One of the Barrera lieutenants would simply go to the local police comandante or army commander with a bag full of cash and give him the choice in those exact words: “¿Plata o plomo?” That’s all that needed to be said. The meaning was clear—you can get rich or you can get dead. You choose. If they chose rich, it was Adán’s business. If they chose dead, that was Raúl’s business. Most people chose rich.
