Cartels, Conspiracies, and Camarena

Episode 16 -- Ruben Zuno-Arce: Who He Was and Why He is Important (Pt. 1)

Ruben Zuno-Arce was a central figure in two criminal trials in the U.S., a key subject of several episodes of Narcos: Mexico, and is vilified in The Last Narc.  
This episode takes a look at who Mr. Zuno was, his history and background, and analyzes the two criminal trials and the witnesses against Mr. Zuno.  This episode leads into next week's second part which will detail why Mr. Zuno's case is significant and what it can tell us about the government's investigations and prosecutions.

James Kuykendall Interview -- Part 2 (Corrected)

I recently learned that for many the recording of part 2 of my interview with Jaime Kuykendall was playing Jaime's answers but not my questions.  Because I think that interview is so important, I am republishing it and hope you will take the time to hear the full conversation.  
 

Episode 15 -- Justice Served, Justice Delayed, and Justice Denied

In this Episode, we discuss whether justice has been served, delayed, or denied with respect to several individuals, including the major traffickers, some criminal defendants, some witnesses in the criminal trials, and, especially for Agent Camarena.  

Episode 14 -- Jaime Kuykendall Part 2

This episode is the second part of my interview with Jaime Kuykendall.  Today, we discuss Agent Camarena's abduction, the investigation into his disappearance, the suspects, the interrogation recordings, and more.  

Episode 13 -- An Interview with James Kuykendall - Part 1

Jaime Kuykendall.  Agent Camarena's superior and friend.  The man who likely knows more of the background facts of the Camarena case than any other person.  A man whose reputation has been questioned.   This episode is Part 1 of our interview with Agent Kuykendall, and we jump right into a discussion of The Last Narc, the DEA's Guadalajara office, and the investigations of Guadalajara's major traffickers.  

Episode 12 -- Debunking the CIA Myth in the Last Narc

A primary allegation in The Last Narc is that the CIA was directly involved in the abduction, interrogation and murder of Agent Camarena.  This episode exposes the lack of credible, verifiable, contemporaneous evidence to support that allegation and questions that basic logic and foundation underlying that claim and related assertions.  

Episode 11 -- The Allegations of CIA Involvement in Agent Camarena’s Abduction

Allegations of CIA involvement in the abduction of Agent Camarena were widely reported but barely scrutinized.  In this episode, we break down the specific allegations and begin to evaluate the support for the assertions of CIA involvement.  

Episode 10 --Gary Webb, Barry Seal, and the CIA

In this episode, we examine the journalism of Garry Webb and the life of Barry Seal to investigate the possible role of the CIA in drug trafficking in the United States, Mexico, and South America.  

Episode 9 -- The Iran Contra Affair and Camarena

There have been several investigations into the Iran Contra Affair, each of which included testimony from a number of witnesses and produced voluminous reports.  This episode examines those investigations to find what, if any, connections were found between the CIA activities in support of the Contras and Agent Camarena, or any of the drug traffickers in Mexico.    

Episode 8 --The Alleged Conspiracy Meetings

Did the traffickers have as many as 10 conspiracy meetings, with some of the most well-known politicians and government officials in Mexico, to plan the abduction of the agent that was causing them problems?  That is what the government alleged in the criminal cases, based in large part on the testimony of Jorge Godoy and Rene Lopez-Romero.  This episode examines those alleged meetings and the testimony relating to them, calling into question both the government's case and the credibility of the witnesses.