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xi Introduction The only thing worse than organized crime is disorganized crime. —Sanho Tree, drug-policy expert with the Institute for Policy Studies (September 2014) Overview: Mexican Cartels Until recently, these criminal enterprises were sprawling multinational syndicates directed by a drug lord with his coterie of close relations and longtime friends, employing a security chief, plaza bosses, intelligence operatives, telecommunica- tions specialists, arms procurers, financial managers, political liaisons, gunmen, assas- sins, torturers, etc., to supervise many far- flung groups or cells performing outsourced tasks: • •• growers of heroin or marijuana • manufacturers of methamphetamines and opioids • •• importers of cocaine or ephedrine • acquisition teams for purchasing and assembling raw narcotics in bulk • • refiners to render these raw ingredients into more highly concentrated drugs • • transporters to move large high-grade loads undetected by land, air, or sea • • military and law enforcement collabo- rators to ensure safe passage through Mexico • • smugglers to pass loads into the United States, either in vehicles such as light air- craft and fast boats or through drones, tunnels, etc. • • fixers to rectify any problems by bribing or threatening customs agents or police officers, and retrieving intercepted loads • • distributors in American cities to stock- pile and apportion individual packets for sale by local street-dealers • • money launderers to extricate tens of millions of dollars in profits, without leaving a paper trail. The vast majority of these specialists were not cartel members, but rather retainers— although any attempt to switch allegiances or be poached by rivals would be dealt with violently. And as with other large corpora- tions, cartels employed many other auxilia- ries such as lawyers, architects to design and build fortified houses, engineers to bore underground tunnels, mechanics to custom- ize armored vehicles, pilots to fly planes, etc. Criminal bosses often acquired many legitimate businesses as well, such as res- taurants, nightclubs, auto dealerships, etc., all contributing toward cartel income.