Guest speaker to recount his capture of drug kingpin
Pablo Escobar.
The Medellin Cartel. Not the type of folks you wanted to mess with in the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s.
But Stephen E. Murphy did mess with them. As a result, he – and others – dismantled the largest and most violent international drug trafficking organization of its time.
And you can hear Murphy’s story. Murphy, a special agent in charge (retired) of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will be the featured speaker at the 35th J. Pat Beaird Industry of the Year Luncheon. The event, hosted by Greater Shreveport Chamber, is on Sept. 22 at Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino.
“I have not been to Shreveport and have very limited experience in Louisiana, although I am from the Southeast,” Murphy said from his home in Florida. “But I am truly looking forward to coming and speaking to such an auspicious group of people – the Chamber of Commerce.”
Murphy’s speech will focus on who he says Escobar really was and the role Murphy played in eliminating Escobar and his organization.
“(I) just want the world to know this guy was nothing more than a mass murderer,” Murphy said. “He was responsible for 80% of the world’s cocaine. We just want the truth to be known. There are other people speaking about Pablo who are spewing out different rhetoric. What you hear from (me) is the absolute truth.”
For a year and a half in 1992-1993, Murphy and his partner, Javier Pena, lived in Medellin, Columbia. Murphy said they were the only two Americans selected for the mission: to find “the world’s largest cocaine criminal – the world’s most-wanted criminal.”
“There were a few times I thought I (wouldn’t come back alive) when I was going out on an operation on helicopter gunships,” Murphy said. “Going out on patrol in the Andes Mountains down in South America and Columbia. You got out there sometimes and you sat down to rest, and you think, ‘What in the heck am I doing here? I’m the only DEA agent in the world out here right now.’”
Murphy said Escobar had a $300,000 price tag each on the heads of Murphy and Pena for their capture or death. But that didn’t stop them from doing their job.
“You can’t dwell on the negative,” Murphy said. “To get your job done, you have to focus on what your mission is.”
And long since Murphy put away Escobar and his organization, Murphy still gets death threats – mainly through social media.
“I get a lot of hate mail on a regular basis – almost weekly,” Murphy said. “It could be as simple as ‘I think you’re a fake, a sham, and Pablo Escobar is a hero,’ to the other end of the spectrum – ’I just want to cut your head off and crack down your throat. I hope your family dies of cancer.’ Just incredibly nasty messages.”
But none of that keeps Murphy awake.
“I am a Christian,” Murphy said. “I sleep like a baby every night. I believe the good Lord has a plan for all of us. His plan did not include me getting killed in Columbia. I don’t fear death. I don’t want to die – I love life. I’m having the time of my life in retirement, but (dying) is not something I dwell on. I know where I’m going to go after death, and it’s going to be better than where I am now.”
Dr. Tim Magner, president of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, said each year, the Chamber tries to select a speaker who exemplifies leadership.
“As a business organization, we know leadership is a key component,” Dr. Magner said, “whether you are the person in the leadership chair, or you’re in a leadership role within your organization. That perspective – learning from others, getting to see how people have dealt with adversity in different ways, or have overcome a significant obstacle – is really something we think folks can benefit from. Hearing about it can, in some way, internalize that into their own life, their own pursuits.”
Murphy thinks he can deliver that message. “We had a 600-man force, and it’s only responsibility was to try and locate, capture and/or kill Pablo Escobar,” Murphy said. “All the other members of that search block were looking to us for guidance and leadership. We were successful in our operation. We knew how to focus on a mission and get that mission accomplished.”
Each year, the luncheon recognizes an “Industry of the Year.” This year’s recipient is Brookshire Grocery Company. Dr. Magner had no shortage of reasons why that business was selected.
“With all of the investments they have made in our area, and all the things they did during the pandemic, they stayed open. They did a lot to take care of their employees, making sure their front-line staff were not only protected but compensated for their extra efforts,” Dr. Magner said.
To register and purchase tickets to the luncheon, you may visit web. shreveportchamber.org.
