‘Finding Escobar’s Millions’ adds intrigue and treasure hunting to history
Doug Laux and Ben Smith, former CIA operations officers who served multiple tours throughout the Middle East, ask one simple question: Where is the money?
In Finding Escobar’s Millions, the duo leads a search for the millions upon millions of missing cash, confirmed to be buried during the reign of drug lord Pablo Escobar.
PREMIERE: Friday, November 3 at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery
The initial episode starts with an explanation of the mission: use their “special skill set” to find people who don’t want to be find; work with permission of the Colombian government to “develop sources…we need to get to people who knew Pablo” and then run technical operations to search for the buried money.
“We’re going to dig.”
While Escobar has a notable name in households thanks to Netflix’s Narcos series, the initial episode avoids the glorifying of the drug lord. They give some background, real footage from Escobar’s reign and stay focused on their “mission.”
First up is the focus on Juan Estaban (not Juan Escobar aka Sebastián Marroquín), involving the original agents from the case: Javier Pena and Steve Murphy. They discuss the shrink wrapping and burying of money before warning the duo: “There’s a nice guy I’d never trust.”
Seeking the man “they call ‘Scorpion'” they confirm a meeting which could put Laux and Smith in harms way. There is limited options and escape routes if things go sideways during the planned meeting in Estaban’s Barrio.
Check out the clip below, titled “Something isn’t adding up,” as you start to question: “What’s underground?”
Finding Escobar’s Millions is packed full of a curiosity and intrigue that grows throughout the opening episode. The audience is truly drawn into the hunt and can’t wait to see that buried safe or barrel of cash spill open.
Unlike the typical Hollywood fodder, Discovery stays clear of politics, drug war discussions and just stays focused on the treasure hunt.
I’d highly recommend for folks of Narcos or the Escobar tale to get a spoonful of reality to compliment the legends.
