Who are Sicarios?

Sicarios are hitmen typically employed by drug cartels to carry out high profile assassinations, kidnappings, and other violent actions against their enemies. They are often depicted as cold-blooded killers who function under the command of drug trafficking organizations. In the context of Pablo Escobar, one of the most notorious drug lords in history, sicarios were responsible for thousands of murders, including police officers and civilians in Colombia. These individuals were frequently young men from impoverished backgrounds, sometimes drawn into this violent lifestyle by the promise of money, which was often pitifully low considering the nature of the crimes they committed 1.

In another example from Honduras, the life of a sicario was depicted through an individual known as Fresa, who endured a tough childhood and was driven by deep-seated anger and resentment. This individual’s trajectory into a life of crime began with petty theft and escalated into involvement in gruesome acts, underlining not only the savagery that can characterize the actions of sicarios but also the complex, often dire personal backgrounds from which they come 2.