Drug War Zone: Frontline Dispatches from the Streets of El Paso and Juárez

by Howard Campbell

Winner, Southwest Book Award, Border Regional Library Association, 2011 Thousands of people die in drug-related violence every year in Mexico. Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, adjacent to El Paso, Texas, has become the most violent city in the Mexican drug war. Much of the cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine consumed in the United States is imported across the Mexican border, making El Paso/Juárez one of the major drug-trafficking venues in the world. In this anthropological study of drug trafficking and anti-drug law enforcement efforts on the U.S.-Mexico border, Howard Campbell uses an ethnographic perspective to chronicle the recent Mexican drug war, focusing especially on people and events in the El Paso/Juárez area. It is the first social science study of the violent drug war that is tearing Mexico apart. Based on deep access to the drug-smuggling world, this study presents the drug war through the eyes and lives of direct participants. Half of the book consists of oral histories from drug traffickers, and the other half from law enforcement officials. There is much journalistic coverage of the drug war, but very seldom are the lived experiences of traffickers and "narcs" presented in such vivid detail. In addition to providing an up-close, personal view of the drug-trafficking world, Campbell explains and analyzes the functioning of drug cartels, the corruption that facilitates drug trafficking, the strategies of smugglers and anti-narcotics officials, and the perilous culture of drug trafficking that Campbell refers to as the "Drug War Zone."

Genres: History, True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Politics, Anthropology

310 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Professor of Anthropology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Texas at El Paso

Reviews

[Nate Padley · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé exactamente cómo evaluar este libro. A mi me gusta mucho el análisis de la cultura única de los narcotraficantes. Este libro es más de una historia o una descripción de la política. Es una antropología de la “narcocultura.” Pienso que libros como este son importantes para la disciplina.

Pero, la perspectiva del autor es muy distrayendo. Él sugiere que los narcotraficantes no son necesariamente los villanos de la guerra contra los drogas.

También, el enfoque del esto libro es pequeño. No da contexto sobre las tendencias largas del narcotráfico.

[Heather Downs · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting analysis of the drug culture along the border. Campbell tries to show multiple perspectives of the drug war. The ethnographies of the female drug lords are the most interesting. Did you know that for 40 years the heroin drug trade was controlled by an old grandmother? If you find that interesting, then consider reading the book. As far as ethnographies go, this is not the strongest. Although I applaud Campbell for compiling information from sources who might be reluctant to share their experiences.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is all about the drug activity in the area around San Diego and Juarez from the 1940's to the present. The first person accounts are interesting, but the ins and outs of all the politics can get a little slow. Much of the book reads like a text book and that is a shame because the subject matter is very interesting.

[Nick Black]

Spotted in http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/06.... Hopefully the content's better than that abominable title.

[Wes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book that looks at the how the Drug War has culturally shaped the border region of El Paso/Jurez. Published in 2009, this book is still incredibly relevant for anyone interested in the war on drugs. Even more striking, is that to a certain extent, it can also provide a certain level of insight into the War on Terror.

Three striking points I took from this book;
1. Trump's wall won't work for shit
2. Drug Cartels operate like terrorists organizations in a whole lot of ways
3. Even many former law enforcement officers agree that a radically new approach to the "Drug problem of America" is needed to effect any kind of change