A FORMER SAS operative who was tasked with assassinating the world's biggest drug baron is coming to Workington.

Known for being contracted to assassinate the notorious narcoterrorist and drug lord from Colombia, Pablo Escobar, Peter McAleese is going to come to the Gus Risman Bar, which is located at Derwent Park in Workington, the rugby club.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 23, from 7pm till late, and it will be a good opportunity to take photos with the mercenary, and to get your book signed.

Tickets are £10 and can be purchased down at the club shp or by visiting https://www.townshop.co.uk/product-page/an-evening-with-sas-legend-peter-mcaleese.

Peter is also part of a new feature-length documentary about the daring mission.

The documentary tells the true story of Scottish mercenary and ex-SAS operative Peter McAleese, who was hired by a rival Colombian drug cartel to lead a small team of ex-special forces commandos on a mission to kill Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombian drug lord in 1989.

The mercenary said of the assassination mission: "You don’t get asked to assassinate Pablo Escobar unless you have the right experience, it was like f***ing Christmas.”

The film, released on Friday (March 12), is called 'Killing Escobar' and can be watched online.

It uses video and pictures taken by the team of 12 mercenaries on the mission, with dramatic reconstruction of the helicopter assault on Escobar's hacienda in 1989, with interviews of many involved.

The film has been directed by David Whitney, who said this was one of his favourite projects he has ever worked on.

Whitney said of the work: "We look for the drama and the human stories and at the heart of this story is Peter McAleese.

"It was a hugely interesting and fascinating experience."

"It was probably the most enjoyable shoot of my career.

"For the dramatic reconstructions we had weapons, helicopters and explosions, the crew was massive and they were great to work with."

If it's people who have done difficult things you're after, then they don't come much better qualified than McAleese.

Raised under the watchful eye of Barlinne, he enjoyed a chequered military career, serving in Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe – and South Africa, before training bodyguards in Moscow and working with security forces in Algeria and Iraq.

His extraordinary life was retold in his book, No Mean Soldier, but Killing Escobar shines the spotlight on some of his lesser-known tales.

As well as the mission McAleese opens up about his marriage and how he struggled to make his family life work.