Pablo Escobar is gone, finally found and brought down by the DEA — but the cartels live on. Narcos season three dives into the world of the Colombian drug cartels after the death of Pablo Escobar. Narcos season three has a few key character changes in the works (beyond the obvious absence of Escobar) most notably that Steve Murphy is gone. Agent Peña’s partner will not be returning to the cartel fight mostly because he never did in real life. After the capture and death of Pablo Escobar in 1993, Murphy returned to the U.S. in 1994, so it makes sense that his character wouldn’t make a return in Narcos season three.
Now that the bloody hunt for Pablo Escobar has ended, the DEA turns its attention to the richest drug trafficking organization in the world: the Cali Cartel. Led by four powerful godfathers, this cartel operates much differently than Escobar’s, preferring to bribe government officials and keep its violent actions out of the headlines.
In this new season, there are new cartel kings that Peña and the DEA will be chasing, here’s a rundown of the bad guys and other new characters:
- Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela (Damian Alcazar)- leader of Cali Cartel, “boss of bosses”
- Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela (Francisco Denis)- the brains behind the rise of the of Cali Cartel and Gilberto’s brother
- Pacho Herrera (Alberto Ammann)- the on-the-low hitman, runs the Mexican connection and international distribution
- Chepe Santacruz Londono (Pepe Rapazote)– runs the satellite NYC empire of the Colombian drug network
Just as Gilberto announces a bold plan to walk away from the business, DEA agent Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) enlists the help of American and Colombian law enforcement to take it down. This season opens up a complex and ruthless world of new figures.
Other new key characters include:
- Jorge Salcedo (Matias Varela)- Cali’s head of security who prioritizes his wife and kids’ protection over his bosses
- DEA agents Chris Feistl (Michael Stahl-David) and Daniel Van Ness (Matt Whelan), who enter the operation with enthusiasm and inexperience
- Franklin Jurado (Miguel Angel Silvestre)- the cartel’s money launderer who unknowingly puts his wife, Christina (Kerry Bishe) in mortal danger
- David Rodriguez (Arturo Castro)- Miguel’s oldest son, who is reluctant at first to take a leading role in the cartel structure
This time around, all rules have changed for the narcos and their opponents – a fact many won’t realize until it’s too late.
Have you been watching Narcos? Will you be watching Narcos season three? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
