Kingpins & Coyotes: 25 Years as a Special Agent Hunting Drug Cartel Bosses and Human Smugglers

by Eric Balliet

On the Front Lines of America's Border Crisis.

Special Agent Eric Balliet worked in the shadows of the US–Mexico border—tracking cartel bosses, chasing human traffickers, locking up drug smugglers, confiscating truckloads of drugs, and prosecuting the violent offenders who sustained billion-dollar criminal empires.

His career culminated in a covert operation that brought down the world's most notorious drug Sinaloa Cartel boss El Chapo—twice.

In Kingpins & Coyotes, this retired Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent relives the daily hunt in a world where narcotics and human beings move through the same corridors, pushed north by profit and protected by violence.

Balliet shows how federal agents outsmarted the bad guys bringing tons of drugs and vanloads of humans smuggled by coyotes across the Southern border.

With the candor of a field operator and the pacing of a thriller, Balliet speaks bluntly about the politics, turf battles, informant games, and hard truths behind the "war on drugs"—and why no wall, checkpoint, or slogan will ever be enough.

Inside, you'll

How cartels communicate, coordinate, and move tons of drugs across the border How human smuggling pipelines operate—and why so many end in tragedy Why America's longest, most expensive war isn't fought overseas RAW. RIVETING. REAL.

Eric Balliet is a retired Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations where he spent over twenty-five years leading cross-border narcotics and human smuggling investigations.

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2026

About the author

Eric S. Balliet is a retired Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Special Agent and the author of Kingpins & Coyotes. During a federal law enforcement career spanning twenty-five years, he investigated drug cartels, human smuggling organizations, public corruption, and transnational criminal networks operating along the US/Mexico border and throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Balliet began his career as a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Nogales, Arizona, before becoming a special agent with U.S. Customs and later serving with ICE and Homeland Security Investigations. He led complex investigations targeting cartel command structures, communication networks, financial pipelines, and the infrastructure used to move drugs, money, weapons, and people across international borders. His work included developing wire interception strategies that contributed to the operations that located and captured Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—twice.

He later served as Law Enforcement Advisor to two Secretaries of Homeland Security and as Chief of the Integrity Investigations Division within the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. He is a court-recognized expert witness in drug trafficking, corruption, and criminal wire intercepts and has trained law enforcement professionals in the United States and abroad.

In Kingpins & Coyotes, Balliet draws on his firsthand experience to reveal how cartels and human smuggling networks operate, adapt, and rebuild—and why dismantling these criminal systems requires understanding far more than what happens at the border.

Reviews

[Meredith Doehling]

If you liked The Wire (HBO), Narcos (Netflix) and movies like Sicario you will also enjoy this book. Fast-paced and easy to digest for a very complex issue around border security and immigration. I loved the insight in to processes, preparation and implementation from someone on the front lines. The human elements of good and bad guys is fascinating. In the U.S. we hear a lot from clowns who never served or directly experience conflict along our borders. Grateful to hear from someone who has lived it, learned and now shared real stories. Plus, it’s mind blowing to learn how the author and team took down El Chapo not once, but twice.

[Nancy]

All the field reports, affidavits and reporting have made you an exceptional writer. Thank you for your service and best wishes for your retirement.

[Felice]

I absolutely loved this book. The stories alone are fascinating, but what really stood out to me was the depth of the analysis and investigative detail. The author takes you beyond the headlines and gives you a fascinating look into how complex drug networks and cartels actually operate. I especially enjoyed the way the book explains the thinking, strategy, and investigative process behind the cases—it made me feel like I was right there alongside the investigators.

The stories are intense, detailed, and incredibly well told. Honestly, there were several moments where I thought, this could be a movie. If you enjoy true crime, investigative stories, or books that take you inside the world behind major cases, I highly recommend it.

[Claire Reeves]

Outstanding account of what my friend, Eric, and other federal agents go through daily risking their lives to keep us safer and to protect our great country! Thank you!

[Chris McLean]

The book is filled with interesting and exciting stories that keeps you locked in and engaged throughout it.