Escobar Inc

The company was formed into a legal corporation on April 20, 2015 in Puerto Rico.{{cite web | url=https://prcorpfiling.f1hst.com/CorpInfo/CorporationInfo.aspx?c=352648-111 | title=Puerto Rico Online | date=April 20, 2015 | access-date=May 17, 2020}}

On July 1, 2016, Escobar Inc sent a letter to Netflix, Inc. regarding the series Narcos demanding $1 billion in payment for unauthorized usage of content.{{cite news | url=http://fortune.com/2016/07/07/drug-kingpin-netflix/ | title=Real-Life Drug Kingpin Wants Netflix to Pay Him $1 Billion for 'Narcos' | author=Ingram, Matthew | work= Fortune Magazine | date=July 7, 2016 | access-date=August 22, 2019}} On September 11, 2017, Carlos Muñoz Portal, a location scout from Netflix, was found assassinated in his car in Mexico.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/arts/television/narcos-mexico-killing.html | title='Narcos' Location Scout Found Dead in Mexico | author=Lotito, Thomas| work= New York Times | date=September 17, 2017 | access-date=August 22, 2019}} Roberto Escobar denied any involvement and offered to provide hitmen as security for Netflix.{{cite news | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3755184/pablo-escobars-brother-narcos-should-provide-hitmen/ | title=Pablo Escobar's brother says 'Narcos' should 'provide hit men' for crew after location scout killed | author=Scott, Katie | work= Global News | date=September 19, 2017 | access-date=August 22, 2019}} On November 6, 2017, Escobar Inc abandoned the dispute.{{cite news | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3755184/pablo-escobars-brother-narcos-should-provide-hitmen/ | title=Pablo Escobar's brother abandons his battle with Netflix over Narcos | author=Nattrass, JJ | date=January 15, 2018 | access-date=August 22, 2019}}

On January 8, 2019, Pablo Escobar's brother Robert Escobar, launched a $50 million GoFundMe fundraiser on behalf of Escobar Inc in an effort to impeach President Trump. The page was promptly removed from the platform.{{cite news | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4826858/pablo-escobar-impeach-donald-trump-gofundme/

| title=Pablo Escobar's brother launched $50M GoFundMe to impeach Donald Trump | author=Scott, Katie | work= Global News | date=8 January 2019 | access-date=11 January 2019}}

In July 2019, Escobar Inc started selling a propane torch made to look like a flamethrower and accused The Boring Company CEO Elon Musk of intellectual property theft, alleging that The Boring Company's promotional Not-a-Flamethrower is based on a design that Roberto Escobar discussed in 2017 with an engineer associated with Musk.{{cite news|url= https://www.ibtimes.com/pablo-escobars-brother-wants-100m-tesla-shares-claims-musk-stole-flamethrower-design-2807047

|website= International Business Times |title= Pablo Escobar's Brother Wants $100M Tesla Shares, Claims Musk Stole Flamethrower Design |first= Arthur |last= Villasanta|date= July 17, 2019 |access-date= August 22, 2019}} Through the media, Escobar Inc publicly offered Musk a settlement of $100 million{{cite news|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/pablo-escobar-elon-musk-flamethrower/ |website= Digital Trends |title=Pablo Escobar's brother pours fuel on the flamethrower feud with Elon Musk |first= Emily |last= Price|date= July 11, 2019 |access-date= August 22, 2019}} in cash or Tesla shares; otherwise they would use the legal system to take over Tesla.{{cite news|url= https://thenextweb.com/distract/2019/07/11/pablo-escobars-brother-escalates-flamethrower-feud-with-elon-musk-threatens-tesla-takeover/ |website= The Next Web |title= Pablo Escobar's brother escalates flamethrower feud with Elon Musk, threatens Tesla takeover |first= Tristan |last= Greene |date= July 11, 2019 |access-date= August 22, 2019}} No action has been taken since. Customers who paid for the Escobar Inc flamethrower reportedly received a printed certificate of ownership instead of the ordered product. Buyers had disputes filed with PayPal denied after Escobar Inc provided the tracking information used to send the certificate as proof of delivery. PayPal later closed its accounts with Escobar Inc. {{Cite web|title=Please Stop Buying the Foldable Phone From Pablo Escobar's Brother|url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/please-stop-buying-the-foldable-phone-from-pablo-escobars-brother|access-date=2021-07-05|website=PCMAG|language=en}}

On August 28, 2019, Escobar Inc filed a UDRP complaint regarding cybersquatting of the domain PabloEscobar.com with the then-National Arbitration Forum.{{cite news|url=https://thenextweb.com/shareables/2019/10/10/pablo-escobar-domain-apple-elon-musk/ |website= The Next Web |title=Pablo Escobar's brother wins $3M website lawsuit, vows to take down Elon Musk and Apple |first= Dimitar|last=Mihov |date= October 10, 2019 |access-date= October 11, 2019}} The prior owner demanded $3 million for the domain name{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/pablo-escobar-s-brother-threatens-apple-accuses-elon-musk-of-stealing-flamethrower-idea-377595.html |website= India Times |title=Pablo Escobar's Brother Threatens Apple, Accuses Elon Musk Of Stealing Flamethrower Idea |first=Monit |last=Khanna |date= October 11, 2019 |access-date= October 11, 2019}} and on October 7, 2019, the case was ruled in the favor of the company with the domain name ordered to be transferred to the company.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com.mx/pabloescobar-com-la-revancha-digital-del-capo-colombiano/ |website= Forbes |title=PabloEscobar.com, la revancha digital del capo colombiano |date= October 10, 2019 |access-date= October 11, 2019}}

On December 4, 2023 Olof K Gustafsson, the CEO of Escobar Inc, was arrested in Marbella, Spain, on charges including money laundering, fraud, and art smuggling.{{cite web | url=https://www.krimfup.se/articles/olof-k-gustafsson-haktad-i-spanien-misstanks-for-flera-brott | title=Olof K Gustafsson häktad i Spanien - misstänks för flera brott | Krimfup.se }} The American authorities are seeking his extradition to the United States, as confirmed by his lawyer. Gustafsson is alleged to have been involved in a criminal organization engaged in the illegal trade of artwork.{{Cite news |last=Eklund |first=Henning |date=2023-12-20 |title=Svenska vd:n misstänks för konstsmuggling |language=sv |work=Svenska Dagbladet |url=https://www.svd.se/a/eJVdVy/escobar-incs-vd-gripen-i-spanien-misstanks-for-konstsmuggling |access-date=2023-12-22 |issn=1101-2412}}

Gustafsson and Escobar Inc also face accusations of defrauding 500-600 customers by not delivering mobile phones they had paid for, which the company attributes to delivery issues during the pandemic. The firm has been embroiled in legal conflicts with payment service providers Klarna and Stripe, leading to the closure of its accounts. The money laundering allegations involve the transfer of $1.2 million between accounts in the USA and the UAE.

Olaf Kyros Gustafsson, 31, a.k.a. El Silencio was extradited from Madrid, Spain to Los Angeles on March 28, 2025 and arraigned on the same day on a 115-count federal indictment alleging he licensed the rights of the late Colombian narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar and defrauded investors by marketing and selling products – including flamethrowers and cellphones – that he never delivered.https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-29/swedish-man-allegedly-used-pablo-escobars-likeness-to-run-scam Gustafsson was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 41 counts of money laundering, 35 counts of international money laundering, and 25 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/ceo-company-owned-rights-notorious-drug-lords-name-extradited-united-states-face-fraud Gustafsson is being detained at Metropolitan Detention Center with prisoner number 69611-511 and his release date is unknown.https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/

In September 2021, Escobar Inc applied for a European Union trademark for the name "Pablo Escobar". The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) rejected the application on the grounds that it "was contrary to public policy and to accepted principles of morality". The company challenged the EUIPO decision but, on 17 April 2024, the General Court of the EU upheld the decision to reject the trademark citing that the name "Pablo Escobar" is associated with "drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and with the crimes and suffering resulting therefrom" and thus the trademark would be against "fundamental values and moral standards".{{Cite web |last=Espinoza |first=Javier |date=2024-04-17 |title='Pablo Escobar' cannot be registered as a trademark, EU court rules |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f46d1877-e1aa-49fa-b039-99a10aaecf87 |access-date= |website=Financial Times}}{{Cite web |last=Ahmatović |first=Šejla |date=2024-04-17 |title='Pablo Escobar' can't be registered as EU trademark, court rules |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/pablo-escobar-cannot-be-registered-as-eutrade-mark-general-euipo-court-rules/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=Politico Europe |language=en-GB}}

On December 2, 2019, Escobar Inc released what it called the Escobar Fold 1 smartphone featuring a flexible screen,{{Cite web|title=Pablo Escobar's Brother Unveils Folding Smartphone with Help of Hot Models|url=https://www.tmz.com/2019/12/02/pablo-escobar-brother-folding-smartphone-hot-models-ad/|date=December 2, 2019|website=TMZ|language=en|access-date=December 2, 2019}} which ended up being a rebadged Royole FlexPai.{{cite web|title=Escobar Fold 1 snort all it's cracked up to be: Readers finger similarity to slated Chinese mobe|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/04/escobar_foldable_phone/|last1=Hughes|first1=Matthew|website=The Register|access-date=March 11, 2020}} Two months later, on February 10, 2020, the Escobar Fold 2 was released, which is a Galaxy Fold with poorly added Escobar branding.{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Chris|date=March 12, 2020|title=The $399 Escobar Fold is actually a Samsung Galaxy Fold with a sticker|work=BGR|url=https://bgr.com/2020/03/12/escobar-fold-2-review-its-all-a-scam-a-galaxy-fold-covered-in-gold/|access-date=March 17, 2020}}{{Cite web|title=The Truth About the Escobar Folding Phones!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8FJSjy3bXA|last=Brownlee|first=Marques|date=March 10, 2020|website=YouTube|access-date=March 17, 2020}} Many customers, when ordering the phones, said that they never received them, with only tech influencers actually receiving products.{{Cite web|last=Kan|first=Michael|date=2020-04-17|title=Please Stop Buying the Foldable Phone From Pablo Escobar's Brother|url=https://uk.pcmag.com/smartphones/125695/please-stop-buying-the-foldable-phone-from-pablo-escobars-brother|access-date=2020-06-22|website=PCMag UK|language=en-gb}}{{Cite web|title=Pablo Escobar's brother is trying to sell refurbished iPhone 11 Pros for $499|url=https://www.engadget.com/roberto-escobar-smartphone-scam-iphone-11-pro-184539563.html|access-date=2020-06-18|website=Engadget|date=May 27, 2020 |language=en}} It has also been alleged that Escobar Inc sent bogus product orders consisting of a book, allowing Escobar Inc to claim the phone had been shipped out. In May 2020, the company released a refurbished version of the iPhone 11 Pro and allegedly sued Apple for $2.6 billion.

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Category:Pablo Escobar