Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin American Cartels - Deborah Bonello

Underworlds with Mark Shaw

What role do women play in the Latin American drug cartels?

In this episode, Mark sits down with investigative journalist Deborah Bonello to discuss her book ‘Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels’.

During the trial of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman in 2018-19, there was only one woman named on the indictment, Guadalupe Fernández-Valencia, the unassuming elderly woman is the highest-ranking woman known today in the Sinaloa Cartel.

This peaked Deborah’s curiosity, who was the Bureau Chief for VICE Latin America at the time – why was so little known about Guadalupe? Was it unusual for a woman to rise to such a high level in the male-dominated world of organized?

Deborah embarked on research into the powerful cartels of Mexico and beyond, discovering that women were not always the powerless or victims, but that they were actively involved in organized crime. They were mothers and grandmothers, but they were also running criminal empires, trafficking illicit drugs and ordering murders.

Her work changes the narrative around organized crime, by understanding the agency that women have, and how to respond to it.

In this episode, Mark talks to Deborah about her book ‘Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels’.

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Deborah Bonello’s book ‘Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels’ is available here: https://amzn.eu/d/8Vz8iSl

Audible version: https://amzn.eu/d/8Vz8iSl

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