Rodrigo Lara Bonilla (; August 11, 1946 – April 30, 1984) was a Colombian people lawyer and politician, who served as Minister of Justice under President Belisario Betancur, and was assassinated on the orders of Pablo Escobar because of his work as Minister in prosecuting cocaine traffickers mainly belonging to the Medellín Cartel.
Lara's death led to Escobar's indictment for murder, which would be the beginning of his eventual downfall.
Beginnings
Born in
Neiva, capital of the department of
Huila Department, Lara studied law at the Universidad Externado de Colombia. Years later he joined the Liberal Revolutionary Movement party, founded and led by former Liberal president Alfonso López Michelsen. In 1969, when he was only 23 years old, Lara was appointed mayor of his hometown.
Minister of Justice
, 1979. From left: , Luis Carlos Galán, Rodrigo Lara, Nancy Restrepo de Lara, Gabriela White de Vélez, and Hernán Vieira. Galán, Lara, and White were assassinated either by
drug lords or by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, (FARC)]].
In August 1983, Lara, who belonged to the New Liberalism created by him and Luis Carlos Galán, was appointed by President Belisario Betancur as Minister of Justice, replacing Bernardo Gaitán Mahecha. Lara, together with Galán, publicly denounced the drug cartels, especially in Medellín, where the cartel was led by Escobar. When Escobar was elected to the Congress, Lara denounced him, citing his connection to drug cartels. Lara also exposed Escobar and the cartel for influencing politics and sports through corruption. This triggered a trap set by some politicians, drug dealers, and journalists who were threatened by the explosive growth of Lara in government and especially in the fight against drug trafficking. Jairo Ortega, Escobar's ally in Congress, presented a check (eventually shown to have been falsified) to the chamber, supposedly drawn by known drug trafficker Evaristo Porras.
After the alleged link between Lara and the drug cartels was discredited, the government began uncovering the shadowy dealings of the Medellín Cartel, specifically Escobar. Escobar was expelled from the Congress and his U.S. visa cancelled. The Minister went further, reviving criminal charges against Escobar and other drug lords, such as Carlos Lehder. Lara also ordered the seizure of 250 of Escobar's planes,[ The day Rodrigo Lara Bonilla discovered Uribe's helicopter, agenciapi.co. Accessed 18 August 2025.]
Death
Both Lara and his family were the target of constant death threats. The American ambassador Lewis Arthur Tambs had offered him a
bulletproof vest and an armored car, but Lara refused the car. Knowing of the threats, Betancur considered appointing Lara ambassador to
Czechoslovakia, a position that Lara accepted and would have taken up on May 12, 1984.
On April 30, 1984, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was in his 1976 Mercedes-Benz W123, on 127th Street north of Bogotá after passing through the
Autopista Norte towards the Recreo de los Frailes neighborhood where he lived with his family,
when Byron Velasquez and Ivan Dario Guisado drove past his SUV convoy on a Yamaha motorcycle. Guisado shot a Mac-10 (.45 ACP caliber) through the window, hitting him multiple times.
Lara was killed instantly, but the driver was left unharmed. Lara was transferred to another car and taken to the Shaio Clinic where he was declared dead minutes after his arrival.
[ El magnicidio de Rodrigo Lara, el asesinato del ministro de Justicia de Colombia que desencadenó la cacería contra Pablo Escobar y la guerra contra los carteles, infobae.com. Accessed 18 August 2025.][ Remembering Rodrigo Lara, elespectador.com. Accessed 18 August 2025.] His bodyguards shot and killed Iván Dario Guisado, but Byron Velasquez was arrested and was paroled on 15 October 1995. Within a few days of Lara’s assassination,
Pablo Escobar and his family fled to
Panama. After Lara's death, the Betancur government immediately approved the extradition law and began a war against organized crime. In turn, Enrique Parejo González was appointed Minister of Justice. He directed a harsh attack against drug trafficking, leading to the extradition of three members of the Medellín Cartel to the United States.
In 2009, Rodrigo Lara Restrepo and the sons of the late Luis Carlos Galán announced to the media their forgiveness of Sebastian Marroquin (formerly Juan Pablo Escobar), son of the late Pablo Escobar, who apologized for the damage done to the country in his two decades of narco-terrorism, as told in the documentary film Sins of My Father (2009).
In popular culture
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In the Colombian Caracol TV series Escobar, el Patrón del Mal (2012), Lara is portrayed by the Colombian actor Ernesto Benjumea.
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In the TV series Tres Caínes (2013), Lara is portrayed in a minor role by the Colombian actor Juan Carlos Serrano.
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In the TV series Alias El Mexicano (2013), Lara is portrayed by the Colombian actor Fabio Rubiano.
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In the Netflix TV series Narcos (2015) (Season 1, Episode 3, "The Men of Always"), Lara (played by Mexican actor Adan Canto) is depicted denouncing Escobar and being assassinated.
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In the TV Series En la boca del lobo is referred as Roberto Lora Pinilla.
