Pablo Escobar's brother claims Elon Musk stole flamethrower design

Roberto Escobar alleges the idea was brought up while a Boring Co engineer was visiting the family compound in mid-2017.

The bizarre controversies surrounding Elon Musk appear to have reached a new level as Pablo Escobar's brother accuses Boring Co of stealing the idea for the novelty flamethrower.

A Boring Co engineer allegedly visited Escobar's family compound in Medellin in mid-2017 when Roberto Escobar raised the idea of a toy flamethrower that would "burn money," according to TMZ.

Boring Co was first to bring the idea to market, installing a roofing torch into an airsoft gun frame. The novelty item quickly sold out despite its $500 price tag, raising millions of dollars for the tunneling startup.

Escobar Inc has only now launched its own flamethrower (pictured), which resembles the Boring Co device. It is unclear if Escobar's final design was decided after Boring Co launched its own product.

Roberto has threatened to sue, though he likely has weak legal footing for such an action, even if the story of the conversation with a Boring Co engineer is accurate.

"It's Not a Flamethrower, Mr Escobar," Musk quipped on Twitter, referring to the "not a flamethrower" description that Boring Co adopted to avoid regulatory red tape for shipping and export.