By C1 Staff
COLOMBIA — A Colombian hit man known as “Popeye” has been freed from prison after only 22 years of incarceration.
News 10 reports that the time served works out to around 27 days for each of the 300 people he has admitted killing.
Jhon Jairo Velasquez was the chief assassin for drug lord Pablo Escobar and is believed to have had a hand in thousands of killings on top of the ones for which he was imprisoned.
Velasquez was freed early from a 30-year sentence after giving evidence against other criminals, and Colombia is divided on whether he deserves a second chance in society.
He’s believed to have been involved in the 1989 killing of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, the kidnapping of future President Andres Pastrana, and the bombing of an Avianca flight, which killed all 107 people on board.
Velasquez left prison on Tuesday, under heavy police guard. He will be on probation for the next four years.
His testimony makes him a target for other hit men, but it’s unclear if he will receive ongoing protection.