His administration negotiated Pablo Escobar’s surrender and allowed him to be placed in La Catedral, the lavish prison constructed by Escobar himself. During his time in office, Cartel kidnappings increased. Eventually Gaviria was elected President. The attack killed 107 individuals and further heighted the state of emergency in Colombia. Gaviria was scheduled to travel on the flight, but at the last minute his security changed his travel. Three months after Galan’s murder, the Medellin Cartel carried out an assassination attempt on Gavira, by placing a bomb on an Avianca airlines flight from Bogota to Cali. After Galan’s murder, Gaviria became the New Liberalism party candidate for President. Gaviria was the running mate of Luiz Carlos Galan in the presidential election of 1989. The 28th President of Colombia (1990 to 1994). The killing of Galan would later reveal a bigger conspiracy involving not only the cartel but members of the Colombian political elite. The assassination carried out by the Medellin Cartel, ignited a profound period of Cartel violence. Galan was assassinated at a political rally near Bogota, in the town of Soacha, Cundinamarca, in front of thousands of onlookers. This time he was the clear favorite, with an almost assured victory. Galan publicly declared himself the enemy of Medellin cartel capo’s, Pablo Escobar and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha alias, “El Mexicano. As a result, he found himself a target of organized crime syndicates in Colombia. Galan was an outspoken opponent of drug trafficking and favored an extradition treaty with the United States. Despite the loss, the election helped his party gain national prominence. He unsuccessfully ran for President in 1982, losing to Belisario Betancur. After feeling the need for reform, in 1979 he and three other colleagues, including Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, co-founded the New Liberalism party.
He was eventually elected as a Senator from his native region of Santander. His entrance to politics began in 1970 after President Misael Pastrana appointed him Minister of Education. Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento began his career as a journalist. Popeye has admitted to personally killing Galeano, his former boyhood idol. Escobar had accused the three men of stealing from him. On July 4, 1992, Fernando, his brother, Mario, and another associate, Gerardo “Kiko” Moncada, were murdered by Escobar’s men at La Catedral Prison. As a close and trusted associate of Escobar, he was put in charge of “La Oficina de Envigado”, a collection office for drug debts owed to the Medellin Cartel, (originally located in the Envigado City Hall). The brothers invested their money from drug profits into a number of real estate related ventures, including apartment buildings, and shopping centers. Pablo was even godfather to Galeano’s children. Initially, the Galeano brothers made a fortune from trafficking marijuana, but eventually would join Pablo and Gustavo in the cocaine business. In the late 70’s, Fernando and his brother Mario began their careers in the narco trade, alongside Pablo Escobar and his cousin, Gustavo. Considered an important member of the Medellin Cartel. Fernando Galeano was a high-level narco-trafficker from Medellin. Born Luis Fernando Galeano Berrío in Itagüí, Antioquia, Colombia.