Summary
Highlights
Located in Culiacán, Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel is one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations, specializing in international drug trafficking. The cartel's enforcers, known as sicarios, carry out violent assignments, often praying to Santa Muerte, the goddess of death, for good luck. The drug war in Mexico claims nearly 25,000 lives annually. The Sinaloa Cartel's capital, Culiacán, is a global hub for drug trafficking, primarily to the United States, dealing in opium, cocaine, cannabis, and fentanyl, generating billions of dollars annually. To launder money, they invest heavily in local economies, buying villas and shopping malls. Over 200,000 people are directly or indirectly involved with the cartel, from hitmen to pharmacists who import ingredients for synthetic drugs. This pervasive influence and the allure of wealth attract many young women and boys to the cartel's periphery.
Cannabis trafficking began in the mountains of Culiacán in the 1960s, followed by an opium boom in the early 2000s. Manuel, a former associate of El Chapo, continues to cultivate poppy fields for heroin production, earning a substantial income, though less than during El Chapo's prime. The cartel's structure is complex, with rivalries between three clans, and an army of 100,000 men. The documentary gains unprecedented access, including secret drug laboratories and conversations with a cartel boss, shedding light on the corruption and violence inherent in this world.
The fentanyl market has surged, with drug production taking place in hidden laboratories across Mexico. El Gordo, a sicario who has risen through the ranks, also manufactures drugs for the cartel. Fentanyl, cheap to produce and highly addictive, is responsible for over 30,000 deaths annually in the United States. Cartel bosses, despite promoting fentanyl for export, ban its use in Culiacán due to its devastating effects. New recruits must pass an 'entrance exam,' and military-grade weapons are common. The cartel fears military raids, the only entity they cannot corrupt.
The cartel's power was dramatically demonstrated on October 17th, when rival cartels united to secure the release of Ovidio Guzmán, El Chapo's son. After his capture, hundreds of sicarios launched a coordinated attack on Culiacán, taking over the city, attacking prisons, and forcing the Mexican president to release Ovidio to end the bloodshed. This event highlighted the cartel's ability to challenge state authority, further underscored by the assassination of a police officer involved in Ovidio's arrest, a brutal message to deter authorities.
Deceased cartel figures are buried in the 'Pantheon of Narcos,' a private, VIP cemetery with elaborate tombstones resembling luxurious villas, costing up to $500,000. Families often deny drug trafficking links despite clear evidence. The cemetery serves as a testament to the cartel's wealth and influence, but also as a reminder of the many young lives lost, as seen in the testimony of grieving mothers and the presence of photographs depicting the deceased with gold-plated guns.
Culiacán's funeral industry thrives on the cartel's violence, with multiple funeral homes competing to secure contracts from victims' families. Santos, a funeral agent, works on commission, often encountering competition and tragedy at crime scenes and the morgue. Despite the tragic outcomes, many young women in Culiacán aspire to marry a narco as a means to escape poverty, with over half of Mexico living below the poverty line. Chamay, an 18-year-old, exemplifies this desire, meticulously preparing to attract a wealthy narco at nightclubs frequented by them.
Chamay seeks spiritual guidance from Luz, a local witch offering purification rituals, a blend of Catholic beliefs, indigenous customs, and black magic. Chamay reveals a troubled past, including an absent drug trafficker father, leading her to seek a new life. Luz highlights the common attraction young women have towards narcos and their frequent requests for spiritual assistance, revealing the deep intertwining of the cartel with local superstitions and daily life.
Many young boys in Culiacán dream of becoming narcos, aspiring to the wealth and power they represent. Luis, a high school student, earns a meager wage working after school, highlighting the stark economic realities that push youth towards the cartel. The cartel exploits this poverty, corrupting youth with money. The Cartel War has also led to over 44,000 disappearances, mostly young people, with mass graves regularly discovered. Isabella, a woman whose son was murdered, dedicates her life to searching for these missing individuals.
Isabella, whose son, a municipal police officer, was killed in a cartel attack, leads a group of volunteers, all parents of missing children, in the search for mass graves. They use specialized tools and information from anonymous sources close to the cartel, often risking their lives. Despite challenges and dangers, their determination to find their loved ones, even just their remains, is unwavering. The search for a new mass grave, however, proves difficult and ultimately unsuccessful, a poignant reminder of the 35,000 deaths in 2019 alone, making it the deadliest year in Mexico's War on Drugs.