Desperados: Latin Druglords, U.S. Lawmen, and the War America Can't Win

by Elaine Shannon

The torture-murder of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1985, is still an unresolved case.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, History, True Crime, Drugs

528 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 1988

About the author

Elaine Shannon, veteran correspondent for Time and Newsweek, is the author of Hunting LeRoux (Michael Mann Books, an imprint of Morrow/Harper Collins), with foreword by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann. Other works: New York Times bestseller Desperados: Latin Drug Lords U.S. Lawmen and the War America Can’t Win, which served the basis for Michael Mann’s Emmy–winning NBC miniseries Drug Wars: the Camarena Story, and its Emmy-nominated sequel, Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel. Also: No Heroes: Inside the FBI’s Secret Counter-Terror Force, with Danny O. Coulson, and The Spy Next Door: The Extraordinary Secret Life of Robert Philip Hanssen, with Ann Blackman. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews

[Migg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, I must say is a re-read. I first read Desperados shortly after reading the rather extensive coverage in the mainstream media about the death of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, agent of the DEA stationed in Guadalajara. I bought the book around 1990, relatively still on the front burner -so to speak- and current. But now after I was recommended to watch Netflix's Narcos: Mexico, I felt the need to revisit all the details of what went down and was known at the time, only to discover that most of what was portrayed in Narcos: Mexico is derived from this book. Of course changes were made to "glamourize" some aspects of the narrative. I don't know if the producers claim to be factual-based but a more recent book authored by a reporter/writer of the magazine Proceso (which I haven't been able to get my hands on) claims that the culprits behind the killing of Agent Camarena and his pilot,Mr. Zavala, is the CIA or a a number of rogue CIA agents. So, to summarize, this is great book but now somewhat outdated but nevertheless a basis for Narcos: Mexico.

[Nate Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important to remember, first of all, that the War On Drugs was a war that never could be won - and quickly turned into a war that no one wanted to win. If drugs ever stopped coming across the border than what would the gunslingers in the DEA do with themselves? The drug trade is funding lots of mortgages, college tuitions, and lakeside cabins. And I would suggest that any member of Congress who suggested defunding the DEA would be in danger of assassination.

Secondly, the cartel wars are a real life Game of Thrones - with all the savagery we associate with warlords and civil war. It's brutality that escalates, since each Drug Lord must prove himself to be the most ruthless, the most shameless, the most volatile.

A good read, and recommended.

[Jane Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drug Story

An excellent book, this one tells the story of the kidnapping and murder of a DEA agent in Mexico. It also includes all the background of the Latin American drug trade. Otis scary but also infomative. It is also good information leading to the story of the latest American drug tale.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastating look at America's war on drugs centered on the 1984 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico, this book is essential reading for anyone who has watched "Narcos: Mexico" and wants to learn more about the political climate surrounding the murder, the subsequent investigations, and the people involved. Meticulously researched, Shannon's book details the rise of the cartels in Mexico and Colombia, the changing nature of American drug enforcement efforts, and the increasingly dangerous situation in Guadalajara at the time of Camarena's arrival. The frustrations of Camarena's friends, family, and DEA colleagues in trying to obtain help from the Mexican authorities in getting to the truth of Camarena's murder is excruciatingly palpable, but the American government comes out little better. Shannon reveals how foreign policy considerations and the welfare of American financial institutions led the Reagan administration to give lip service to combating drug trafficking while giving little genuine support to the DEA agents seeking justice for Camarena. The book serves as an indictment of governmental hypocrisy and double dealing, but also as a moving tribute to the tenacity and bravery of Camarena and agents like him.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone interested in how the US fights drug wars in Latin America and especially Mexico and Colombia this is a must read. An eye opening tale of how big money and corruption enable drug lords to operate with impunity in Mexico, Bolivia and Colombia. Driven by huge demand in the US drug shipments are virtually unstoppable. This is also the story of DEA agent Enrique Camarena’s murder and the frustrating investigation that followed.

[Russ Haeber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mota is destructive.

[Martin Valle]

It is very interested

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, one of the most comprehensive books I have read about the drug war. Highly recommended.

[larry wright jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaw dropping!

Great insight of the connective tissues tying trafficking, law enforcement, economics and real politics! A legitimate page turner provides meat to Narcos Mexico.

[Anna From Gustine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this if you want an in-depth companion to Narcos-Mexico or the Don Winslow 'Power of the Dog' books. It's so worth it.

The book was originally published in 1988, although the author brought it up to date with an afterword in 2015. If anything, the fact that it was written in the eighties gives it a sense of immediacy. It was being written when so much was still fresh in the minds of the public, the DEA and the people the author interviewed.

Even though I had the gist of what happened with Kiki Camarena, this book still read like a thriller and a mystery when it came to his case. This writer is an excellent storyteller and her research is meticulous. She provides excellent characterizations of players who might have just been names in a dry history book.

Shannon does not take obvious sides, although I think that she towards the DEA, not Mexico or American politicians and diplomats. Even then, she calls the DEA out in a section on Panama and Noriega.

Even though this book has Camarena's photo, it's a much broader picture of the drug situation in Latin America during the eighties. Along with Mexico, the author goes in-depth on Columbia. She also touches on Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Bolivia. Anyone who remembers the eighties will also enjoy (maybe?) revisiting old names like James Baker, Ed Meese (who DOES NOT come off well), William Casey, Senator Jesse Helms, and, yes, even a couple of mentions of a much younger Joe Biden.

I loved this book and am in awe of Elaine Shannon. What a great writer. You can't fully understand the present drug wars without learning about what happened in the past.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It does seem that the fight against drugs is a war that America just can't win. To be honest, the greed and corruption that exists in the world makes it feel like a war we are not SUPPOSED to win.
We ignore drug trafficking--you support our objective, and so on.

Thank goodness there are still good men and women fighting that fight every day.

When we look at this on a personal level...MY kids, MY neighborhood, it's easy to see that this is a battle (like so many others) that must really be fought on the home front. "JUST SAY NO"

This was such a comprehensive book. Hats off to Elaine Shannon, and the people that wanted to make a difference for good by sharing information with her!

[Chris Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't particularly care for this book. The topic was interesting but the writing was disjointed and random. Wouldn't recommend to my friends.

[Judy McCarver · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think you know everything about what federal agents do and what kinds of sacrifices they make? Read this book. It's heartfelt and well written.

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~]

It's always much more complicated than you'd guess...