Cartels, Conspiracies, and Camarena

Episode 30: What the Mexican Military Hacks Say About the Government and the Cartels

The recent hacks of the Mexican Secretariat of National Defenses and subsequent release of more than 4 million documents has led to intriguing headlines and claims.  In this episode, we look at the documents released, the impact of those documents on the intelligence apparatus in Mexico and public perception of the military.  Finally, and significantly, we look at what these documents say, thus far, about the relationship between the Mexican government, the military, and the Cartels.  

Episode 29: The ”Witnesses” Are Neither Credible Nor Consistent

The consistent refrain from supporters of the Berrellez narrative is that the witnesses have no incentive to lie and have been consistent in their statements.  
In fact, though, as demonstrated in this episode, the witnesses have had numerous incentives to lie and have been demonstrably inconsistent on important and decisive issues in this case. 
This episode presents evidence and facts to demonstrate the folly of reliance on either Godoy or Lopez.  

Episode 28: The CIA Fallacy Exposed - Pt. 2

Furthering the discussion last week on the absence of a connection between the CIA and Agent Camarena's abduction, this week we look at the statement of former DEA Agent Cele Castillo, the allegations regarding the involvement of Felix Rodriguez, and the alleged connection between Agent Camarena's murder and the assassination of journalist Manuel Buendia.
In sum, we find no evidence to support the uncorroborated testimonials of wholly unreliable witnesses and are persuaded by the absence of any contemporaneous evidence indicating involvement by the CIA in Agent Camarena's abduction, interrogation, or murder.   

Episode 27: The CIA Fallacy Exposed -- Part 1

In this week's episode, we explore the key traits of pseudointellectualism and note the representation of these traits in "The Last Narc" and the allegations made by Agent Berrellez.
We also explore the depth and breadth of the Iran Contra investigations and reports, specifically focusing on the investigations into the connections between the Contras and drug trafficking.  We highlight the testimony provided by people close to the Camarena case and the allegations of CIA involvement, and we search, to no avail, for any evidence of CIA involvement in Agent Camarena's abduction or interrogation.

Episode 26: The Criminal Behind the Government’s Case

Many of the witnesses presented at the Camarena-related criminal trials were brought to the U.S. by Antonio Garate Bustamonte, a former Mexican police officer and indicted drug trafficker.  Each of the three witnesses relied upon in The Last Narc were also "suppled" by Garate. 
Unbelievably, though, Hector Berrellez admits that the DEA didn't trust Garate and that he was not credible enough to testify at any of the criminal trials. 
Garate's lack of credibility irreversibly infected not only the criminal trials but also the allegations from Berrellez and The Last Narc.  

Episode 25 -- The Misapplication, Mischaracterization, and Misuse of Facts

Many of those advancing scandalous theories in connection with Agent Camarena's kidnapping and murder, including Agent Berrellez, Tiller Russell, and Amazon Prime, have done so based on "asserted" facts that are not facts but, instead, unsupported statements and accusations.  This episode exposes the repeated and malicious misuse of the term "facts" and the incorrect application of statements as facts.  

Episode 23 -- ”The Last Narc” Jeopardizing the Case Against Caro-Quintero

In the most significant episode so far, we examine how the many social media statement made by Hector Berrellez and others, many of which contains factual errors, inconsistencies, or flaws of logic, are shared widely without challenge.  Most importantly, we discuss how those statements could negatively impact any potential prosecution of Caro-Quintero for crimes relating to Agent Camarena.  

Episode 22 -- The CJNG and the Violence in Mexico

The recent violence in border towns in Mexico has been in the news and the subject of discussion.  This week, we look at the primary source of this violence, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, its history and leadership.  In addition, we try to find some links to the past and make some assertions about the cartel system in today's Mexico.   

Episode 21 -- Questioning J. Jesus Esquivel’s ”La CIA, Camarena y Caro-Quintero”

In this episode, we look into the factual assertions made by author and journalist J. Jesus Esquivel in his book, La CIA, Camarena y Caro-Quintero.  Specifically, we point out errors and inconsistencies that call into question the validity of other factual assertions in the book, as well as the veracity of any statements made by Godoy, Lopez Romero, and Lira.  

Episode 20 -- Re-Examining The Last Narc: Part 2

This episode continues our reexamination of The Last Narc, identifying additional internal inconsistencies and inaccuracies that further erode the credibility of the Agent Berrellez, the so-called witnesses, and the docuseries itself.