A special report from Mexico on the deadly drugs trade
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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk, and this edition is being recorded in the early hours of Thursday, the 26th of February. Coming up, we've got a special report from a Mexican city which has been turned into a war zone by drug cartel violence. Cuba says it's killed four people travelling in an American-registered speedboat and a new daily single tablet that could help long-term survivors of HIV. Also in this podcast, the BBC investigates last year's deadly crackdown on Nepal's Gen Z protests. And what would your last words be?
It is an opportunity to shape your legacy the way you want to, as opposed to just being defined by the obituaries.
We hear from the creator of a Netflix series where celebrities record messages to be played after they die. We're starting with a special report from Mexico following the death this week of one of the country's most wanted drug lords known as El Mencho.
What is the impact of drug cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico?
He was killed on Sunday in an operation to arrest him and his death has led to violence across the country. We've had standoffs between the drug gangs and the Mexican army. Businesses have been torched and roads blockaded with the government coming under increasing pressure from Donald Trump to do more to control the cartels. There are also the constant battles within the drug gangs themselves for control. Our correspondent Quentin Somerville recently returned from the state of Sinaloa and its capital, Culiacan, which is dominated by the drug wars. A warning, his report features graphic descriptions of violence from the start. We're just tearing through central Kuliakam with the paramedics driving at speed and we're heading towards the scene of a shooting.
Just arrived at the scene. We're actually inside the cordon now. It's a garage. A relative has just arrived. One murder, six shots in all body. So, Hector, as paramedics, there's nothing you can do. You mainly see bodies, the dead.
Yeah, it's hard, hard job, hard job.
There was, in fact, one person that was killed. The owner of the garage was found dead in his office. I can see a photograph of him now, covered in a blanket, just his feet showing. And somewhat awfully typical for these men that, as paramedics, there's no help that they can provide, really, because they're dealing with execution-style killings and murders, and it's only dead bodies time after time. It's just before eight in the morning here in central Coolio Can, just outside one of the main shopping malls, and another body on the pavement. This one is very grisly. It's a man who's been tortured. There's a message taped to his body. It seems to have photographs and some writing. But clearly a message has been sent.
It gives you an idea of the extent, the brutality, the viciousness of the infighting within the Sinaloa cartel at the moment. Meeting with the cartels is difficult at the best of times, but now even more so because they're right in the crosshairs of the United States and President Trump. He's labelled them terrorist groups. He says their product, fentanyl and other drugs, are a weapon of mass destruction. And he's promised that... As well as bombing the cartels at sea, he's going to tackle them on land. So they're feeling under threat like never before. I'm about to go and meet with a group. I'm going to have to leave my phone behind. These men are vicious criminals fighting for an illegal drugs business worth billions.
They've gone to war after the son of one of their leaders betrayed another. This power struggle is a fight to the death and they show little remorse. They insisted we disguise their voices. The civil war in the cartel has created a bloodbath in Culiacan. Women are being killed. Kids are being killed. Do you feel guilty about that? Yes. A lot of times innocent people die. Children die. There is a lot of death of innocent people. A lot of people will keep dying because the cartel is still fighting. And it's going to keep getting worse. This war will continue.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:54
2
What is the impact of drug cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico?
1:54–9:26
3
How did the death of El Mencho affect the drug wars in Mexico?
9:26–12:31
4
What graphic details are revealed about the violence in Culiacán?
12:31–25:39
5
How does the U.S. government respond to the drug crisis in Mexico?
25:39–32:50
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Global News Podcast
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