the animals as quickly as possible before they take over the habitat.

"These hippos have become part of the local identity. But time is running out," he said.

Credit: Pexels

However, other scientists argue the only way to reduce their numbers is to cull them.

"Relocation might have been possible 30 years ago, when there were only four hippos," Castelblanco-Martínez told the Telegraph.

"Castration could also have been effective if officials had provided sufficient resources for the program early on, but a cull is now the only option."

Immortalised in popular culture and now-seminal films such as The Godfather and Scarface, gangs seem so detached from our day-to-day lives that we forget that for some, their existence is an unfortunate reality. Sure, we've heard of the Aryan Brotherhood and the Yakuza, but sometimes the most dangerous gangs are the ones that we haven't heard of at all, so pervasive is the threat they hold. Certainly, in some regions of South America, gangs such as the Bloods and Crips reside over small communities by instilling fear and via organized criminal activity. And that's something that Mexican YouTube star, Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales (also known as El Pirata de Culiacan) sadly found out for himself. According to the Mexican Facebook page, Guardia Nocturna, which specialises in providing breaking news, Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales was murdered after poking fun at a cartel leader in one of his videos. Rosales, who boasted more than 260,000 followers on Instagram and nearly a million likes on Facebook, was purportedly shot dead by four assassins at a bar in Mexico, called Menta2 Cantaros Just hours earlier, Rosales had posted on social media, inviting people via a public video to join him at the bar. This clearly wasn't a great idea, considering that he'd recently made a video that showed him making fun of renowned gang leader, El Mencho, who is also known as Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes - leader of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generació (or the Jalisco New Generation Cartel). [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc27vbMghCS/?hl=en&taken-by=elpiratadeculiacan]]