John Jairo Arias Tascón
John Jairo Arias Tascón | |
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| Born | John Jairo Arias Tascón 1961 Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia |
| Other names | Pinina |
| Organization | Medellín Cartel |
| Medellín Cartel |
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John Jairo Arias Tascón (1961 – 13 June 1990),[1] known as Pinina, was a member of the Medellín Cartel. He took power in the cartel's military wing and was accused of hundreds of murders. He was considered to be ranked fifth within the cartel structure.[2] He was a hit man, the boss of hit men and leader of a criminal group at the disposal of the Cartel, known as Los Priscos.[3]
His high-pitched voice gave him the nickname "Pinina" after the character of the same name played by the child actress Andrea del Boca in the 1974 Argentine film Papá corazón se quiere casar.[3][4] He was 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall. Few photos of him are available.[3][5]
Career
He was born to a poor family. As a child, Arias lived in the Medellin commune in the barrio (neighborhood) Lovaina, becoming a thief at the age of 12. Later he joined a gang, becoming a hit man at the age of 15.[3] One story holds that Pablo Escobar recruited Pinina as a member of the cartel, after Pablo got informed that Pinina had broken into one of his cars and stolen a music player from it.[5]
Arias had a vast knowledge of the people in the commune, allowing him to recruit members for murder-for-hire. The first assassination ordered by the
Death
Arias died on 13 June 1990, when the Colombian police raided his apartment in the neighborhood El Poblado in Medellín. He tried to escape through a window, but fell onto the ground, injuring his ankle, head and right arm. After standing up and trying to walk to his car, he encountered the police, making him retreat into his apartment building, where he engaged in a shooting with police officers and was eventually killed. He was 29 years old at the time of his death. After his death, the Medellín Cartel started to fall apart. In retaliation, Escobar ordered his men to drive a car-bomb into the police station of El Poblado, causing severe damage.[3] His body was buried in a cemetery in Medellín.[5]
Media
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In 2012,
In 2013, RCN Televisión premiered the series Tres Caínes (produced by RTI Producciones), where is mentioned under the alias "Pepino", also mentioned with this nickname in TV Series En la boca del lobo (produced by Teleset for RCN Televisión).
In 2016, Netflix series Narcos used Pinina as the inspiration for Pablo Escobar's sicario lieutenant Poison in the award-winning series. The character was played by well known Mexican actor Jorge A. Jimenez.
In the series
References
- ^ a b "Pinina: Un itinerario criminal". El Tiempo. 15 June 1999. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Golpe al sicariato". Semana (in Spanish). 15 July 1990. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Neira, Armando (27 November 2020). "Lo que se vivió en el último vuelo del HK-180". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Especial "Pinina" - Popeye". YouTube. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018.