Friday, July 29, 2011

Inside Mexico's Sinaloa Drug Cartel

Victor Emilio Cazares, reputed to be a top lieutenant in the Sinaloa drug cartel, lived in this estate near Culiacan, Mexico. The bell towers of the family church overlook the surrounding property. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times / September 22, 2009)

Suspicion In Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel -- L.A. Times

Why were drug smugglers' cocaine shipments being seized all over the U.S.? The boss in Mexico was demanding answers. He had no idea he was being targeted by the DEA's Operation Imperial Emperor.

Reporting from Calexico, Calif., and Badiraguato, Mexico

The towering iron gates opened onto a palm-lined driveway that led past the family church, a twisting water slide and two man-made lakes, one stocked with fish, the other with jet skis.

With its soaring twin bell towers, each topped by a cross, the estate in the emerald hills outside Culiacan, Mexico, had an almost surreal grandeur. It reminded Carlos "Charlie" Cuevas of Disneyland, without the smiles.

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My Comment: For the other parts of this series that examines the Sinaloa drug cartel, check the links below:

Sunday: Unraveling the Sinaloa Cartel
Tuesday: The trafficker and the psychic
Wednesday: Clear skies and cocaine
Thursday: Showdown in Sinaloa

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