U.S. HISPANIC
Discovery en Español premieres documentary Barrios en Guerra
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 10 de agosto de 2012
Barrios en Guerra
Discovery en Español enters the most dangerous neighborhoods of Medellin and Río de Janeiro in Barrios en Guerra premiering Sunday, August 12 at 10pm E/P, a documentary that gives audiences an unprecedented opportunity to witness the struggle to take back the streets from drug trafficking and organized crime.The two-part original production features the testimonies of Río de Janeiro and Medellín residents who experienced first hand conditions of extreme violence verging on civil war. The first part of the program, which focuses on Medellín, recounts the two most violent years in the citys history during the period when Pablo Escobar controlled the continents drug trade and was the most powerful and wanted drug kingpin in the world. After Escobars death in the 1990s, armed gangs or combos vied for control of valuable drug-trafficking routes. Their battles unleashed a wave of violence that turned Medellín into one of the worlds most dangerous cities, leaving a toll of thousands of innocent victims and many teenagers and young people in jail. The second episode of the documentary relies on the testimony of members of the security forces, sociologists and even a former drug trafficker to present a detailed look at all aspects of the illegal narcotics trade in Río de Janeiro, from tracing distribution routes to the discovery of a huge cocaine processing laboratory in the middle of the citys favelas.
