A Swedish national operating as "El Silencio" has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for defrauding fans of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar through the sale of non-existent merchandise. Olof Kyros Gustafsson, 32, was also ordered by a Los Angeles court to forfeit at least $1.3 million in proceeds from his schemes and pay a $25,000 fine.
Gustafsson pleaded guilty in July 2025 to multiple fraud and money-laundering charges. He headed Escobar Inc., a company that claimed to sell products branded with the cartel king's name and image. Marketing materials for the company featured scantily clad women and depicted flamethrowers and gold-plated smartphones allegedly linked to Escobar.
According to Gustafsson's plea agreement, the flamethrowers were replicas of Elon Musk's "Not a Flamethrower" product, and the phones were standard Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones covered in gold foil. Consumers who purchased these items, however, never received them. Instead, Gustafsson sent out "Certificates of Ownership," books, or other promotional materials as proof of mailing to prevent customers from obtaining refunds.
YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee noted in a July 2024 video that the company's operations seemed suspicious, stating, "Honestly, in hindsight, I don’t know how they thought they were gonna get away with this. Like it felt pretty obvious to me." The FBI reportedly contacted Brownlee to inquire about the gold phones and any communications he had with the company.
Gustafsson allegedly channeled the illicit funds into overseas accounts in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. Spain extradited Gustafsson to the U.S. in 2023, and he has been in federal custody since March 2025. He accepted a plea agreement to avoid facing a maximum sentence of 20 years per fraud count and up to 10 years per money laundering count.
In a March 2025 interview with Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, Gustafsson expressed discontent with his extradition, stating, "I think it’s terrible, Sweden does not extradite to the US, and Swedish authorities have not protected me at all." He claimed the U.S. might employ coercive interrogation techniques to extract information about Pablo Escobar's family.
