ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Farmer shocked to find $600 million of Pablo Escobar’s money on his land
Home>News>World News
Updated 19:36 14 Aug 2025 GMT+1Published 14:19 14 Aug 2025 GMT+1

Farmer shocked to find $600 million of Pablo Escobar’s money on his land

Josè Mariena Cartolos got way more than he bargained for while digging up a trench on his farm

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Pablo Escobar reportedly buried quite the treat for this farmer below the surface of his land.

The drug kingpin allegedly left a few trinkets from his life of crime littered around his home country of Colombia, such as an abandoned plane, which supposedly crashed while carrying a s**tload of drugs.

Apparently, he also stashed a load of cash in various locations - including Josè Mariena Cartolos' family ranch.

Although they say 'crime doesn't pay', Escobar's highly illegal exploits made him a ridiculously rich man... and for a fleeting moment, so was the farmer when he stumbled across several containers brimming with money.

Advert

A few years back, reports emerged in Colombia claiming that Cartolos had found a whopping $600million in cash after a day of digging up his land.

He is said to have received a $3,000 grant from the country's government to create a palm oil plantation on his family's property and he was in the middle of making a trench for irrigation purposes when he made the discovery.

The story goes that, at some point, his shovel hit a large, blue container - and when he took a closer look, he found a few more.

Cartolos reportedly found several containers brimming with cash beneath the surface at his farm (Reddit)
Cartolos reportedly found several containers brimming with cash beneath the surface at his farm (Reddit)

Inside, there were endless stacks of $100 bills which allegedly totalled up to more than half a billion dollars.

And although that's a staggering amount, it's only a small slice of the $30 billion that Escobar is rumoured to have buried beneath the surface in numerous spots around Colombia for his rainy day fund.

Cartolos ended up alerting authorities to his unbelievable discovery, who then came and seized the lot of it, reports claim.

I'll bet he's kicking himself now, eh?

Escobar's alleged endowment which was buried under the farmer's land then ended up being spent on social and economic programs by the Colombian government, MTV Lebanon previously reported.

The extraordinary story has recently reared its head on social media again, and although a lot of people remain unconvinced about Cartolos' alleged find, others reckon it's more than plausible.

The main sticking point between people online has been how the farmer dealt with his unbelievable windfall - as some people didn't think honesty was the best policy in this situation.

Escobar allegedly buried billions in various spots around Colombia (FILES/AFP via Getty Images)
Escobar allegedly buried billions in various spots around Colombia (FILES/AFP via Getty Images)

One person on Reddit wrote: "Never would’ve said a word. Would’ve loaded that up and been gone."

Another added: "Why would he report it? I’d be living the high life right now."

A third joked: "I'd invoke the law of finders keepers."

And a fourth laughed: "Dude won the lottery and and said 'no thank you.'"

Others reckoned that Cartolos definitely did the right thing, especially as the Pablo Escobar is supposedly the rightful owner of the cash.

"Finding a stash that belongs to a cartel is a 'I'm f***ed' situation," one person commented. "The first question is: how do I get out of that alive?"

Another chimed in saying: "Any Colombian farmer would know better than to advertise this lol."

And a third pointed out: "I promise you that you would have no idea what to do with $600m in illegal cash."

Featured Image Credit: Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Topics: Crime, Money, Pablo Escobar, World News, Drugs

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

X

@livburke_

Recommended reads

Student dies and two being treated in new meningitis outbreak GettyPam Grier makes candid sex confession as TV star admits she has 'three day long orgasms'Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesMore than 900 bodies remain trapped in shipwreck at bottom of US oceanGetty StockMoment US press and Chinese security argue in chaotic scenesBBC

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
6 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • Getty
    4 hours ago

    Student dies and two being treated in new meningitis outbreak

    The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that they are actively contacting those who may be at risk

    News

    breaking

  • Getty Stock
    6 hours ago

    More than 900 bodies remain trapped in shipwreck at bottom of US ocean

    There's another huge concern with the ship

    News
  • BBC
    6 hours ago

    Moment US press and Chinese security argue in chaotic scenes

    In the end they decided to push their way out

    News
  • Kennedy News and Media
    8 hours ago

    Woman with boobs so big she can’t even play with her son denied surgery by NHS

    Charlotte Innes has been rejected for reduction surgery five times

    News
  • Farmer discovered $600 million of Pablo Escobar’s money on his land
  • 'Weed affectionate' influencer breaks silence after being accused of running 'drug trafficking and money laundering network'
  • Man went on three-day trek to find 'Pablo Escobar's abandoned drug plane' and shared what he found inside
  • Man, 56, ‘dressed as his dead mother to claim money while hiding body at home’