John Jairo Arias Tascón (1961 – June 13, 1990), known as Pinina, was a member of the Medellín Cartel . He rose to power in the cartel’s military wing and was accused of hundreds of murders. He was considered fifth in the cartel structure. He also had eight wives and children according to the actor who recited pinina in “Escobar el patron del mal”, who said he met many people close to Pinina. He was a hitman, the boss of hitmen and leader of a criminal group at the cartel’s disposal known as Los Priscos.
His high-pitched voice earned him the nickname “Pinina”, after the character of the same name played by child actress Andrea del Boca in the 1974 Argentine film Papá corazón se quiere casar. He was 165 cm tall. There are few photos of him available.
Career
He was born in a poor family. As a child, Arias lived in the municipality of Medellin in the barrio (neighborhood) of Lovaina, where he became a thief at the age of 12. He later joined a gang and became a hitman at the age of 15. One story has it that Pablo Escobar recruited Pinina as a member of the cartel after Pablo learned that Pinina had broken into one of his cars and stolen a music player from it.
Arias had vast knowledge of the people in the commune, which allowed him to recruit members for contract killings. The first murder ordered by the Medellín Cartel, namely the murder of Rodrigo Lara, was arranged by him. He hired hitmen, Byron de Jesús Velásquez and Iván Darío Guizao Álvarez and others, to commit this in 1984. Pinina participated in almost every crime ordered by the cartel: the 1986 murder of Lara and El Espectador director Guillermo Cano Isaza, the 1986 murder of Lara and El Espectador director Guillermo Cano Isaza. building in 1989, the assassination of Police Colonel Jaime Ramírez Gómez in 1986, the kidnapping and murder of Carlos Mauro Hoyos in 1988, the assassination of Antioquia Governor Antonio Roldán Betancur in 1989, the assassination of Police Colonel Valdemar Franklin Quintero in 1989, participation in the organization of the bombing of the DAS building in 1989 (which left 52 dead and at least 600 injured), involvement in the bombing of an Avianca plane on November 27, 1989 (110 dead), participation in the murder of many police officers, as well as the assassination of Colombian Supreme Court magistrate Hernando Baquero Borda in 1986, participation in the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in 1989 and the war between the Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel , along with other criminal acts such as like car bombs. According to his associate, Jhon Jairo Velásquez , alias “Popeye”, Arias Tascon was also involved in the murder of Antonio Roldán Betancur, which took place on July 4, 1989.
Death
Arias died on June 13, 1990, when Colombian police raided his apartment in the El Poblado neighborhood of Medellín. He tried to escape through a window but fell to the ground, injuring his ankle, head and right arm. After getting up and trying to walk to his car, he encountered police, causing him to retreat to his apartment building, where he exchanged fire with police officers and was eventually killed. He was 29 years old at the time of his death. After his death, the Medellín Cartel began to fall apart. In retaliation, Escobar ordered his men to drive a car bomb into the El Poblado police station, causing serious damage