Great article and it raises some interesting questions about US involvement with the cartels. What immediately caught my eye is the sentence "Mexican journalists complain the U.S. side of the trafficking equation is poorly documented". The documentation is certainly not obvious, even in court documents which are always vague about the corruption allowing such huge quantities of drugs to enter the United States.
There is a huge resistance by the public in the United States to even accept our collusion with the drug trade. The excellent series of articles in 2019 by the newspaper Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, detailing the penetration of the CJNG cartel in rural southeastern towns in the US never gained any traction. No state government panels of investigation nor federal government panels of investigation. Everything was almost forgotten immediately. Yet are we to think that this type of corruption disappeared and never has happened in other areas of the United States?
From 2005 to 2012, 144 customs and border patrol agents were arrested for corruption from drug money. Try and find recent statistics of the same type of corruption. Not only that, the US government has become even more obvious in releasing fraudulent drug arrests, crime statistics in the recent past to the point of where government statistics are worthless.
The value of the interview with Margarito Flores is the amount of drugs he personally brought into the United States and how there had to be law enforcement, customs and financial corruption to facilitate the sale of such a large amount of drugs and unfortunately the various law enforcement groups that Flores is conducting workshops for may include many members involved in that criminal corruption.
Great points there Tom. The depth of cartels, especially the CJNG, in these areas is a big issue and very under reported. I also found a police officer dealing with CJNG cases in the Mid West. The corruption in the U.S. is different from Mexico but goes very deep - I think from officers in various agencies to CIA alliances and more fundamentally to the DEA strategies. Best.
If he was willing, an interview with the police officer dealing with the CJNG cases in the Mid West would be superb but I do not think he can even take a chance unless he is retired.
Yeah, I tried to get him on a TV episode I worked on the Jalisco Cartel for Nat Geo in 2022 but his bosses told him no. Still, I'll get back to lots more police and other sources on this. It's an important story.
Love your work Ioan. Great interview. I would have been interested to hear more on what sparked the war between El Chapo and Arturo Beltran Levya from what he knows. Keep up the good work.
Yeah, that was a lot of ground to cover but that is a very interesting and important piece of the history to understand. Hope to get more on that. Great to have your voice here and all best there friend.
Yeah, the issue of redemption and forgiveness is a tough one around gangsters, especially the ones behind a lot of murder. Same religion, different church.
I am a LEO and worked his housing unit. He was always very respectful and quiet. We had many conversations and he was excited to get out and help the community.
Here mafia and relates small mafia in small provinces of Sicily operates as and with white collars, inside in many legal business, murders are very rare, they: in the trafficking drugs and humans, racketing as always (called here 'chiedere il pizzo'), open restaurants, hotels, resorts, active in the funeral business, private ambulances services too.
That is fascinating. I wonder does the government tolerate a mafia more if they keep murders rare or still hit them hard and they reduce violence as a defense?
The fight vs mafie continues, in all Italy, not easy to defeat when they insinuates as an hydra in the private and public sector, they - sigh- become more strong in north Italy where is the top business system, also abroad for example grow influences is in south Germany. Calabrese mafia (?Ndragheta) is the more strong, have many connections with South America criminal organizations. Big expert of calabrese mafia is Anna Sergi,. In 1st line vs mafia is the investigating magistrate Niccolò Gratteri (he wrote many books too), a great person.
dear Ioan, great history, from very 'inside' cartels world, this twins snitches (infiltrati) , they made big shipping of drugs too, thanks for this very interesting reportage
Thanks much for reading and thanks so much for your support Marco. Great to see you are from Catania and always good to hear the experience from tha Mafia there in the mix. Abrazo amigo.
Thanks Daniel. They are certainly in danger but I think it's limited right now. The cartels have a certain prohibition from targeting people in the U.S. and as many have families who snitched if they all went after the witnesses there - Damaso, Vicentillo etc they would all lose. Best.
Thanks much for reading Steve. I think they are certainly concerned - however, there are many other informants in the U.S. and there is a sense the cartels don't want to start hitting them or it would be open season on their own families, who have informants. Best there friend.
Great Job Ioan! He is an amazing young man with a fascinating story and you were able to bring it out gracefully.
Well appreciated there Stephen. There is another story coming soon on what we discussed. It should be a good one.
I'm hungry for more. I wish the twins would write a book. Thank you for sharing this article.
Thanks much for the support bro - and back on that one.
Great article and it raises some interesting questions about US involvement with the cartels. What immediately caught my eye is the sentence "Mexican journalists complain the U.S. side of the trafficking equation is poorly documented". The documentation is certainly not obvious, even in court documents which are always vague about the corruption allowing such huge quantities of drugs to enter the United States.
There is a huge resistance by the public in the United States to even accept our collusion with the drug trade. The excellent series of articles in 2019 by the newspaper Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, detailing the penetration of the CJNG cartel in rural southeastern towns in the US never gained any traction. No state government panels of investigation nor federal government panels of investigation. Everything was almost forgotten immediately. Yet are we to think that this type of corruption disappeared and never has happened in other areas of the United States?
From 2005 to 2012, 144 customs and border patrol agents were arrested for corruption from drug money. Try and find recent statistics of the same type of corruption. Not only that, the US government has become even more obvious in releasing fraudulent drug arrests, crime statistics in the recent past to the point of where government statistics are worthless.
The value of the interview with Margarito Flores is the amount of drugs he personally brought into the United States and how there had to be law enforcement, customs and financial corruption to facilitate the sale of such a large amount of drugs and unfortunately the various law enforcement groups that Flores is conducting workshops for may include many members involved in that criminal corruption.
Great points there Tom. The depth of cartels, especially the CJNG, in these areas is a big issue and very under reported. I also found a police officer dealing with CJNG cases in the Mid West. The corruption in the U.S. is different from Mexico but goes very deep - I think from officers in various agencies to CIA alliances and more fundamentally to the DEA strategies. Best.
If he was willing, an interview with the police officer dealing with the CJNG cases in the Mid West would be superb but I do not think he can even take a chance unless he is retired.
Yeah, I tried to get him on a TV episode I worked on the Jalisco Cartel for Nat Geo in 2022 but his bosses told him no. Still, I'll get back to lots more police and other sources on this. It's an important story.
Love your work Ioan. Great interview. I would have been interested to hear more on what sparked the war between El Chapo and Arturo Beltran Levya from what he knows. Keep up the good work.
Yeah, that was a lot of ground to cover but that is a very interesting and important piece of the history to understand. Hope to get more on that. Great to have your voice here and all best there friend.
Fascinating, always, but even more so.
Thanks much there Mike. Yeah, it's certainly a mad and surreal story. All best over in the SA. Same shit, different narcotic.
Among the most interesting stories are those unimaginably surviving. I sometimes like the idea of redemption.
Same coke, different cola.
Yeah, the issue of redemption and forgiveness is a tough one around gangsters, especially the ones behind a lot of murder. Same religion, different church.
I am a LEO and worked his housing unit. He was always very respectful and quiet. We had many conversations and he was excited to get out and help the community.
Thanks for the comment E.C. - that is very interesting to hear. All best there.
Here mafia and relates small mafia in small provinces of Sicily operates as and with white collars, inside in many legal business, murders are very rare, they: in the trafficking drugs and humans, racketing as always (called here 'chiedere il pizzo'), open restaurants, hotels, resorts, active in the funeral business, private ambulances services too.
That is fascinating. I wonder does the government tolerate a mafia more if they keep murders rare or still hit them hard and they reduce violence as a defense?
The fight vs mafie continues, in all Italy, not easy to defeat when they insinuates as an hydra in the private and public sector, they - sigh- become more strong in north Italy where is the top business system, also abroad for example grow influences is in south Germany. Calabrese mafia (?Ndragheta) is the more strong, have many connections with South America criminal organizations. Big expert of calabrese mafia is Anna Sergi,. In 1st line vs mafia is the investigating magistrate Niccolò Gratteri (he wrote many books too), a great person.
** errata Nicola Gratteri
Excellent article Ioan, his story is incredible, worthwile a new book?
All the best
Thanks much there Claudio and it could well be. All best there.
dear Ioan, great history, from very 'inside' cartels world, this twins snitches (infiltrati) , they made big shipping of drugs too, thanks for this very interesting reportage
Thanks much for reading and thanks so much for your support Marco. Great to see you are from Catania and always good to hear the experience from tha Mafia there in the mix. Abrazo amigo.
Great article on details into the narco cartel lifestyle
Well appreciated and all best there Robert. Great to have you have in the conversation here.
Great piece. What are the chances that these guys are going to ever get to a retirement home?
Thanks Daniel. They are certainly in danger but I think it's limited right now. The cartels have a certain prohibition from targeting people in the U.S. and as many have families who snitched if they all went after the witnesses there - Damaso, Vicentillo etc they would all lose. Best.
Thanks much for reading Steve. I think they are certainly concerned - however, there are many other informants in the U.S. and there is a sense the cartels don't want to start hitting them or it would be open season on their own families, who have informants. Best there friend.