He spent his youth in the emerald mining zone in the cities of Muzo and Quipama in the department of Boyacá, centered about 120 km northwest of Bogotá, where he farmed cattle and worked as a butcher.
It was then that Molina met a young Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, "El Mexicano," who would become years later one of the most feared kingpins in the infamous Medellín Cartel.
At some point, and probably as a result of his connections with Rodríguez Gacha, Molina apparently also became involved with drug trafficking and with the sponsorship of paramilitary right-wing organizations.
He also owned a private ranch called La Fortuna, which allegedly contained sophisticated warning devices and was used as a drug distribution center.
[2] Although Colombian police officials first speculated that the slaughter could have been on the orders of Luis Murcia, aka "el Pequinés", a rival emerald kingpin,[2] the consensus is that the responsible was his former friend and partner Rodríguez Gacha, who apparently felt that Molina had betrayed him by blaming him of being the actual owner of the coca plantation that got him arrested.