Terrifying true story of ‘Pablo Esco-bear’ the 200lb beast which inspired film Cocaine Bear

The true Cocaine Bear story saw a 200lb black bear die from cocaine poisoning in 1985 after finding drug smuggler’s stash in a Georgia forest – its stuffed body remains on display today

In a shocking turn of events, a 200-pound black bear fell victim to an ill-fated drugs operation involving an aeroplane’s worth of pure Colombian cocaine.

Channel 4 is airing ‘Cocaine Bear’ at 9.30pm today, a programme based on the true and tumultuous final moments of a black bear’s life.

“Its stomach was literally packed to the brim with cocaine. There isn’t a mammal on the planet that could survive that,” explained the medical examiner who performed the necropsy on the bear.

“Cerebral haemorrhaging, respiratory failure, hyperthermia, renal failure, heart failure, stroke. You name it, that bear had it,” he shared with Kentucky for Kentucky. The bear, now known as Pablo EscoBear or Snow Bear, consumed 90 pounds of pure cocaine.

Even decades later, people line up to see its preserved body at a Kentucky Fun Mall.

The incident dates back to 1985, during the infamous “Bluegrass Conspiracy” era, named after Sally Denton’s book. Andrew Thornton, a former narcotics officer turned drug lord, bailed out of an aircraft mid-flight over the United States, reports the Mirror.

Thornton had been flying a drug run from Colombia and dropped 40 plastic containers filled with cocaine into Chattahoochee National Forest.

Sadly, Thornton met his end when he became entangled in his parachute and fell to his death in Knoxville, Tennessee.

When officers retraced his route through the forest, they expected to find a drugs stash worth $15 million (£11 million).

Instead, they discovered 40 split-open containers and one deceased black bear. Investigators found no evidence of menacing or destructive conduct from the cocaine-addled creature before its demise.

It’s also believed nobody made away with what remained of Thornton’s contraband cargo – with the bear having consumed only a portion of the haul.

After the autopsy, the animal was preserved through taxidermy and began a trek between various proprietors, reportedly including country music legend Waylon Jennings.

Kentucky for Kentucky, a local enterprise, tracked down the bear’s location nationwide. When they eventually located the creature, it had been dead for a month.

The pair positioned it at the Kentucky Fun Mall in north Lexington, where it continues to reside.

Yet, the bear was probably not Thornton’s only casualty from his narcotics operations.

Indeed, investigators uncovered numerous additional holdalls stuffed with drugs that Thornton had abandoned across rural Georgia and Tennessee prior to his 1985 death.

After his passing, authorities determined that Thornton and his accomplices had trafficked 880 pounds of cocaine into the US.