In a significant move toward social justice, Colombia has reallocated a portion of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar’s sprawling Hacienda Napoles estate to women impacted by the nation’s prolonged armed conflict. President Gustavo Petro announced the decision on Wednesday, marking a step in the government’s efforts to address historical inequalities tied to land ownership. The 120-hectare parcel, once a symbol of Escobar’s immense wealth and power, has been granted to local women farmers who were previously evicted from the land despite receiving a loan from the Puerto Triunfo municipality in 2017. Escobar, the infamous leader of the Medellin Cartel, amassed a fortune estimated at $25 billion in the 1980s. His 4,000-hectare estate, complete with exotic animals like hippos, became a notorious emblem of his criminal empire. After his death in 1993, the property was converted into a theme park, attracting tourists with its zoo and replica plane—a nod to his drug-smuggling operations. The government’s decision aligns with Petro’s broader land reform initiative, which seeks to redistribute thousands of hectares, including properties once owned by drug traffickers, to rural Colombians. While tourism operators have opposed the estate’s division, citing its economic benefits, the move has been celebrated by beneficiaries like Millinery Correa, who expressed hope and gratitude for the land allocation. Additionally, the estate’s hippo population, now numbering around 150, has been declared an invasive species, with plans underway to relocate 70 of them to overseas sanctuaries.