Shop Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Buy used:
$14.32
$3.99 delivery January 7 - 13. Details
Or fastest delivery January 3 - 8. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Half Price Books Inc
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Sylvia Longmire
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Cartel Paperback – October 1, 2013

by Sylvia Longmire (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 68 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
The drug war has claimed thousands of lives in Mexico and now the violence has crossed the border into the United States. Nearly 40,000 people have already lost their lives south of the border, and now the cartels have moved their operations north and into our cities. Having followed Mexico's cartels for years, security expert Sylvia Longmire takes us deep into the heart of their world to witness a dangerous underground where people will do whatever it takes to deliver drugs to willing American consumers, including using armies of submarines that transport narcotics along the Central American coast, a network of secret tunnels used to smuggle tons of illegal drugs north, a no-fail system of transporting high-powered assault weapons south, marijuana farms inside our national parks, and meth houses in the Midwest. Drawing on her vast expertise in national security, Longmire offers real solutions to the critical problems facing Mexico and the United States, including programs to deter youths in Mexico from joining the cartels and changes that should be made to drug laws on both sides of the border. This is an important look at how Mexico's drug wars are compromising our national security, and a pressing call to rethink our relationship with our southern neighbor.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    268 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Griffin
  4. Publication date
    October 1, 2013
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.4 x 0.67 x 9.1 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1137278692
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1137278692
  9. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade
    Benjamin T. Smith
     
    Paperback
    -30%$14.05
    List: $20.00
    Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
Next set of slides

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Longmire offers fresh insights into almost every facet of the war on drugs . . . One-stop shopping for basic knowledge about U.S.-Mexican narcotics diplomacy.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“In Cartel Sylvia Longmire furthers our understanding of a very complex health and national security issue south of the border and within the United States itself.” ―Malcolm Beith, author of The Last Narco

“Cartel is a well-balanced blend of organized crime 101 and thought-provoking analysis of the current violence in Mexico. It’s an important addition to the current body of work on the criminal underworld that continues to spread its presence and influence north of the border into the United States. Readers will find themselves on the front line of this decades-old drug war that has finally crossed our border.” ―Samuel Logan, author of This is for Mara Salvatrucha

“There's a real need for an easy-to-read, one-stop-shopping overview of the myriad issues facing us from Mexico's cartels. Longmire allows people to finally have the context to make sense of the drug war.” ―Nicholas Stein, Series Producer, National Geographic's Border Wars

“Longmire's hard hitting, law enforcement-centered view of the situation on our border with Mexico is valuable and timely. Her up-to-the-minute, fact based account provides a much needed perspective on a problem that has been hijacked by exaggeration, and hyperbole and outright misinformation. It should be required reading for all who care about making our borders more secure.” ―Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney General 2003-2011

“From an experienced cartel analyst and special agent, this is a powerful and very comprehensive look into the broad scope of Mexican drug violence and its impact on the security of our nation. One of the best books I've seen to understand Mexican cartels, border violence, drug trafficking and the ramifications of spill-over crime into America. I encourage you to read this book.” ―Fred Burton, VP Intelligence, Stratfor, and author of Chasing Shadows

“The insights here are invaluable--and essential. Longmire's depth of knowledge and analysis come in well-crafted prose that's as thrilling to read as any novel and compelling for even the most casual reader.” ―David Silverberg, Editor, Homeland Security Today

About the Author

Sylvia Longmire served as senior intelligence analyst on drug trafficking and border violence for California. She has been interviewed on Geraldo at Large, CNN and CNN International, and BBC World Radio, and her writing is regularly featured in Homeland Security Today magazine. Currently, Longmire is an independent consultant and testifies as an expert witness on US asylum cases.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Griffin; Reprint edition (October 1, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 268 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1137278692
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1137278692
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 0.67 x 9.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Sylvia Longmire

Sylvia Longmire

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sylvia Longmire is a service-disabled veteran, mother, author, consultant, entrepreneur, world traveler, and the former Ms. Wheelchair USA 2016. She traveled extensively from an early age and during her time as an Air Force officer and Special Agent. After she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2005, her ability to walk started to deteriorate. Fortunately, the progression of her MS was slow enough that she could gradually adapt to new ways of living. Sylvia had to learn how to travel with a walker, and eventually with an electric scooter. Her work as a consultant has taken her all across the United States, and her addiction to leisure travel has taken her (and her scooter) as far as the deserts of Dubai and the glaciers of Alaska. She often travels alone, and is continually invigorated by the kindness and offers of help from strangers in every corner of this beautiful world.

However, Sylvia is battling the clock. MS is a progressive disease without a cure, and she doesn t know how much longer her body will allow her to travel. So as long as her wallet allows, Sylvia is knocking both domestic and international destinations off her bucket list as quickly as she can She chooses her destinations based on their levels of wheelchair accessibility, as well as whether she ll be able to travel there alone or need a companion. Her goals are twofold: to educate people at home and abroad about the needs and capabilities of disabled travelers, and to encourage people with disabilities to leave their fears behind and seek adventure. Through her photography from the vantage point of a seated position, Sylvia hopes to inspire other wheelies to create their own photo-worthy moments abroad.

When she s not traveling, Sylvia works as a consultant and subject matter expert on Mexico s drug war and border security issues. She has two books in print, Cartel and Border Insecurity, and she has appeared on most major national news and radio networks. She is also an accessible travel agent and owns/manages the Spin the Globe / Travel agency. Sylvia is a single mom to two amazing boys who inspired her to form The PreJax Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides college scholarships to students with MS or who have a parent with MS. All proceeds from the sale of The View from Down Here will be donated to the Foundation.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
68 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. They enjoy the personal accounts and historical background. However, opinions differ on its unbiasedness and coverage of cartels.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityUnbiasedness
11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They enjoy reading the personal accounts more than the quantitative aspects. The text is clear, well-written, with names and dates provided, and a narrative that ties it all together.

"...This was an unbiased and professional text that is great for any graduate student looking to dive deeper into border security issues...." Read more

"Interesting book. I especially enjoyed what I was not aware of. Mexico needs desperately to revamp their laws and become serious about corruption...." Read more

"...It is highly readable and constitutes a fresh primer on the state of Mexico's drug wars as they related to the United States" Read more

"Easy to read seemingly factual account of the history of the Mexican drug trade that has infiltrated America's very core...." Read more

4 customers mention "Unbiasedness"2 positive2 negative

Customers have different views on the book's unbiasedness. Some find it informative and well-researched, providing an in-depth view of the historical foundation of many existing cartels. However, others feel it lacks general information about Cartels.

"...This was an unbiased and professional text that is great for any graduate student looking to dive deeper into border security issues...." Read more

"...author boasts about her credientials as an analysts; however, no inside information not available to the general public through open source research..." Read more

"Some very good facts about the transnational drug crime between Mexico and the United States...." Read more

"Shockingly Informative..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • crr166
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great book for those individuals looking to familiarize themselves with the growing threat in Mexico. This book is an easy read and provides an in-depth view of the historical foundation of many of the existing organizations. This was an unbiased and professional text that is great for any graduate student looking to dive deeper into border security issues. This book makes you realize that this issue is not only in Mexico, but many of the cities throughout the US. Great text!
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Manlancaster
    3.0 out of 5 stars Cartel
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2011
    The Coming Invasion of Mexico's Drug Wars
    By Sylvia Longmire
    St. Martin's Press 246 pgs
    978-0-230-11137-0
    Rating: Yeah....Okay + 1/2

    As an introduction to the subject of Mexico's drug wars, Cartel does a good job. It tells you who they are, what they do, and how they do it. The book reads like a textbook and the data is impeccable. It comes alive at times with anecdotes but otherwise is pretty dry. The author, Sylvia Longmire, was an analyst for drug trafficking and border violence for the state of California, which is why Cartel sounds as if it was written by an analyst. I don't recommend it for someone who has been following the news and National Geographic or lives in a border state (I live in Texas and know a few people who have relatives in Mexico) because you won't learn anything you don't already know. But for beginners it is ideal.

    The book begins with a short history of cartels in Mexico from their beginnings to the present day, names such as El Chapo, Arellano, Fuentes, Sinaloa and Los Zetas. Once upon a time a man named Gallardo was the king of the cartel. Then he broke up his own monopoly and created Baby Bell cartels with his people in charge. Seems to me that someone should have foreseen that the result would be competition, and that competition would lead to fights over smuggling corridors in the future. There was a time when the Mexican cartels followed the same creed as the Mafia in this country (not that the Mafia is a good thing.) They negotiated, family members were strictly off limits, violence against law enforcement was to be avoided and necessary violence was kept in-house. Sort of an honor among thieves thing. No more. The cartels in Mexico have flipped their lids. They kidnap, torture, kill and extort. Their victims are everybody. To make matters even worse, law enforcement in Mexico, from the local beat cop to the attorney general, are notoriously corrupt, paid off by the cartels to at best look the other way, and at worst perform an execution or two themselves.

    And now these atrocities happen here. Phoenix has had such an increase in kidnappings that they have formed a special task force. Arms trafficking is a growing problem especially in Arizona and Texas which have the most lenient state laws. Straw buyers visit gun shops and shows and purchase several firearms that they then deliver to the guy who will take the guns across the border. This is important because, believe it or not, guns are not easy to buy in Mexico. Serial number searches have proven the link between US firearms and deaths in Mexico and in this country.

    The cartels are a business like any other, and as such look for efficiencies. One of these is using US public lands such as national parks to grow marijuana. This way they don't have to try and run the product across the border and risk detection. Two or three employees of the cartel will scout a location; set up camp, which can include generators, irrigation pipes, trip-wires, etc. They are armed and will live with and protect the crop from planting through harvest and processing. Our park rangers and law enforcement are up against much more dangerous criminals than have historically been encountered in our parks. So this is another way that the drug war is spreading north from our border.

    Presidents of Mexico and their administrations have failed miserably in the past to crack down on the cartels. But in 2006 Felipe Calderon was elected president and he immediately announced a new policy. He would bring the fight to the cartels with the Mexican Army. He deployed thousands of soldiers, then he fired large numbers of state and local law enforcement for corruption. New officers are hired only after they pass a lie detector test. Judicial reforms have been implemented to make the process transparent to encourage in the public more faith in the system. President Calderon has also floated novel legislation to ease up on criminal penalties for users in the hopes that the drug prices would drop and become less lucrative for the cartels. The jury is still out.

    The author puts forward a few strategies and tactics to lessen the flow of drugs into the United States and lessen the danger of the fallout of Mexico's drug wars. She says we need to learn to manage a war that we can't win. We should send more money to the right places, increase use of the National Guard, change some of our own drug and gun laws, etc. Those last two will realistically never be done.

    President Calderon has about a billion strikes against him and those strikes are dollar bills. Consider what he's up against. Cartel chiefs have been listed in Forbes magazine's list of the world's top billionaires and Forbes world's most powerful people. Check out El Chapo Which brings up an interesting point. The truth is that the cartels incomes are larger than Mexico's defense budget. Larger. More money than the government. There's an event coming up in 2012 in Mexico which I cannot stress enough the significance. Mexico elects a new president next year. I'll be watching with great interest because cartel influence will make or break the next presidency.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Major385
    4.0 out of 5 stars I learned something
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting book. I especially enjoyed what I was not aware of. Mexico needs desperately to revamp their laws and become serious about corruption. Otherwise this is headed for Anytown USA.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Lizz2
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly Informative
    Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The author says it best in her conclusion: "It's important that all Americans fully understand how the drug war in Mexico affects them, their communities, and the rest of their country."

    I lived in Phoenix, AZ for 8 years and I had no idea how pervasive the Mexican drug cartels are in that area. However, my mind is not much more at ease now that I live 1,000 miles from the border; because as Longmire so thoroughly discusses - it's not only the border states that are infected by the drug trade. This is a national security threat that affects all of us.

    There were so many times I paused while reading Cartel to tell my husband, "You are not going to believe this..." and then proceeded to read him a fact, statistic, or account from the book. For example, I had no idea Mexican cartels are growing marijuana in our national forests. I think most of the US population is as naïve as I was about the drug war, which is why this book is so important. It's also a must-read for those more versed in the issues, because it presents viable solutions to manage this war.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Joe M
    2.0 out of 5 stars CartelToo Little for Too Much
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Although this book was written (in my opinion) for a very specific audience (middle America), it lacked a lot of general Cartel information (I could have gone to Wikipedia and learned more about the Cartels for free). The author boasts about her credientials as an analysts; however, no inside information not available to the general public through open source research was revealed. I applaud the courage, time and effort that it takes to write and publish a book; however, based on what the title advertises and what it actually delivers, the book is overpriced.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Connor Becz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Content
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Some very good facts about the transnational drug crime between Mexico and the United States. It is highly readable and constitutes a fresh primer on the state of Mexico's drug wars as they related to the United States
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon_Customer
    2.0 out of 5 stars ... written book - Although the underlying premise is of great geopolitical importance
    Reviewed in India on November 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A very poorly written book - Although the underlying premise is of great geopolitical importance , the author has done a narrative which is a cross between newspaper and telivision reporting - There is nothing new in terms of analysis , background or solutions that is on offer - Complete disappointment
    Report
  • pxndx
    5.0 out of 5 stars awsome
    Reviewed in Italy on May 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    a very good book, very well written (I'm Italian and I didn't went throug super difficoult and unknown words), it gives a very good idea of what is happening in mexico and the consequences for the USA.
    i suggest it even for plasure reading.
    Report
  • Dan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Good reading.
    Report
  • Benito
    2.0 out of 5 stars Drug enforcement through a narrow lens
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Sylvia Longmire's account of the drug war along the Mexican border with the US is timely given the excessive levels of homicides linked to fighting between cartels looking to dominate the hugely profitable markets. Her experience on the enforcement side of the agenda unintentionally paints a picture of the futility of the exercise, one which she ultimately fails to explore with any real scrutiny. Whilst the book offers the reader an interesting account of policing the problem Cartel is ultimately a platitude to Longmire's former enforcement colleagues regardless of the effectiveness of US policy.
    Report
  • Mdk
    2.0 out of 5 stars This is a lazy piece of writing. Despite being ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a lazy piece of writing. Despite being described as a security expert, the author brings nothing new to the discussion. I have read all of the information elsewhere, and this is clearly rehashed. There is an element of sensationalism too here. Not a serious book and not, although claimed to be, a serious discussion of the topic.
    Report