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ジョン・ハイロ・ベラスケス・バスケス（1962年4月15日 - 2020年2月6日）は、「ポパイ」または「JJ 」の異名でも知られるコロンビアのヒットマン[ 1 ]で、 1992年にコロンビアの司法制度に投降するまでメデジン・カルテルの犯罪組織の一員であった。この組織内で彼は、シカリオの半数を指揮する中尉であると主張していた[ 2 ]。
ベラスケスはコロンビアのアンティオキア県ヤルマル市で生まれた。彼はコロンビア国軍に入隊し、その後国家警察の士官候補生学校に入学したが、数日後に退学し、コロンビア海軍の見習い学校に入学した。そこで彼は、ポパイに外見が似ていることから「ポパイ」というあだ名を得た。後に彼は整形手術を受け、以前と同じような特徴的な外見ではなくなった。[ 3 ]ベラスケスは刑務所から脱走したが、後に逮捕され、刑期を務めた。[ 4 ]
ベラスケスはコロンビア海軍の下士官学校に入学し、最終的にサンタンデール将軍国立警察学校に転校し、そこで1学期を過ごした。[ 5 ]
ベラスケスはメデジン・カルテルの主要な殺し屋の一人として認められた。彼は257件の殺人、当時のボゴタ市長候補アンドレス・パストラーナ・アランゴ（後に共和国大統領となる）の誘拐、フランシスコ・サントス（後に副大統領となる）の誘拐、コロンビアの政治家カルロス・マウロ・オヨスの誘拐と殺害、アンティオキア知事アントニオ・ロルダン・ベタンクールの殺害への共犯を自白した。ベラスケスとジョン・ハイロ・アリアス・タスコン（別名「ピニーナ」）に託された任務の失敗で、警察大佐を殺害し、政治家で大統領候補のルイス・カルロス・ガラン・サルミエントを殺害した。彼はまた、3,000人以上の殺害を手配したことを認めた[ 6 ]。[ 7 ]彼はまた、110人が死亡した1989年のアビアンカ航空203便爆破事件の計画にも加担した。[ 4 ]
In May 2018 Velásquez was arrested on charges of extortion and criminal conspiracy. It has been claimed that he was blackmailing former associates of Pablo Escobar who were still in control of some of his assets.[8]
From 1992 until 2014, Velásquez served a prison sentence on charges of terrorism, drug trafficking, extortion, conspiracy for terrorist purposes and murder.[9] He had received a sentence of thirty years, the maximum provided for under Colombian penal law. During 2000 and 2001, Velásquez was involved in armed clashes in La Modelo prison. In 2008, he was sentenced to twelve years for other judicial proceedings against him. On August 22, 2014, he received probation for having served three-fifths of his sentence. Aged 52, he was released on August 26, 2014, after 23 years and 3 months in prison.[10]
In 2018 he returned to prison on extortion charges and a subsequent conviction and in 2020 died while incarcerated.[11]
Velásquez was once in a relationship with Wendy Chavarriaga Gil, a former lover of his boss Pablo Escobar. They were lying in bed one day when the phone rang and on the other end was Pablo Escobar. Velásquez was then given a choice: "love or death, money or lead (plata o plomo)". Velásquez chose plata. He arranged for her to meet him in a cafe. Velásquez would never show, instead he rang the cafe and asked to speak to Wendy. While she was on the phone, two sicarios shot her in each temple. Shortly after the hit, Velásquez drove by to see Wendy laying in a pool of blood.[12]
Controversy continued to swirl around Velásquez following his release from prison. On December 12, 2016, a video appeared in which Velásquez brandishes and fires a handgun in the streets of Medellín.[13] In the video, Velásquez proudly states, "Hello, warriors, I'm here in the streets of my beloved Medellín, testing out my beautiful 9mm Pietro Beretta. We're firing it, it's a doll, a beauty!"[14]
In December 2016, two men on motorbikes pulled up alongside him as he was driving in his car and robbed him of his glasses, two old bracelets and an old mobile phone, he said. He also said it was the second time he had been targeted in such a way but he had not reported the incidents.[15]
Aside from being a controversial figure, Velásquez was a YouTube personality who uploaded videos. In these videos, he critiqued various topics in Colombia such as a corrupt government and socioeconomic hardships.[16] He was working on a TV series based on his own life and his involvement in the Medellín Cartel.
Velásquez was a key interviewee in the 2010 ESPN documentary The Two Escobars.[17] In 2017 Netflix released a drama series called Surviving Escobar, which is based on the book[18] written by Velásquez. He was featured in the 2018 documentary series premiere of Dark Tourist. Velásquez performs in a 2019 film, X Sicario – Pablo Escobar's Hitman; he played Simon, the most feared hitman who worked for Pablo Escobar. The film tells a story in which Simon resists against the new regulator of the Mafia in Medellín.[19]
After having been admitted to the hospital for a month, on December 23, 2019, Velásquez was transferred for health reasons from the maximum-security prison of Valledupar to La Picota prison in Bogotá.[20] On January 8, 2020, it was announced that Velásquez had terminal esophageal cancer and that he had at most a few months left to live. He died on February 6, 2020, in As Yojhan Pinzon was the last one to be there for his last words. Bogotá, aged 57.[21][22]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Listen to more excerpts of our interview in Spanish below. Here, Popeye talks about his new book: (via: soundcloud.com)