Photos: Hidden safe found during demolition of a mansion once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar.

A safe was discovered hidden inside a Miami mansion that once belonged to notorious Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar. Construction workers found the safe in the building's foundation during demolition.

The mansion, now owned by a restaurateur and a TV journalist, is being removed to make way for a more modern building. It was confiscated by the U.S. government in 1987 and sold at auction. The current owners purchased it in 2014.

 

 

"It was in the ground under some marble and was discovered by some of our workers, but before we even had a chance to remove it, it was stolen, so we've been working with police on that," Jennifer Valoppi, who co-owns the property with her husband, said in an interview with the BBC.

Escobar was known to have squirreled away much of his funds and drugs during the years he spent on the run, as much of it couldn't be kept in banks or laundered. He died in a shootout in Medellin in 1993.

De Berdouare, the owner, believes the Miami house was used "to conduct illicit trade," and he's therefore happy to see it torn down.

"We’re demolishing the house of the devil. Pablo Escobar was one of the biggest murderers and criminals in the world."