| ID | 130870 |
| Title Proper | Democracy and the Mexican cartels |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Crandall, Russell |
| Publication | 2014. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In El Narco, journalist Ioan Grillo provides an overview of the history and dynamics of the Mexican drug war. For years, American and Mexican anti-drug authorities believed that the elusive capo of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquín Guzmán, known as 'El Chapo' or 'Shorty', was hiding out in the remote Sierra Madre. But fresh intelligence, apparently gleaned from Guzmán's captured bodyguards, indicated that he had been making clandestine trips to Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa State, and the Northern Pacific resort of Mazatlán. In the early hours of 22 February 2014, ten pickup trucks carrying Mexican marines pulled up at the Mazatlán condominium where Guzmán was believed to be staying. Breaking down its steel-reinforced door, the soldiers found him in bed with his ex-wife, a former beauty queen. Guzmán may have been visiting Mazatlán for only a day or two to see his twin baby daughters, who were also present, before returning to safer confines in the mountains. Although he did tussle with his captors, Guzmán did not attempt to use the machine gun that rested near his bed. No shots were fired in the raid, despite the fact that agents confiscated 97 rifles and machine guns, 36 handguns, two grenade launchers, a rocket launcher and 43 vehicles, many of which were armoured. Having beaten Guzmán and dragged him outside to confirm his identity, the marines transported their prisoner to Mexico City and, finally, a federal detention centre. Shorty had escaped from the high-security Puente Grande Prison in 2001, allegedly in a laundry van, and had been on the run for 13 years. Now that they had him in their hands once more, the Mexican authorities went out of their way to ensure that he would remain in custody. |
| `In' analytical Note | Survival : the IISS Quarterly Vol.56, No.3; June-July2014: p.233-244 |
| Journal Source | Survival : the IISS Quarterly Vol.56, No.3; June-July2014: p.233-244 |
| Key Words | Drug ; Drug War ; Drug Trafficking ; History ; Latin America ; Mexico ; Organised Crime ; Democracy ; Civil Conflict ; Drugs Trade ; Governance ; Mexican Cartels |