Drug Lord: The Life & Death of a Mexican Kingpin-A True Story [Paperback]

Terrence E. Poppa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 1998

An exposé of the connections between crime and government in Mexico, this is the story of Pablo Acosta, the notorious scar-faced Mexican drug lord. Controlling crime along 250 miles of the Rio Grande, he was responsible for creating a narcotics hub in northern Mexico that smuggled 60 tons of cocaine a year into the United States. This book chronicles Pablo Acosta's bloody rise and his spectacular fall at the hands of the same system that had protected him until he made the mistake of talking to a U.S. reporter—the author—about the arrangement. Also included are details about Pablo Acosta's successor, Amado Carrillo Fuentes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pablo Acosta, born in abject poverty in Mexico, became drug czar of Ojinaga across the border from the Big Bend country of Texas. He launched his career by smuggling marijuana and heroin into the U.S., later adding cocaine, and forging an alliance with Colombian drug traders. At the peak, he may have controlled 60% of the coke trafficked into the U.S., according to Poppa. The author shows that Acosta consolidated his power by murdering rivals, corrupting local police and soldiers, distributing money to the poor and contributing generously to civic projects. Eventually, however, he became a coke addict; his iron entrepreneurial grip slipped; and he was tracked down and killed in 1987 by an international narcotic strike force. Poppa interviewed the drug lord in 1986 for the El Paso Herald-Post and bases this enlightening book in part on those talks. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Pablo Acosta was a living legend in his Mexican border town of Ojinaga. He smuggled tremendous amounts of drugs into the United States; he survived numerous attempts on his power--and his life--by rivals; and he blessed the town with charity and civic improvements. He was finally slain in 1987, during a raid by Mexican officials with the cooperation of U.S. law enforcement. Poppa, a news reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work on this story, has turned out a detailed and exciting book, covering in depth Acosta's life; the other drug factions that battled with him; the village of Ojinaga; and the logistics of the drug operation. The result is a nonfiction account with enough greed, treachery, shoot-outs, and government corruption to fascinate true crime and crime fiction readers alike. Highly recommended.
- Sally G. Waters, Stetson Law Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Demand Publications; 2 Revised edition (February 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966443004
• ISBN-13: 978-0966443004
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right on the nose, March 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Drug Lord: The Life & Death of a Mexican Kingpin-A True Story (Paperback)

I had the privelege of living close to Ojinaga during the time Acosta was alive. I remember very vividly when he was shot on the other side of the border by Federal Agents. I had never met Acosta nor his direct enemies, but was acquainted with relatives of Arevelo's. I know his son and the book does not lie. This was every day life for the people of Ojinaga. It is run by druglords still to this day, but to the ignorant eye, you only see a run-down, dusty- almost surreal town of nothingness. Most border towns are gleaming with touristy shops and a bustling market. Not Ojinaga. Bulletholes are still in the side of the Bikini Bar in the Sqaure where a gunfight broke out between Acosta's men and his rival- Most roads are not even paved and Donkeys are a coomon site even in the downtown area. People still talk of him and how he helped the entire town- throwing parties- giving people money- helping out the needy. I read this book and it was almost like listening to Arevelo's son and other residents of O.J. tell me the stories before Poppa ever even wrote the book.

Pablo Acosta was no glamour-big shot- He looked like the illegal alien you would see working illegally on a ranch in the hot sun of South Texas. Rough hands, sun-dried skin. I have seen pictures of him other than the book and the book depicts him perfectly. He was a genuine, deep rooted Mexican drug smuggler with nothing to prove other than the fact he knew how to get his drugs across the border and get paid for it. If you like mafia movies, books- if you are looking for genuine stories that depict real life- things you can almost relate to-- this is the book you need to get. It turns you on to the world of real life drug smuggling in Mexico-- The dirtiness of it. The everyday Mexican that turns from a nobody into a native hero and a foreign enemy.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Drug Lord: The Life & Death of a Mexican Kingpin-A True Story (Paperback)

I first read Drug Lord, the Life and Death of a Mexican Kingpin, two years ago and was amazed by the amount of information the author was able to pack into the narrative without bogging it down. For me, it was like a journey through the looking glass, stepping into the distorted realities of a Mexico run by a perverse and frightening political system. I ended up sympathizing with Pablo Acosta, wishing he would save himself by giving up to the Americans. His misdeeds as a border drug trafficker were eclipsed by the ruthless system of government that exploited him. After reading Drug Lord, the stories I read about Mexico in the newspapers made so much more sense. I read the book again recently and was taken this time by the mature, vigorous and sometimes passionate prose. Some of the chapters are in fact brilliant short stories. It took a great deal of courage for an American journalist to explore this border underworld. Perhaps because of the dangers, no other American journalist that I know of has dared to repeat his noteworthy accomplishment. His work is a classic.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read true story of real life mafiosos, November 25, 1998

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[e-mail] (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drug Lord: The Life & Death of a Mexican Kingpin-A True Story (Paperback)

I will start by saying that I am the first Ojinaga native to admit to what was taking place in Ojinaga at the time. I grew up in the small dusty town and my father was a wealthy man and well known. We owned 4 businesses and I got to meet the Drug Lord himself while he was visiting my father at one of the liquor stores. I witness one of the executions that took place on trasvina street. This book is nothing but inside information on one of the most notorious drug lords of our time and the mentor of Amado Carrillo. It's like reading a fiction gangster moive only this is the real thing. No book I've read comes close to detailing as much information and getting the reader involved in the story. If you want to know how Amado "Lord of the Skies" Carrillo got his start and how Mafiosos lived and died, this book is a must read. I lend this book to my professor and friends and they read it in 3 days, you'll be hooked from page one. Goodfellas doesn't come close to this one.