Mariana van Zeller

They don't see a downside because the authorities aren't really going to do anything even if they know who they are.

Wow.

Actually, I sometimes feel in certain countries safer.

In Sinaloa, for example, if you've been given the green light to go into the cartel, the territory controlled by the cartel, to talk to cartel members, and it takes weeks, months, sometimes years to get that access.

Once we're under their protection, we're under their protection.

We have their protection to be there.

But then certain things happen.

We were filming in Sinaloa once, and we were filming these sicarios, and they had their walkie-talkies.

And so they're communicating with the whole group, and they know everybody that comes in and out of their territory.

And suddenly they started panicking because the Marines had a helicopter coming their way.

And the Marines in Mexico are known to shoot first and ask questions after.

And they started freaking out.

And they basically jumped into the cars and left us.

And we didn't know what to do.

Should we go after them?

And they're going to think we're part of the group and they can start shooting at us.

Or should we stay behind?

But we were in an open area, in a sort of forested area.

Should we try to hide?

And then we're going to really look suspicious.