Drug Warrior: The gripping memoir from the top DEA agent who captured Mexican drug lord El Chapo

by Jack Riley

'I WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE CARTELS. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR YOU.BUT AS I WOULD SOON FIND OUT, THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR ME, TOO.'Infiltrating cartels and bringing down international drug lords since his days in 1980s Chicago, Jack Riley was one of the best agents the Drug Enforcement Administration had ever had. But when he moved to the border town of El Paso, he was on the front line of the battle against Mexican cartels waging war just miles away. His brief was to capture the DEA's deadliest El Chapo.For over twenty years, Riley had seen the fear and bloodshed that Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera and his Sinaloa Cartel had caused, whilst the availability of drugs on American streets had exploded. Soon after arriving in El Paso, Riley found himself entangled in America's most deadly feud, and a bounty on his head. . .Drug Warrior is a thrilling journey into a life spent at the heart of America's drug wars, including the opioids crisis now ravaging its heartland, and a unique insight into the DEA's operation to finally bring its long-time nemesis to justice.

Genres: Nonfiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2019

Reviews

[Aparna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Jack Riley is one of the agents who were responsible for the capture of notorious drug lord, El Chapo. This book largely focuses on the DEA’s strategy in taking down low-level dealers and high-level drug operations in El Paso and the US.

Riley continuously states that the war on drugs is a “whack a mole” problem. You take down one operation, and another will pop up. You arrest El Chapo, but there are many like him. This book doesn’t touch on the root of the problem: the war on drugs exists because of the illegality of drugs. Never did the subject of legal regulation of drugs come up in Riley’s book. In the last page, he states that “fear will reduce drug trafficking”. “We will find you”. Maybe it comes down to a difference of opinion, but fear has not and will not “stop” drug trafficking. Riley offers no evidence to suggest that is the case. (In fact, his whack a mole idea implies quite the opposite: that drug dealers really aren’t fearful of law enforcement).

This book tried to go big picture, but it didn’t go big enough. Riley’s experience is fascinating but arresting “bad guys” is very much a short-term solution. Jack Riley seems to be for the “tough on drugs” policies, but continuously admits that their efforts in policing drugs aren’t working, long term.

This book is a great insider account of a DEA Agent, undercover, policing drugs. But it doesn’t even begin to cover the possible solutions to the horrendous “war” on drugs.

[Bob Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim in Waterstones - what a great decision that was.

Jack Riley is a retired DEA agent, and in his book he recounts his career climbing the career ladder, trying to revolutionise the US' approach to dealing with the drug epidemic and also capturing Joaqium "El Chapo" Guzman.

This was a terrific read, very little filler, the pages and stories move quickly but are mostly very interesting. You learn a lot about techniques and the restrictions of law enforcement, as well as a behind the scenes look at the hunt for El Chapo.

I've read very little on relating topics before, but found this very easy to read. It made me want to read more around El Chapo in particular, so job done! Well worth your time.