Pablo Escobar’s wife, Maria Victoria Henao, lived under a false identity after his death but was later arrested in 2018 on money laundering charges.
Maria Victoria Henao was married to Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombian drug lord and leader of the Medellín Cartel, until his death in 1993. After Escobar was killed in a shootout with Colombian National Police, Henao’s life took a dramatic turn. She fled Colombia with her two children, Juan Pablo (who later changed his name to Sebastian Marroquín) and Manuela, seeking asylum in various countries. The family eventually settled in Argentina, where they lived under assumed names for years.
Henao tried to maintain a low profile while living in Argentina, adopting the name Maria Isabel Santos Caballero. Despite the change in identity, she was not able to completely evade the law. In 2018, Argentine authorities arrested Henao, along with her son and his wife, on charges of money laundering. The charges were related to a drug trafficking case and involved the laundering of money through real estate and a café known for its association with Colombian drug traffickers.
The arrest brought Henao back into the public eye, decades after her husband’s empire had collapsed. Her life story, including her marriage to Escobar and the aftermath of his death, has been the subject of significant media attention, including documentaries and television series that explore the complex legacy of her husband and the impact his criminal activities had on his family. Despite the notoriety and legal troubles, Henao has consistently maintained that she was unaware of the full extent of Escobar’s criminal activities during their marriage.
