Javier F. Peña

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About Javier F. Peña
The explosive memoir of legendary DEA agents and the subject of the hit Netflix series Narcos, Steve Murphy and Javier F. Peña
In the decades they spent at the DEA, Javier Peña and Steve Murphy risked their lives hunting large and small drug traffickers. But their biggest challenge was the hunt for Pablo Escobar in Colombia. The partners, who began their careers as small-town cops, have been immortalized in Netflix’s Narcos, a fictional account of their hunt for Escobar. Now, for the first time ever, they tell the real story of how they brought down the world’s first narco-terrorist, the challenges they faced, and the innovative strategies they employed to successfully end the reign of terror of the world’s most wanted criminal.
Readers will go deep inside the inner workings of the Search Bloc, the joint Colombian-US task force that resulted in an intensive 18-month operation that tracked Escobar. Between July 1992 and December 1993, Steve and Javier lived on the edge, setting up camp in Medellin at the Carlos Holguin Military Academy. There, they lived and worked with the Colombian authorities, hunting down a man who was thought by many to be untouchable. Their firsthand experience coupled with stories from the DEA’s recently de-classified files on the search for Escobar forms the beating heart of Manhunters, an epic account of how two American agents risked everything to capture the world's most wanted man.
Over the years, Javier and Steve have appeared in numerous television events, both while still working with the DEA, and following their retirement. The most recent include serving as technical consultants/subject matter experts for the Netflix series Narcos, National Geographic’s Facing Escobar, Finding Escobar’s Millions on the Discovery Channel, and the new Netflix series Drug Lords. Several other documentaries and projects are ongoing.
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Books By Javier F. Peña
Javier Peña and Steve Murphy risked their lives hunting large and small drug traffickers in the decades they spent working for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. But their biggest challenge was the hunt for Pablo Escobar in Colombia. The partners, who began their careers as small-town cops, have been immortalised in Netflix’s ‘Narcos’, a fictionalised account of their hunt for Escobar. Now, for the first time, they tell the real story of how they brought down the world’s first narco-terrorist and ended the reign of terror of the world’s most wanted criminal.
Manhunters takes you deep inside the inner workings of the Search Bloc, the joint Colombian-US task force that resulted in an intensive 18-month operation that tracked Escobar. Between July 1992 and December 1993, Peña and Murphy lived on the edge, setting up camp in Medellin at the Carlos Holguin Military Academy. There, they lived and worked with the Colombian authorities, hunting down a man thought to be untouchable.
Their terrifying first-hand experience coupled with stories from the DEA’s de-classified files on the search for Escobar forms the beating heart of Manhunters, a gripping account of how two determined and courageous agents risked everything to capture the world's most wanted man.
Praise for Manhunters
‘A riveting account of two brave DEA Agents who put their lives, along with their families’ lives, on the line to fight the war on drugs. A must read on the take down of Pablo Escobar.’ Joe Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco
‘A fast-paced tale by two agents who had the inside track on bringing down the most wanted man in recent US history.’ Bruce Porter, New York Times bestselling author of Blow
‘Steve and Javier's experience on the front lines of the war on drugs over the last thirty years made them an invaluable source of information for a narrative of one of the most complex, poorly reported, and misunderstood chapters in our recent past.’ Eric Newman, Executive Producer, ‘Narcos’
‘Manhunters grabs you from the first page and gives you a front-row seat into the harrowing hunt for the brutal narco trafficker Pablo Escobar. Two unlikely heroes recount their stories in a way that is both compelling and captivating.’ Congresswoman Mary Bono
‘A compelling read about the adventures of two true American law enforcement heroes who ultimately took on the world’s first narco-terrorist, the world’s most wanted criminal, the world’s largest cocaine baron, Pablo Escobar, and won!’ Barbara Comstock, former congresswoman