To Fight Fentanyl Traffic, U.S. Needs More Than Law Enforcement
Cipher Brief COO Brad Christian spoke with Michael Vigil, former Chief of International Operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), about the arrests of Sinaloa […] More
Cartels
Can High-Profile Cartel Arrests Halt the Fentanyl Traffic?
DEEP DIVE — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder and leader of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, has entered a not guilty plea to 17 drug trafficking […] More
With China’s Help, Mexico Is On The Verge of Becoming a ‘Narco State’
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — Deep inside a ravine on the outskirts of a western Mexican city overseen by among the world’s most powerful drug cartels, 45 […] More
The Real Impact of COVID on Mexico’s Drug Cartels
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, law enforcement has kept a close eye on the impact the virus might have on drug cartels. Supply […] More
The Latest
Mexico’s Strategic Security Problem
Nine American women and children were killed by suspected drug cartel members in an attack in northern Mexico earlier this month, refocusing attention on the […] More
Mexico’s Internal War: 5 Questions for Michael Vigil
Mike Vigil is the former Chief of International Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is one of the most highly decorated agents within the […] More
Violence in Mexico and the Battle for Control Over Smuggling Routes
Bottom Line Up Front Murder rates in Mexico are again on the rise due to shifting dynamics between the cartels and a struggle for […] More
State of Play: The Real Story Behind Netflix’s Narcos
The brutal battle against the Cali Cartel enters a new chapter in the war on drugs, with the Season 3 premiere of the Netflix series […] More
Cocaine and Latin America: Stubborn Persistence
In 1991, a gram of cocaine sold on U.S. streets for about $225. In 2012, after adjusting for inflation, it sold for $186. Cocaine supply is […] More
Solving Mexico’s Violence Problem
In the last scene of the movie Sicario, children in Ciudad Juarez play soccer as their parents cheer from the sidelines. Gunshots are heard in […] More
Reducing Cartel Violence
For almost a decade, the Mexican government has deployed the latest version of a much longer effort to address the growing threat of Drug Trafficking […] More
The Future of Mexican Oil
Having begun transforming its energy sector, the Mexican government is learning the ups and downs of opening its oil resources to foreign companies. In July, […] More