Just when you thought the drug war was already over with the death of Pablo Escobar, "Narcos" returns to screen with even bigger villains whom you have never heard of. After two seasons of following the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as they track down Medellin's infamous kingpin, the latest season 3 trailer introduces his real-life successors, Colombia's Cali Cartel.
The footage, which Netflix uploaded on YouTube last July 14, opens with a scenic view of Colombia, showing the 26 meter tall statue called "Cristo Rey." It is then followed by a clip showing Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal) sitting on an airplane, about to read a newspaper.
As he opens it, the camera focuses on the headlines that announce Escobar's death. These details set the stage for both the timeline and location of the seventh season. Clearly, "Narcos" will still involve the drug war in Colombia, but without Escobar in the picture, who will run the show?
The trailer then flashes a picture of Escobar being torn away, revealing a new face, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela's (Harold Devasten). In the next scenes, he is portrayed as the head of a group and shown toasting glasses with other men who seem to be his partners.
The said scenes introduce the Cali Cartel or "Cali de Cartel," who are considered as next-in-line in Colombia's drug trading industry. The group is considered as less violent than its predecessor, Escobar's Medellin Cartel, and they were more inclined to committing bribery. They operated in the 1970s, and were initially involved in marijuana trafficking. However, they began to branch out in cocaine trafficking a decade later, supplying 80 percent of the U.S. and 90 percent of Europe.
The men seen toasting with Rodriguez Orejuela, who is also known as "The Chess Player," are the other leaders of the Cali Cartel namely his brother Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela or "The Lord," Jose Santacruz Londono or "El Estudiante," Jorge Alberto Rodriguez or "Don Cholito," and Escobar's former partner Helmer Herrera or "Pacho."
Netflix shared the trailer via Twitter, announcing the Sept. 1 premiere of "Narcos" season 3.
