Jhon Jairo Arias Tascón, known as Pinina, was a member of the Medellín Cartel. He obtained power in the cartel's military wing and was accused of hundreds of murders. He was considered to be ranked fifth within the cartel structure. He was a hit man, the boss of hit men and leader of a criminal group at the disposal of the Cartel, known as Los Priscos. His strident voice caused him to be nicknamed "Pinina". He was tall. Few photos of him are available.
Career
As a child, Arias lived in the Medellin commune, in Lovaina. He was born to a poor family. He became a thief at twelve, then joined a gang and finally became a hit man at age 15. One story holds that one day he went to a park near San Pedro cemetery, where he stole a music player from a car that belonged to Pablo Escobar. One of Pablo's men started asking around and found that Arias had broken into the car. He informed Pablo Escobar of the feat. Escobar then asked Pinina to be a member of the cartel. Arias had a vast knowledge of the people in the commune, which allowed him to recruit members for murder-for-hire. The first assassination ordered by the Medellín Cartel, i.e., the assassination of Rodrigo Lara, was delegated to him. He then hired Byron de Jesús Velásquez, Iván Darío Guizao Álvarez and others to commit the assassination in 1984. Pinina participated in almost every criminal act ordered by the cartel: the assassinations of Lara and El Espectador director Guillermo Cano Isaza in 1986, the bombing of the El Espectador building in 1989, the assassination of Police Colonel Jaime Ramírez Gómez in 1986, the kidnap and murder of Carlos Mauro Hoyos in 1988, the murder of the Antioquia governor Antonio Roldán Betancur in 1989, the assassination of the Police Colonel Valdemar Franklin Quintero in 1989, cooperation with the arrangement of the DAS Building bombing in 1989, involvement in the bombing of an Avianca airplane on 27 November 1989, participation in the killing of many police officers as well as the assassination of the magistrate of Colombian Supreme Court Hernando Baquero Borda in 1986, participation in the assassination of presidential candidateLuis Carlos Galán in 1989 and the war between the Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel along with other criminal acts such as car bombings.
Death
Arias died on 13 June 1990, when the Colombian police raided his apartment in the neighborhood, El Poblado of Medellín. He tried to escape through a window on the third floor, but fell, injuring his ankle, head and right arm. He was able to stand up and tried to walk to his car, but upon encountering the police, he retreated into the apartment building. On the first floor he engaged in a fight with police officers and was eventually killed. He was 29 years old at the time of his death. After his death, the Medellín Cartel started to fall apart. In retaliation, Escobar ordered his men to put a car-bomb on the police station of El Poblado, causing severe damage. His body was buried in Campos de Paz cemetery in Medellín.
Media
In 2012, Caracol Televisión premiered the series Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord, inspired by the life of the cartel chief. In it, the character of John Jairo Arias was portrayed using the alias "El Chili". In the series Bloque de búsqueda, produced by Teleset for Sony Pictures Television, broadcast in 2016 and inspired by the police force that disbanded the Medellín Cartel, his character was performed by the actor Sebastián Boscán, under the alias "Pinocho".
