A man who falsely associated himself with the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar to promote various products, including flamethrowers and luxury items, using misleading marketing tactics, has been sentenced to prison.
Olof Kyros Gustafsson, a 32-year-old CEO of Escobar Inc, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme where he deceived customers into buying merchandise supposedly linked to Pablo Escobar but never delivered the goods. Gustafsson, also known as El Silencio, utilized provocative advertising featuring scantily clad models to market items like branded phones and an “Escobar Flamethrower.”
Operating under Escobar Inc in Puerto Rico, Gustafsson leveraged his claimed connection to Pablo Escobar, the former leader of the Medellin Cartel, who met his demise in 1993. He sold products such as gold foldable smartphones, a physical cryptocurrency named “Escobar Cash,” and the infamous “Escobar Flamethrower” at significantly discounted prices from 2019 to 2023.
To enhance public interest, Gustafsson even distributed foil-wrapped Samsung Galaxy flip phones to tech reviewers. When customers demanded refunds for undelivered purchases, he resorted to sending meaningless items like a “Certificate of Ownership” or promotional books.
Despite amassing a fortune of $1.3 million through his fraudulent practices, Gustafsson’s deceitful tactics were eventually exposed by vigilant individuals, including YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who highlighted the fraudulent activities in a 2024 video. Subsequently, the FBI became involved and investigated the scam, leading to Gustafsson’s extradition from Spain back to the US in 2023.
After pleading guilty to multiple fraud and money-laundering charges in July 2025, Gustafsson was sentenced to four years in federal prison by a Los Angeles court. The US Attorney’s Office confirmed his sentence, mentioning that he must pay restitution of $1,300,193 and a fine of $25,000, in addition to forfeiting proceeds from his fraudulent schemes held in a Swedish bank account.