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Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels Hardcover – July 25, 2023
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VICE journalist Deborah Bonello reports from the trenches in this first-ever in-depth exploration of the hidden power women wield in Latin American drug cartels
You’ve heard of Pablo Escobar, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and Rafael Caro Quintero. Their names conjure ghoulish images of bloody streets, white powder, bundles of weed, and a particular flavor of machismo unique to ruthless druglords. But what of the drugladies, las narcas? For the first time, investigative reporter Deborah Bonello takes you behind the curtain to introduce the women at the helm of organized crime south of the US-Mexico border. These women are the powerhouses behind violent cartels; masterminds of extortion rackets; right-hand ladies to El Chapo’s cocaine flow to the US; and matriarchs of major drug trafficking families. In these pages, you will meet women like Doña Digna, the leader of the Valle cartel, and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, one of “El Chapo” Guzman’s closest confidants.
Narcas, for the first time, gives voice to the women of notorious drug-trafficking monarchies, meticulously documenting the variety of roles they play. Bonello chronicles the complexity of their actions and their desires, the grey chasm between victims and victimizers, co-option and agency, and right and wrong. She examines why women’s experiences are under-reported, emphasizing the importance of understanding women as fully capable beings who are often as ambitious, innovative, ruthless, and violent as their male counterparts.
With careful detail, comprehensive research, and groundbreaking storytelling, Narcas paints a vivid picture of the women behind some of the most notorious drug cartels. You will not see Sebastiana Cottón or Marixa Lemus in the stereotypical portrayals of beautiful narco wives or girlfriends, or in the faces of trafficking survivors or drug mules. Rather, you’ll encounter—at staggering rates—the female cartel killers, money launderers, logistical heads, and transporters of Latin America’s infamous crime syndicates.
- Print length176 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBeacon Press
- Publication dateJuly 25, 2023
- Dimensions6.26 x 0.69 x 9.28 inches
- ISBN-100807007048
- ISBN-13978-0807007044
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting exposé of a largely undocumented side of cartel business women
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
The book's promise is to show that women are extremely influential in the world of narco-trafficking. Unfortunately, Bonello does not prove the thesis with these few case studies.
Bonello does not do very much gumshoe reporting, except for a trip she took to Honduras that reads like a travel story and a trip to a city in Mexico where she talks to a plastic surgeon and reports on Mexican fashion culture. Most of her sources are news outlets and websites, followed by a great deal of speculation and commentary.
Bonello's writing is very accessible and interesting, but it is light on information, first-hand-reporting, and is quite repetitive. I would love to see more information than just this small round of case studies.



