The Last Narco

uSHORT DESCRIPTION/uBRBRThe dense hills of Sinaloa, Mexico, are home to the most powerful drug lord since Pablo Escobar#58; Joaquin #147;El Chapo#8221; Guzman. Responsible for uncountable murders since taking charge of the Sinaloa cartel in the 1990s, and a central figure in the recent surge in drug-related violence and bloodshed, Guzman is among the world#8217;s ten most wanted men and also appeared on Forbes magazine#8217;s 2009 billionaire list. With his massive wealth, his army of professional killers, and a network of informants that reaches into the highest levels of government, catching Guzman was considered impossible#151;until now.brBRThe all-out war between the cartels has isolated Guzman from former partners at the same time that the government has intensified its fight to restore order and end the terror. With El Chapo vulnerable as never before, Mexican and DEA authorities are closing in, and journalist Malcolm Beith, a Newsweek correspondent who has spent years reporting on the drug wars, follows the chase with full access to senior officials and exclusive interviews with soldiers and drug traffickers in the region, including members of Guzman#8217;s cartel. The Last Narco combines fearless reporting with the story of El Chapo#8217;s legendary rise from a poor farming family into the #147;capo#8221; of the world#8217;s largest drug empire. Renowned for his charisma as much as his brutality, Guzman#8217;s defiance of authorities and mythical exploits#151;including his escape from Puente Grande prison in a laundry cart#151;have made him a folk hero across Mexico. brBRThrough Guzman#8217;s story Beith uncovers the secret history of the Mexican cartels#8217; rise to dominance, from their early years assisting the Colombians to the bloody power struggles and new barbarism of today. Guzman emerges as the last remaining narco of the old mold who ruled by principles and whose capture will signal the end of an era. The Last Narco is essential reading about one of the most pressing and dramatic stories in the news today#151;a true crime thriller happening in real time. brBRuMORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION/uBRBRChapter 1BRBRThe book opens with the current hunt for El Chapo, flashing back to his escape from Puente Grande prison in 2001. Through interviews with prison guards, the human rights commission, and police officials from that era, the author provides a detailed account of his escape that has never been fully and colorfully told.BRBRChapter 2BRBRThe second chapter focuses on Chapo's background, from childhood through to his beginnings as a drug trafficker. It brings to life the drug culture of Sinaloa in which he grew up, as well as the history of drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States (particularly the changing roles Mexicans played in the 80s and 90s; once just "mules" for the Colombians, the Mexicans suddenly became drug bosses in their own right).BRBRChapter 3brBRThis chapter focuses on Chapo's rise through the drug trafficking business, mainly through interviews with his old boss, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. Although Chapo was brutal, he was also known as a gentleman (he would take you out back before putting a bullet in your head, unlike the thugs of this generation, who behead rivals alive, or dissolve them in acid). He was creative (he built miles-long tunnels under the border into the United States, through which tons of drugs were transported). He was ambitious (he always longed for control of more turf) and controlling (he still is said to attend drop-offs of drugs in order to make sure everything goes smoothly). This chapter brings Chapo to life and places him in the context of his world, and also discusses Felix Gallardo, considered the godfather of Mexican drug trafficking, which allows the author to explain the history and evolution of drug trafficking families and cartels, who in the 1980s were still all under Felix Gallardo's sway. Today, they are all fighting each other. The organized system that he set up in the old days has imploded.brBRChapter 4brBRThe war. In order to quickly bring the reader up to present day (and contextualize the violence with Chapo), the author shifts to the current war, and how Chapo started it in 2001. The chapter encompasses reporting from all over Mexico (Juarez, Sinaloa and Michoacan, in particular, which have been the bloodiest states) and paint a picture of exactly what Chapo's ambitions have created, and why the government is so desperate to hunt him down.BRBRChapter 5brBRThis chapter flashes back to 1993, when Chapo was first caught, as this was the first time he was actually hunted. This allows the author to show the distinction between how they caught him then (within just two weeks of issuing an order for his arrest) and how difficult it has been to catch him since 2001. This chapter is largely focused around exclusive DEA and Mexican law enforcement interviews.brBRChapter 6brBRChapo has taken several hits over the years, as allies have bailed and law enforcement has arrested gang members and stopped drug shipments. But none has been more fatal than his split with the Beltran Leyva brothers. The Beltran Leyvas had been in charge of paying off law enforcement and public officials for El Chapo's organization, and with the split, he was left without the nationwide protection he had long enjoyed.brBRChapter 7BRBRThe most severe fallout from the Beltran Leyva-Chapo split was the killing of Edgar Guzman, one of Chapo's sons. This was a turning point for Chapo, who retaliated with a wrath befitting of an Aztec god. This chapter deepens the theme of Chapo's increasing isolation and explores the martyrdom traditionally bestowed on dead narcos in Sinaloa. (They die as heroes, and pantheons not unlike mansions are built in their honor.) Within a few hours of Edgar's death, a narcocorrido (a popular form of folk song that glorifies the exploits of narcos) had been written in his honor and was being played in the streets of Culiacan, a detail that allows the author to explore the narcocorrido phenomenon, which is a fascinating element of narco-culture.BRBRChapter 8brBRHe is said to live in the hills. He's spotted in Guatemala, running away from a bloodbath with rivals. He's seen on the Pacific coast. Someone says they saw him in enemy territory, on Mexico's Gulf coast. Even though he's on the lam, every few months or so, there's a Chapo sighting. One common tale#58; he enters a restaurant with armed guards, who gather up everyone's mobile phones, and he retreats to the back room to enjoy a nice meal. Upon leaving, he pays for everyone in the restaurant. True or not, such rumors are treated as intel by law enforcement agencies. Every little bit of info they can get on him, they compile, analyze, and act upon.BRBRChapter 9brBRThis chapter returns to the war #150; and places like Juarez and Michoacan #150; in order to re-instill the sense of urgency behind efforts to capture Chapo, given the impact his war has had on Mexico. It also addresses the new and more violent groups that have emerged from a power vacuum created due to El Chapo's increased isolation nationally and the arrest of major drug traffickers (his old friends, business partners, and rivals). As Chapo grows weary and older (and according to some, weaker) new and younger groups are taking his place on the national level. They are bloodier, more brutal, and want his fiefdom.brBRChapter 10brBRLaw enforcement officials and the Sinaloa general from the opening of the book are the main characters in the penultimate chapter. This draws the reader into the closing stages of the chase for Chapo, their war-weariness mixed with adrenaline whenever they come close to catching him, the intense efforts that some have been engaged in for years.BRBRChapter 11brBRThe book ends with the encroachment of rival cartels and the Mexican military on Chapo's turf. It depicts the drug trafficker as he is believed to be living, in the hills, protected but alone, knowing that he is counting the days. Through people who work for him and law enforcement officials, the author sketches a Chapo who is increasingly paranoid and knows he is cornered #150;- but refuses to give in.br