The Deep Reach of Mexico’s Most Powerful Drug Cartel
Drugs have been flowing from Mexico into the US through various veins for decades, but in the last few years the U Drug Enforcement Administration has looked closely at the Sinaloa drug cartel, one of the largest distributors and Mexico's most powerful organized crime group.
Drugs have been flowing from Mexico into the U.S. through various veins for decades, but in the last few years the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has looked closely at the Sinaloa drug cartel, one of the largest distributors and Mexico’s most powerful organized crime group.
A series of stories by the Los Angeles Times captured the detailed narrative that emerged from the DEA investigations and from interviews with cartel employees who were convicted as a result of the investigation. The picture is one of a thriving, multibillion-dollar industry, snaking its way from drug lord to drug users in the far corners of the U.S. –BF
Dig, Root, GrowLos Angeles Times:
Smugglers were your next-door neighbor, the guy ringing you up at Wal-Mart, the big tipper at Applebee’s, the old friend at your high school reunion.
Lopez was friends with a man named Sergio Kaiser, who had married into his family. Kaiser said he owned a body shop, but his tastes seemed too flamboyant for that. He was building a house with a grand staircase modeled on the mansion in the movie “Scarface.”
In reality, Kaiser was Cuevas’ top lieutenant, and he told Lopez he could help him with his money troubles. There were several possibilities.
For a night’s work driving a load car from Mexicali to Los Angeles, a driver shared $5,000 with his recruiter and got to keep the car.
Another entry-level position was as a lookout. One kind of lookout followed the load car from the stash house in Mexicali to the border. Another stood watch at the port of entry and reported when the car had cleared customs. Yet another tailed the load car up the freeway to Los Angeles.
Lopez accepted Kaiser’s offer. Being a lookout was harmless, he figured: Just stand there and watch a car cross the border. “[He] didn’t say it involved drugs, but I knew,” Lopez said. “I thought, ‘What’s the big deal?’“
This year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.
Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.
Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.
This spring, stand with our journalists.
Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.
Donate today.
Media
The choice by the owners of the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post to prevent their editorial boards from issuing an endorsement speaks volumes.
TD Column
Reflecting on the void left in the wake of the legendary writer and activist's death, one year later.
The process is unrepresentative and undemocratic, but national political reporters and Iowa businesspeople will never let it die.
The Vermont senator now leads in the delegate-rich state of California—a fact the Los Angeles Times seems reluctant to acknowledge.
Nevertheless, media watchers remain skeptical that the social media platform is really committed to helping sustain the news industry.
If our political press is to be believed, the only viable "peace plan" for the region is one proposed by the United States government.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.