cartel

The trial of El Chapo was a riveting one, and a known international drug lord has finally been brought to justice, bringing great relief to anyone who has been affected by his crimes. Now, as Guzmán awaits his sentence and as we keep our fingers crossed that he cannot escape a U.S. prison, it is the ideal time to look back and review some of the most disturbing and bizarre things that came up over the weeks since the trial began in November.

Conventional perceptions of Latin America’s organized criminal groups tend to emphasize the greed and violence produced by these groups when, in reality, their existence is much more nuanced than this. Although most associate the presence of criminal groups with heightened levels of violence or drug use, these groups usually do much more than this, often providing certain services and resources to local communities.