Demolition begins on Florida mansion owned by Pablo Escobar

Thursday, January 21, 2016

The demolition of the Florida home formerly owned by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar began this week

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- A vestige of the drug wars that made Miami notorious for violence and smuggling is being torn down.

Demolition began Tuesday on a pink waterfront mansion in Miami Beach owned in the 1980s by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Watch the video above to see an aerial view of the demolition.

The U.S. government seized it in 1987. It was acquired in 1990 by a private owner, and Chicken Kitchen owner Christian de Berdouare bought it in 2014.

Galveston police officer Dannie Simpson shared crime scene photos with the Unsolved team, not seen by the public until now.

De Berdouare wants to build a modern home on the site. Watching construction excavators tear into the mansion, he said he was elated to see "the house of the devil" disappearing.

U.S. authorities say it's unclear whether Escobar ever spent any time in Miami Beach, though the property was listed in his name. Escobar died in a shootout with Colombian National Police in 1993.