Desperados
Latin Drug Lords, U.S. Lawmen, and the War America Can't Win
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
READ THE CAMARENA STORY AND FIND OUT WHY THE DRUG TRADE IS KILLING US.
Desperados takes you to the front line of the drug wars. You'll come face to face to with:
Swaggering, flamboyant drug lords who rule over immense empires;
Federal police and government officials who are silent partners in the vicious drug trade;
A CIA locked in a unholy relationship with the Mexican security police; The Regan administration's duplicitous and ambivalent fight against narcotics.
In Desperados you'll learn firsthand about the isolation, vulnerability, and courage of DEA agents in Latin America. And you'll witness the harrowing murder of Enrique ("Kiki") Camarena, a dedicated agent who tried, against all odds, to secure one victory in this endless war.
"A breathtaking, behind-the-scenes look at one of the major problems of our time"
The San Diego Tribune
"Fast-paced and meticulously documented...reads like a thriller."
The Village Voice
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the course of covering the international drug scene for 10 years for Newsweek (she is now with Time ) Shannon clearly developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. Here she draws on that expertise, basing her book on the torture-murder of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1985, a case that is still unresolved. She reveals that the U.S. government has talked a good anti-drug fight but has done little more than form study commissions, convene conferences and sign treaties. She contends, also, that Mexico's war on drugs has been rife with corruption, from street cops to high officials. And, farther south, the Colombian administration has been fighting a losing battle against a cartel headquartered in Medellin, with judges and lawmen assassinated by the dozen. The conclusion: the only way to win the war is to end the demand in America for marijuana and cocaine. An instructive study. 35,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; first serial to Time magazine; film rights to Michael Mann Productions; author tour.
