It’s all set, Don Mino. We’re going to find your grandson, don’t worry. ZeroZeroZero VII: Family, opening scene
You give me your grandson and I’ll give you the container number. ZeroZeroZero VIII: Same Blood, Emma to Don Mino
‘But what are we going to do? We come from poverty.’ Cartel Land, 2015, opening scene
‘So they took their revenge by killing all his workers.’ ibid. grieving woman
‘Every autodefensa keeps his usual job … but they all volunteer to protect our towns.’ ibid.
‘It’s time we defend ourselves.’ ibid. autodefensa leader
The world's largest producer of Crystal Meth – Mexico ... Prices have halved. Stacey Dooley: Meth and Madness in Mexico, BBC 2015
‘I was up for thirty-two days. And I ended up in a Psych Ward for six months afterwards.’ ibid.
In Mexico less than 2% of murders resulted in convictions in 2012. ibid.
Cartels: The most ruthless people I have ever heard of. ibid.
In this one-hour Vanguard report we’ll look at the fight amongst Mexico’s government and its most notorious drugs lords in a society that’s caught in the middle. Vanguard: Mexican Drug Wars
In the last three months there have been more than five hundred drug-related murders. ibid.
In Mexico private citizens are largely barred from possessing guns. Yet just like illegal drugs in the US there are plenty of guns available to Mexico’s warring cartels. ibid.
Laura Ling: There have been more than a thousand murders this year ... How many of those murders have been solved?
Rozzer: Not one. ibid.
The whole country is immersed in a fight between members of organised crime. Jose Reyes Ferriz, Mayor of Jaurez
There is no doubt that these people develop their business because of protection of authorities. Because there is a lot of money involved. Many of the Federal ... police are linked to them. Victor Clark Alfaro, Binational Centre for Human Rights director Tijuana
‘He was not the traditional Mexican cartel leader. He was an American citizen.’ Drug Lords: The Takedown s1e6: Edgar Valdez-Villareal
‘He started trafficking small amounts of forty/fifty pounds of marijuana from Mexico into the US.’ ibid.
But La Barbie’s hometown is the perfect spot for an ambitious young drug trafficker. ibid. caption
‘The next morning a full country SWAT team hit the house. We arrested 4 cell members working for the cartel, we seized 120 kilos of cocaine, and $1.5 million.’ ibid. agent
La Barbie is the first to release torture and execution videos to the press. It becomes a regular tactic in the Mexican cartel wars. ibid. caption
But the US authorities still won’t give La Barbie the deal he craves. ibid.
By 2010, Mexico’s drug wars have claimed 28,000 lives in just 4 years. ibid.
Authorities track La Barbie to a ranch 20 miles west of Mexico City. ibid.
45 bags of human remains were hauled out of a ravine in Mexico. Turns out it’s the bodies of 8 missing call centre workers who tried to quit their jobs. True Crime Recaps: How the Most Dangerous Mexican Cartel Dismembers Its Employees, Youtube 5.38, 2023
6 men and 2 women went missing in Guadalajara, Mexico, between May 20th and May 22nd 2023. ibid.
They worked for a call centre run by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s scariest gang. ibid.