Drug transporters. Money launderers. Killers. Street drug vendors. Weapons traffickers. Kidnappers. Extortionists.VICE journalist Deborah Bonello reports from the trenches in this first-ever in-depth exploration of the hidden power women wield in Latin American drug cartels
You’ve heard of Pablo Escobar, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and Rafael Caro Quintero. Their names conjure ghoulish images of bloody streets, white powder, bundles of weed, and a particular flavor of machismo unique to ruthless druglords. But what of the drugladies, las narcas? For the first time, investigative reporter Deborah Bonello takes you behind the curtain to introduce the women at the helm of organized crime south of the US-Mexico border. These women are the powerhouses behind violent cartels; masterminds of extortion rackets; right-hand ladies to El Chapo’s cocaine flow to the US; and matriarchs of major drug trafficking families. In these pages, you will meet women like Doña Digna, the leader of the Valle cartel, and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, one of “El Chapo” Guzman’s closest confidants.
Narcas, for the first time, gives voice to the women of notorious drug-trafficking monarchies, meticulously documenting the variety of roles they play. Bonello chronicles the complexity of their actions and their desires, the grey chasm between victims and victimizers, co-option and agency, and right and wrong. She examines why women’s experiences are under-reported, emphasizing the importance of understanding women as fully capable beings who are often as ambitious, innovative, ruthless, and violent as their male counterparts.
With careful detail, comprehensive research, and groundbreaking storytelling, Narcas paints a vivid picture of the women behind some of the most notorious drug cartels. You will not see Sebastiana Cottón or Marixa Lemus in the stereotypical portrayals of beautiful narco wives or girlfriends, or in the faces of trafficking survivors or drug mules. Rather, you’ll encounter—at staggering rates—the female cartel killers, money launderers, logistical heads, and transporters of Latin America’s infamous crime syndicates.
“Readers fascinated by organized crime and the inner workings of investigative journalism will want to check it out.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Bonello presents a complex report on women’s roles in a world of extreme machismo and an eye-opening challenge to the perception of women involved in the complicated and brutal world of cartels.”
—Booklist
“Throughout this intriguing text, the author busts the myth that these narcas are mere victims.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“The investigative reporting in this book is impressive. . . . Ms Bonello’s work enriches the reader’s understanding of drug gangs. This book is a valuable introduction to a subject that deserves more research.”
—The Economist
“Her narrative shines, with fascinating characters and detail from the towns and villages where her reporting has taken her. Reflections on her process add compelling tensions.”
—New Statesman (UK)
“Deborah Bonello bypasses the typical macho narco narrative into something far more complex and fascinating: a look at the powerful patronas of organized crime. Finally, we get the other half of the story in this deeply reported and masterfully written book about women who built and ran their own drug empires, no matter the cost.”
—Melissa del Bosque, author of Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI, and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty
“Deborah Bonello, a renowned journalist and author, brilliantly captures the ascension of women into leadership roles within the dark, violent world of powerful drug cartels.”
—Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations
“This incredibly well-researched and well-written book . . . debunks the long-standing view that narcas are simply eye candy or accessories for their men and shows that smart, aggressive women can be leaders in their own right. An excellent piece of investigative journalism!”
—Bonnie S. Klapper, criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor
“From El Chapo’s young wife to the women and girls enduring misogyny in Central America’s gangs, this is a fascinating narrative, a behind-the-scenes look at an aspect of the drug business most people don’t know about.”
—Tracy Wilkinson, senior foreign policy writer and former Latin America bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times
“An important and nuanced corrective to decades of blinkered reporting on the drug trade—and essential reading for anyone who really wants to understand the culture within it.”
—Evan Ratliff, cofounder of the Longform podcast and author of The Mastermind: A True Story of Murder, Empire, and a New Kind of Crime Lord
Author’s Note
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
The Matriarch
CHAPTER 2
Narco Women—The Story So Far
CHAPTER 3
Betrayal Within a Female Trafficking Threesome
CHAPTER 4
The Women of the Mara Salvatrucha
CHAPTER 5
The Lemus Sisters and the Battle for Moyuta
CHAPTER 6
Sinaloa, and Emma Coronel’s Beginning, Middle, and End
CHAPTER 7
The Female Chapo
CONCLUSION
The Story Never Ends
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
- “Deborah Bonello Speaks On Women of the Narcotrafficking World,” PantherNOW, interview
- “Griselda Blanco and the female drug barons of Latin America,” BBC, author quoted and book mentioned in article
- “Narcas author Deborah Bonello on the dangerous fascination of Latin American drug cartels,” Los Angeles Times, Q&A
- “In some Latin American drug cartels, women are the violent new overlords,” Los Angeles Times, excerpt
- “Sarah Beeny, Rebekah Staton, Spanish football kiss update, Deborah Bonello on Narcas,” Woman’s Hour (BBC Radio 4), interviewed
- “The secret rise of women in Latin America’s drug cartel,” BBC News Hour, interview
- “Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America’s Cartels,” Foreign Affairs, review write-up
- “Inside the world of ‘Narcas,’ the women taking power in the Latin American drug trades,” Toronto Star, coverage
- “Women in the Room: Q&A With Narcas Author Deborah Bonello,” InSight Crime, Q&A
- “‘Narcas’ sheds light on the women who run drug smuggling cartels,” Christian Science Monitor, feature Q&A
- “Women of organized crime groups profiled in book titled Narcas,” The World/WGBH and PRX, interview
- “Narcas - women of the drug trade,” ABC Radio National/Late Night Live (Australia), interview
- “The Women Who Joined the Ranks of Latin America’s Top Narco-Traffickers,” CrimeReads, excerpt
- “July 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us,” Ms. Magazine, included in reading roundup
- “The Rise of Las Narcas - the Drug Ladies of Latin America,” Keen On (LitHub Radio), interview