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THE MEN WHO TOOK DOWN PABLO
STEVE MURPHY
BIO ONE SHEET
JAVIER PEÑA
Stephen Murphy worked his up way from his start as a police officer in a small West Virginia town to the Deputy Assistant Administrator of the DEA. During his 37 years in law enforcement Steve was stationed all around the world, most notably as one of the two Americans present and involved in the hunt for the largest cocaine distributor in the world, Pablo Escobar. Murphy was present during the chase and eventual shooting resulting in the death of Escobar, and took all the photographs seen in the media following the event.
Instead of accepting that he would never again work a drug trafficking case the size and scope of Escobar's, Murphy continued to aggressively pursue local and international drug dealers just as he had pursued Escobar. His work ethic, conviction, integrity and charcater assisted him in climbing the ranks within DEA before his retirement in July 2013.
Murphy continues to serve in law enforcement roles, and lectures around the country on drug trafficking trends, security-related challenges and what it was like to pursue a criminal the magnitude of Escobar. He has appeared on a variety of television specials on Escobar’s death. Along with Javier Peña, he serves as a subject matter expert and senior consultant for the hit Netflix series Narcos.
Now, looking forward, Steve is back again with his DEA Narcos partner Javier Peña to lead an investigation into a history making cold case. Just prior to World War II, the worlds most high-tech commercial airliner with secret military grade engines was on a seemingly routine mission - but was it? On board Pan Am Airways flight 229 Hawaii Clipper were fifteen passengers and crew bound for Hong Kong from San Francisco with three million dollars (46 million today) in goldbacked bank notes. Why? Allegedly ransom for missing aviatrix Amelia Earhart. The plane -missing. The crew - allegedly murdered by rogue Japanese agents and buried on a remote Pacific Island. If Steve and Javier can find the remains of these fifteen Americans - the start date of World War II may have to be changed in our history books.
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Represented by:
Javier Peña retired in 2014 as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the DEA Houston Field Division after 30 years of service with DEA.
In 1988, Peña volunteered for an assignment at the DEA office in Bogota, Colombia. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by partner Steve Murphy, and together they pursued the world's first narco-terrorist, Pablo Escobar. SAC Peña spent six years hunting Pablo, resulting in the final chase and shooting of Escobar in 1993.
During his DEA career, Peña was stationed all over the world, including in San Francisco, the Caribbean and elsewhere. Using his leadership and expertise in dismantling highly sophisticated criminal networks and organizations, Peña led and contributed to a large number of successful investigations in the war on drugs and narco-terrorism.
Peña is a subject matter expert on the Medellin Cartel and has delivered more than 100 presentations on the subject and related areas, including sharing rare photos of original events that were captured during the rise and fall of the Cartel. Along with Steve Murphy, he serves as a subject matter expert and senior consultant for the hit Netflix series Narcos.
Javier has a heart for solving mysteries and the next one may be his biggest. With DEA Narcos partner Steve Murphy side by side - both former agents will now blaze a new trail on a cold case of an ancient organized criminal enterprise that may have helped start World War II in the Pacific. Together with Steve, Javier will work to interview people from across the world and search a small Pacific island to help solve an 80 year old cold case and bring closure to families still haunted by the very first hijacking of a commercial airliner - the Pan Am Airways Hawaii Clipper.
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