Who Is Navegante In ‘Narcos’ Season 3? Facts Behind The Real-Life Cali Cartel Sicario

Navegante in Narcos Season 3 is based on a real-life character who was a hitman in the Cali Cartel. In the Netflix series, he is portrayed as a cold-blooded killer, who is willing to do the immoral activities that Jorge Salcedo will not.

Navegante is based on a real person, whose real name was Cesar Yusti.

Narcos Season 3 spoilers ahead.

In the series, he was shot by Jorge Salcedo to help save Pallomari, whose location has been discovered by the Cali Cartel. Matias Varela, who portrays Jorge Salcedo, told Vulture magazine that he believes the real Salcedo killed Navegante (Cesar Yusti). However, the real Salcedo denied killing him and suggested that the DEA killed Yusti.

Salcedo claims that he was hiding in an apartment with his family in a secured location, according to an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The real Chris Feistl also backed Salcedo’s account of the events. He tells The Hollywood Reporter that Jorge Salcedo was nowhere near Pallomari’s location when they went to secure their witness, who would be crucial in bringing down the Cali Cartel:

“At that point in time, Jorge was barricaded up inside of his house with his wife and family for fear they were going to come looking for him to try to kill them,” Feistl told the publication.

I really want to be Navegante from Narcos for Halloween. pic.twitter.com/To4e82gDUd

— Travis (@travisshumate) September 14, 2017

The DEA approached Pallomari’s wife as portrayed in Narcos to help find him and they eventually got him out of the country to testify against the Cali Cartel. One of the biggest bombshells of Pallomari’s testimony is that the Cali Cartel bribed President Ernesto Samper.

Feistl denies that the DEA murdered Navegante (Cesar Yusti) but seems to confirm that he was killed. The former DEA agent says that the sicario’s death was a coincidence since he disappeared the same day Pallomari was taken to Bogota by the DEA.

Cesar Yusti was a sicario, paid killer for Cali #cartel. Didn't look dangerous: Short, bald, bad comb-over. http://t.co/wsvvKr0d

— At the Devil's Table (@AtTheDT) October 20, 2011

William Rempel wrote a book about the Cali Cartel titled Atthe Devil’s Table: Inside the Fall of The Cali Cartel. In the book, Rempel mentioned Navegante (Cesar Yusti) and explained how Salcedo saved Pallomari’s life.

Yusti had found an apartment number for where Pallomari was hiding and Salcedo convinced him to not make a move on the location until they had a phone number for the apartment, which bought the DEA time to extract him.

Who do you think killed Navegante?

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[Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]