Los Zetas
The Discovery of Mexico's First Coca Plantation Could Upend the Cocaine Business
Authorities in Mexico recently found 1,639 coca plants near the Guatemalan border, suggesting the country's cartels could eventually try to cut ties with their Colombian suppliers.
Cocaine & Crude (Full Length)
We sent Suroosh Alvi to Mexico to meet the drug cartels that are now stealing the country's oil.
Cocaine & Crude (Part 3)
In part 3, we visit Texmelucan, a city devastated by an illegal oil tap explosion in 2010.
Cocaine & Crude (Part 2)
We tour Pemex's fragile operations in the Burgos Basin and sits down with a member of the infamous Los Zetas cartel.
Cocaine & Crude (Part 1)
VICE News sent Suroosh Alvi to Mexico to meet the drug cartels who are now stealing the country's oil.
Legal Pot in the US Is Crippling Mexican Cartels
Following weed legalization in some states, Mexican cartels can no longer import so much north. And the DEA doesn't seem too happy about it.
How the Geek of Mexico's Bloodiest Cartel Revolutionized the Drug Trade With Walkie-Talkies
The "head of IT" for Los Zetas built a shadow communications infrastructure with very common technology.
The CTO for Mexico's Bloodiest Cartel Built a Shadow Network with Two-Way Radios
Jose Luis Del Toro Estrada, the so-called "head of IT" for Los Zetas, did something remarkable: He rewrote the book on criminal enterprise communications with cheap walkie talkies.
Mexico's Drug Cartels Love Social Media
Members of Mexico's drug cartels are starting to harness the power of the internet, using it to run positive PR campaigns, post selfies with their pistols, and hunt down targets by tracking their movements on social media.
Z-40 Is a Product of the American Drug War: You’re Welcome, Mexico
A former DEA analyst said, "Our policy of prohibition is what creates people like Morales. It incentivizes violence to a tremendous degree, so we shouldn’t be surprised when someone rises to the top and commits 2,000 murders to get there, because in...
The Zetas' Leader Has Been Captured, but Is That Really Such a Good Thing?
With Miguel Angel Treviño Morales captured, it looks likely that existing cartels and the newly independent factions within Los Zetas will duke it out over territory. And by that I mean relentlessly massacre each other with bloody gun battles in the...
Murderous Little Boys Are the Future of Mexico's Drug War
They're cheap, willing and they don't get in trouble for killing people.