Why locals in Columbia call a man from Türkiye the ‘Escobar’ – Türkiye Today

A 45-minute video by Turkish YouTuber Mert Ozturk follows a man known as Pablo Akdogan, who moved from Batman, a city in southeast Türkiye, to Medellin, Colombia, and has lived there for 3 years.

Locals call him the “Kurdish Escobar,” and he leans into the resemblance to the late drug lord by posing for photos with tourists and talking viewers through how the persona took shape.

Pablo Akdogan talks with Turkish YouTuber Mert Ozturk in the kitchen of his shared house in Medellin, Colombia, Dec. 2024. (Photo via YouTube/@MertOzturk1)

From Batman to Medellin the claim grows

The video opens with Akdogan reeling off a line about sending “smuggled tea, radios, weapons, and even barium,” then cracking that people in Medellin see him as the reincarnated Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993.

He says he covered almost 12,000 kilometers and spent 17 hours on flights to start over in Colombia, and he keeps moving homes—often sharing large houses with three or four Colombian friends—because he wants to stay safe and avoid attention. He adds that he carries a 41-year-old handheld radio that he describes as “Pablo’s,” given to him as a gift.

A persona built around a grave and a name

Akdogan says he spent six months visiting Escobar’s grave every day, calling the ritual calming and meditative. He recalls chance encounters there with the late kingpin’s sister and brother.

As he puts it, neighbors sometimes ask, “Could the last $60 billion they buried be here?” and he repeats a phrase heard at the cemetery. He signs off in the video as “Pablo Akdogan,” sending greetings to Türkiye and to his followers.

Pablo Akdogan and Turkish YouTuber Mert Ozturk tour Medellin’s neighborhoods together, Colombia, Dec. 2024. (Photo via YouTube/@MertOzturk1)

Recognition on the street and a small side income

As he walks through the city, Akdogan says strangers shout “Pablo!” and some hug him in tears, with a few saying “Pablo has returned.” He explains that this reception helps him pick up small fees from tourists who want to take pictures with him, and he tries to keep fit because the role keeps him in public view.

In the kitchen of one shared house, he points to black tea and “Erzincan tulum cheese,” describing the latter for viewers as a traditional aged Turkish cheese. He says he even drinks “smuggled tea from Türkiye” in Colombia and shows it with pride.

What he says about Escobar and the city

Akdogan repeats a well-known story about Escobar burning $2 million to keep his daughter warm and says the incident truly happened. He argues that poor families still view Escobar kindly because of the help he provided and because, in his words, the metro in Medellin came to life under his influence, while wealthier residents and state officials feel the opposite.

He brings up “barrios” (Spanish for neighborhoods, commonly used for low-income districts), local daily life, and snapshots of Colombian culture, and he likens some Christmas practices to Ramadan, Islam’s month of daytime fasting.

Pablo Akdogan, nicknamed the “Kurdish Escobar,” speaks during an interview at his home in Medellin, Colombia, Dec. 2024. (Photo via YouTube/@MertOzturk1)

Language, mottos and repeated bans

Akdogan says he picked up Spanish quickly and ties his outlook to two lines he repeats often. One is, “Colombia is a country where dreams and reality come together,” which he calls a life motto. The other is the Escobar quote, “If there is no bread for the poor, there is no peace for the rich.”

He also says social-media algorithms repeatedly flagged him as linked to “dangerous organizations,” which led to multiple takedowns; he claims he is now on his 29th account.

October 03, 2025 03:37 PM GMT+03:00