Kilo

This “compelling and unforgettable” account of Colombian drug cartels follows a kilo of cocaine from the field where it was farmed to America’s shores (Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara).

Cocaine is glamour, sex and murder. A product that must be produced, distributed, and protected, it is both a harbinger of violence and a source of immense wealth. Beginning in the jungles and mountains of Colombia, it filters down to countryside villages, the nightclubs of the cities, and out across the globe. Each step in the life of a kilo reveals a different criminal underworld with its own players, rules, and dangers, ranging from the bizarre to the diabolical.

Seasoned reporter Toby Muse has gained unprecedented access to the people who survive on these vast enterprises—from farmers, smugglers, and assassins to the drug lords themselves. Following a kilo of cocaine from its origins to its final destination, he reveals the human lives behind the drug’s complicated legacy.

Piercing this veiled world, Kilo is a gripping portrait of a country struggling to end this deadly trade even as the riches flow. Uncovering stories of violence, sex, and money, it shows the allure and the madness of cocaine—and why the War on Drugs has been no match for it.

Kilo includes sixteen pages of photographs.