Discovered: mystery safe at Pablo Escobar’s former home

Pablo Escobar and the home at 5860 North Bay Road
Pablo Escobar and the home at 5860 North Bay Road

While demolishing the former Miami Beach mansion of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, construction workers reportedly stumbled upon a mysterious locked safe. Could it hold drugs, cash, diamonds or gold? The property’s new owners plan to find out.

The property at 5860 North Bay Road is owned by Chicken Kitchen founder Christian de Berdouaré and his wife Jennifer Valoppi, a former TV journalist. Last week, the couple began tearing down the 1940s-era home that once belonged to Colombia’s infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Workers had discovered one safe while canvassing the property, but it was stolen within the last month.

“Before we even got a chance to look at it, it was stolen,” Valoppi said. “We were hoping to get it back, but it does not look like it will be recovered.”

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Now, another safe has turned up in the rubble. A construction excavator pulled down the home’s last remaining wall, which fell and cracked the house’s foundation. Inside rested a two-foot by two-foot safe with a combination lock, according to CBS Miami.

De Berdouare plans to have a safe cracker open it, according to the report.

A construction worker on the scene told CBS that something rolled inside as the safe moved, though it’s still unclear what the contents could be.

Whatever it holds, one thing is certain: De Berdouare doesn’t want another safe being stolen under his nose. The new find has already been moved off the demolition site for safe keeping. [CBS Miami]Sean Stewart-Muniz