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Infiltrator
The electrifying true story of Robert Mazur's life as an undercover agent who infiltrated one of the world's largest drug cartels by posing as a high-level money launderer -- the inspiration for the major motion picture The Infiltrator .
Robert Mazur spent years undercover infiltrating the Medellín Cartel's criminal hierarchy. The dirty bankers and businessmen he befriended -- some of whom still shape power across the globe -- knew him as Bob Musella, a wealthy, mob-connected big shot living the good life. Together they partied in $1,000-per-night hotel suites, drank bottles of the world's finest champagne, drove Rolls-Royce convertibles, and flew in private jets. But under Mazur's Armani suits and in his Renwick briefcase, recorders whirred silently, capturing the damning evidence of their crimes.
The Infiltrator is the story of how Mazur helped bring down the unscrupulous bankers who manipulated complex international finance systems to serve drug lords, corrupt politicians, tax cheats, and terrorists. It is a shocking chronicle of the rise and fall of one of the biggest and most intricate money-laundering operation of all time-an enterprise that cleaned and moved hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Filled with dangerous lies, near misses, and harrowing escapes, The Infiltrator is as bracing and explosive as the greatest fiction thrillers -- only it's all true.
Robert Mazur spent years undercover infiltrating the Medellín Cartel's criminal hierarchy. The dirty bankers and businessmen he befriended -- some of whom still shape power across the globe -- knew him as Bob Musella, a wealthy, mob-connected big shot living the good life. Together they partied in $1,000-per-night hotel suites, drank bottles of the world's finest champagne, drove Rolls-Royce convertibles, and flew in private jets. But under Mazur's Armani suits and in his Renwick briefcase, recorders whirred silently, capturing the damning evidence of their crimes.
The Infiltrator is the story of how Mazur helped bring down the unscrupulous bankers who manipulated complex international finance systems to serve drug lords, corrupt politicians, tax cheats, and terrorists. It is a shocking chronicle of the rise and fall of one of the biggest and most intricate money-laundering operation of all time-an enterprise that cleaned and moved hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Filled with dangerous lies, near misses, and harrowing escapes, The Infiltrator is as bracing and explosive as the greatest fiction thrillers -- only it's all true.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 30, 2012
2009. Without complicit bankers there is nowhere for the drug trade to wash its billions.
Robert Mazur, Italian American, joined the IRS out of college and became a special agent for their Intelligence Division. In Tampa he learned how to work an undercover identity. After a successful case under his belt, he was offered a job with U.S. Customs meaning a pay cut, a million miles less of red tape, and his dream job.
At his new job, Robert Mazur became Robert Musella, a cover identity close enough to his own New York background for him to easily play the part of a scion of a New York crime family with legit businesses laundering illicit cash flow. Through this cover Mazur/Musella and his colleagues at Customs infiltrated the global financial world of the Columbian drug trade.
From 1983 to 1988 Mazur/Musella little by little ingratiated himself with narco traffickers and narco financiers. Remember BCCI? They were the dirtiest bank in the world at the time and thrilled to facilitate the flow of narco dollars for fees, all negotiable of course due to the great amounts involved.
These men and women of U.S. Customs put their lives on the line--one wrong step could mean getting whacked--to gather enough evidence to disrupt and seize narco assets, to arrest and prosecute the narco traders and their dirty bankers.
Despite Mazur's success, at $400 to $500 billion in drug trade revenue per year, $10 trillion has circulated through the world financial system since the success of this case.
The writing reads like a trip report at times, but that is part of its appeal. The narrative is straight from the guy who lived through it. Most amazingly, after the takedown and testifying in open court, Mazur survived a $500,000 price tag on his head and wrote this book.
Real story. Real people. Real guts. Real glory.
Robert Mazur, Italian American, joined the IRS out of college and became a special agent for their Intelligence Division. In Tampa he learned how to work an undercover identity. After a successful case under his belt, he was offered a job with U.S. Customs meaning a pay cut, a million miles less of red tape, and his dream job.
At his new job, Robert Mazur became Robert Musella, a cover identity close enough to his own New York background for him to easily play the part of a scion of a New York crime family with legit businesses laundering illicit cash flow. Through this cover Mazur/Musella and his colleagues at Customs infiltrated the global financial world of the Columbian drug trade.
From 1983 to 1988 Mazur/Musella little by little ingratiated himself with narco traffickers and narco financiers. Remember BCCI? They were the dirtiest bank in the world at the time and thrilled to facilitate the flow of narco dollars for fees, all negotiable of course due to the great amounts involved.
These men and women of U.S. Customs put their lives on the line--one wrong step could mean getting whacked--to gather enough evidence to disrupt and seize narco assets, to arrest and prosecute the narco traders and their dirty bankers.
Despite Mazur's success, at $400 to $500 billion in drug trade revenue per year, $10 trillion has circulated through the world financial system since the success of this case.
The writing reads like a trip report at times, but that is part of its appeal. The narrative is straight from the guy who lived through it. Most amazingly, after the takedown and testifying in open court, Mazur survived a $500,000 price tag on his head and wrote this book.
Real story. Real people. Real guts. Real glory.
March 24, 2011
Even though you know this is the story of the biggest undercover operation in US history, you don't know the details. So this book reads like a thriller. You don't know who's going to get caught, and who's going to get away. You don't know if the agents escaped unharmed. You don't know how much they seized. And it just rips along. They keep getting in deeper and deeper, and higher and higher. Setbacks, risks, mistakes all threaten to send it off the rails, much of it due to other agents and agencies supposedly working toward the same goal. The risks and sacrifices these people made is admirable and inspiring, as much as the actions of those who got in the way is disgusting. The suggestion of domestic political interests, business leaders, and intelligence agencies all benefiting from the money laundering business is fascinating, especially as an explanation for why so little money laundering is prosecuted. For all its success, Mazur shows how the operation only succeeded in stopping a drop in the bucket of dirty money sloshing around the world every day. The last night I read I literally couldn't put it down. I was sick, went to bed early and read, fought off sleep until it was time for my next pill, then stayed up for 3 more hours finishing off this book. What a great read.
December 17, 2014
Robert Mazur provides an encyclopedic account of his undercover work. His work to the arrest of dozens of drug traffickers and money launders. It also led to the dismantling of BCCI, a large banking operation that seemed focused on dirty money.
Unfortunately, the book also reads like an encyclopedia. Most disappointing was the the book provided little insight on how money laundering works. I was hoping for a bit more insight.
Unfortunately, the book also reads like an encyclopedia. Most disappointing was the the book provided little insight on how money laundering works. I was hoping for a bit more insight.
September 18, 2016
It's funny that I read this book when I did because my boyfriend and I have been watching Narcos on Netflix, which is a docudrama about Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel. Watching the show and reading this book at the same time, it's given me two different perspectives about the same thing. Narcos follows two DEA agents actually going after Pablo. The Infiltrator is told by an undercover Customs agent set on bringing down the dirty banks and money laundering groups who are financing the cartels. It was cool to see how these two different stories lined up with each other.
As for The Infiltrator in particular, I thought this book was incredibly interesting. To see step by step how Robert Mazur managed to go so deep into the cartel was fascinating. Clearly, Mazur was good at his job. However, I guess I was expecting a little more action. Mazur's perspective is much more of the white collar crime associated with Pablo Escobar, so I'm not sure why I was expecting a bunch of shoot outs and hot pursuits with Mazur and his team barely escaping with their lives, but I was, and I didn't get those scenes. That's fine. After all, this is nonfiction. But I went into this book with a different mindset, which ended up affecting my rating. There were also times where Mazur kinda overly described the details of money laundering. I guess it's interesting, but as someone who doesn't do this stuff as a career, the nitty gritty details just weren't interesting to me, and those paragraphs slowed down the story for me.
I think this is an interesting read. And we're left with somewhat of a cliff hanger, too. I'm wondering if Robert Mazur is writing another novel about his adventures as an undercover agent... Anyway, I recommend the book to anyone interested in true crime stories. And I also recommend Narcos on Netflix. It's awesome.
As for The Infiltrator in particular, I thought this book was incredibly interesting. To see step by step how Robert Mazur managed to go so deep into the cartel was fascinating. Clearly, Mazur was good at his job. However, I guess I was expecting a little more action. Mazur's perspective is much more of the white collar crime associated with Pablo Escobar, so I'm not sure why I was expecting a bunch of shoot outs and hot pursuits with Mazur and his team barely escaping with their lives, but I was, and I didn't get those scenes. That's fine. After all, this is nonfiction. But I went into this book with a different mindset, which ended up affecting my rating. There were also times where Mazur kinda overly described the details of money laundering. I guess it's interesting, but as someone who doesn't do this stuff as a career, the nitty gritty details just weren't interesting to me, and those paragraphs slowed down the story for me.
I think this is an interesting read. And we're left with somewhat of a cliff hanger, too. I'm wondering if Robert Mazur is writing another novel about his adventures as an undercover agent... Anyway, I recommend the book to anyone interested in true crime stories. And I also recommend Narcos on Netflix. It's awesome.
August 27, 2017
To paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill: we will battle them in the mountains; we will battle them at sea; we will battle them at their banking houses .... This is a war report from the bureaucratic front, of the role that the "other agency " plays in taking down narcos. Namely, the U.S. Customs Service.
Agent Bob Mazur details his undercover work as a money launderer. He was remarkably successful and the end result was a series of high level arrests. What makes the book so interesting though is not the inevitable conclusion, nor the skill of Mazur as a story teller -- but rather his accountant's eye for details. This is the book to read for policy makers who wonder why after decades of war on drugs we have made very little progress in dismantling it.
He details the interagency pettiness, the lack of shared goals, the priority of personal political power over total victory. And lastly, it hints at the implicitness of American high officials who skirt laws for an ideological gain. This is what makes the book interesting and useful. I highly recommend it.
Agent Bob Mazur details his undercover work as a money launderer. He was remarkably successful and the end result was a series of high level arrests. What makes the book so interesting though is not the inevitable conclusion, nor the skill of Mazur as a story teller -- but rather his accountant's eye for details. This is the book to read for policy makers who wonder why after decades of war on drugs we have made very little progress in dismantling it.
He details the interagency pettiness, the lack of shared goals, the priority of personal political power over total victory. And lastly, it hints at the implicitness of American high officials who skirt laws for an ideological gain. This is what makes the book interesting and useful. I highly recommend it.
July 11, 2013
Not A thrilling book if that is what you are searching for. But a great beginners book on how-to money launder. Nicely descriptive and good application of examples for those starting out.
June 23, 2017
This is a true story that reads like a nonfiction thriller. Mazur gives us some of his background - how he first got into the business, how he first went undercover for the IRS Intelligence Division, how he ended up in U.S. Customs in Tampa. He explains how he went about creating a cover for himself that would allow him to get intel on drug traffickers.
Then he takes us along with him as he discovers who are the key players - the drug lords, the suppliers & distributors, the cash collectors & the money launderers. Mazur, alias Musella, and his fellow undercover agents do a brilliant job of ingratiating themselves with the 'targets' and learning their secrets. They are so convincing that even when the traffickers suspect a leak, they do not suspect Musella's team.
Mazur reveals different ways that the drug money is being laundered. Some of it is pretty simple; some of it makes my head spin. Mazur realized that just making drug busts & going after the traffickers wouldn't be enough to curtail the flow 0f drugs. He knew he had to take down the money launderers as well. So, as part of his cover role, he got down & dirty with the international banks who were hiding & washing drug money.
Mazur describes administrative obstacles & Customs/DEA/FBI turf wars he had to try to contain in order to keep his identity secret. He shares various situations where he had to really think fast to keep the targets unaware & unsuspecting.
Was he successful? Yes & no. He & all of his team members are alive. He succeeded in putting a LOT of key players in jail. He succeeded in bringing down the big international bank (BCCI) he had targeted. None the less, like water filling a void, trafficking continues.
After the arrests, the drug lords put a $500k hit out on Mazur. Mazur created a new cover for himself and his family. The thing that puzzles me right now is, how is he able to come out of cover now to write this book?
I definitely recommend this book, but suggest that you keep a pencil & paper handy because there are a lot of people and organizations to keep track of. There is a glossary of names at the end of the book, too.
Then he takes us along with him as he discovers who are the key players - the drug lords, the suppliers & distributors, the cash collectors & the money launderers. Mazur, alias Musella, and his fellow undercover agents do a brilliant job of ingratiating themselves with the 'targets' and learning their secrets. They are so convincing that even when the traffickers suspect a leak, they do not suspect Musella's team.
Mazur reveals different ways that the drug money is being laundered. Some of it is pretty simple; some of it makes my head spin. Mazur realized that just making drug busts & going after the traffickers wouldn't be enough to curtail the flow 0f drugs. He knew he had to take down the money launderers as well. So, as part of his cover role, he got down & dirty with the international banks who were hiding & washing drug money.
Mazur describes administrative obstacles & Customs/DEA/FBI turf wars he had to try to contain in order to keep his identity secret. He shares various situations where he had to really think fast to keep the targets unaware & unsuspecting.
Was he successful? Yes & no. He & all of his team members are alive. He succeeded in putting a LOT of key players in jail. He succeeded in bringing down the big international bank (BCCI) he had targeted. None the less, like water filling a void, trafficking continues.
After the arrests, the drug lords put a $500k hit out on Mazur. Mazur created a new cover for himself and his family. The thing that puzzles me right now is, how is he able to come out of cover now to write this book?
I definitely recommend this book, but suggest that you keep a pencil & paper handy because there are a lot of people and organizations to keep track of. There is a glossary of names at the end of the book, too.
October 20, 2025
A 3.5 rating. Agents like Robert Mazur (along with their families) should be commended and thanked for their bravery, tenacity, and sacrifice. The true story of Mazur's undercover work is intriguing, so the facts and storyline are definitely interesting and worth reading. Hopefully, Bonnie Tischler changed her vain, glory-seeking ways prior to being promoted later on in life. Her actions in this book were disgraceful and an example of politics and selfishness ruining lives. It is also disheartening that in the end, US fails to prevent the money laundering that keeps drug cartels in business.
The style of writing could use improvement. 1. There are many painfully cheesy cliches in this book. 2. Show, don't tell. Mazur probably spent most of his career writing reports and not narratives, so his book in many ways, reads like a report rather than a novel. It states facts instead of describing, and the characters and dialogue are stiff.
Thank you, Mazur, for all the work you've done for the country, and the sacrifices made.
The style of writing could use improvement. 1. There are many painfully cheesy cliches in this book. 2. Show, don't tell. Mazur probably spent most of his career writing reports and not narratives, so his book in many ways, reads like a report rather than a novel. It states facts instead of describing, and the characters and dialogue are stiff.
Thank you, Mazur, for all the work you've done for the country, and the sacrifices made.
October 2, 2021
no that bad , pero no es la clase de libros que suelo leer
October 23, 2019
The book I read called the infiltrator, is the harrowing tale of author Robert Mazur’s undercover journey to the heart of the Medellin Cartel. Mazur goes undercover as Bob Musella, and has to slowly work his way up through the ranks of the Medellin Cartel befriending bankers, drug distributors, and money launderers. Overall, the story is about trust, betrayal, and the difficulties of doing what's right in a bureaucracy. The author through writing this book, is trying to convey the message be wary of your closest allies because they might be your greatest enemies.
This book is about Robert Mazur who is an undercover agent at U.S. Customs in the 1980s, during the golden age of the Medellin Cartel in Columbia. When Mazur started working at Customs, he started creating his undercover identity of Bob Musella, an Italien American businessman with mob connections. Mazur started out working small cases in customs but after a few successful cases he had built up a reputation and had made a lot of connections. When the leader of the Miami customs branch came to Robert with a new assignment involving money launderers for the Medellin Cartel, robert was all in. Using his background in the IRS, and his connections to bankers and mobsters, Robert creates a front for his money laundering business, and dives into the Medellin cartel as Bob Musella. To make sure he has enough incriminating evidence, Musella buys a suitcase and installs a secret recording device that would record all conversations that he would have. Musella and his partner Emire first turned to Gonzalo Mora, a Columbian coke dealer. Mora was interested in meeting Musella, and so Emir made contact with Mora and eventually after weeks of communication, convinced Mora to meet Musella. Mora was making plenty of money but needed a way to get it laundered so Musella offered his money laundering services. Musella had successfully made his first steps into the Medellin Cartel. After a few months of doing business with Mora, Musella was introduced to Alcaino who was working directly with Pablo Escobar, the leader of the Medellin Cartel. Musella as part of his cover had a fiancee named Kathy, who was key in winning over Alcaino. Once Alcaino accepted Musella's business offer, Mussella was able to easily access the leaders of the Medellin Cartel. Now that Musella was making money he needed a way to launder the money quickly, he turned to BCCI bank which was already thought to be conducting illegal activities. Musella meet with bankers Hussain, Awan, and Bilgrami who were more than willing to take illegal money and launder it. The first major obstacle that Musella faced was the funding needed for the operation. Since the case needed more than $60,000 it would be managed by the higher ups in Customs. Often cases that were managed by the higher ups in Customs ended up failing, so Musella’s job would be much harder to accomplish. As Musella infiltrated the Cartel more and more, a senate subcommittee was formed to oversee the important operation. Musella, after his success in laundering money in the states needed to go to europe to set up bank accounts in Switzerland, France, and England so that he could transfer money through different countries. While in Europe, Musella met banker, Chinoy, and Howard who managed BCCI Paris. These dirty bankers helped launder hundreds of thousands of dollars for Musella. Eventually the senate sub committee decided that the case should be ended by October which gave Musella a few months to infiltrate further. In Paris Musella also met Ambrecht who was the main money launderer for the Medellin Cartel. Musella after meeting Ambrecht decided that he was probably not going to be able to infiltrate further before the deadline so he now needed a plan to arrest all of the coke dealers, dirty bankers, and money launderers. As Musella infiltrated he became not only associates with his business partners, but close family friends trusted eachother. Musella decided to throw a wedding for himself and Kathy (His fake fiancee). The bait worked, all of the dirty bankers, money launderers, and coke dealers showed up to the wedding which allowed customs agents to easily go in and arrest everyone ending the case. In the end, the arrested were able to use their influence and money to get reduced sentences or sentences that were not very harsh.
I really like this book because it conveys a really blunt and honest message that you need to be careful of your most trusted allies. Often in this story, Emir and Musella are betrayed by their allies in customs time and time again, while their “enemies” become more trustworthy and reliable. The leaders of Customs often leaked sensitive information to the media to look successful in office. The police were also often overtaken by greed and arrested key Medellin members to make their departments performance and numbers better. The bureaucracy of Customs also did not give Musella all of the resources he needed to be successful forcing him to compromise. This book conveys a harsh message, but it is an important message nonetheless. Often you can never truly know who your allies are until it's too late.
This book is about Robert Mazur who is an undercover agent at U.S. Customs in the 1980s, during the golden age of the Medellin Cartel in Columbia. When Mazur started working at Customs, he started creating his undercover identity of Bob Musella, an Italien American businessman with mob connections. Mazur started out working small cases in customs but after a few successful cases he had built up a reputation and had made a lot of connections. When the leader of the Miami customs branch came to Robert with a new assignment involving money launderers for the Medellin Cartel, robert was all in. Using his background in the IRS, and his connections to bankers and mobsters, Robert creates a front for his money laundering business, and dives into the Medellin cartel as Bob Musella. To make sure he has enough incriminating evidence, Musella buys a suitcase and installs a secret recording device that would record all conversations that he would have. Musella and his partner Emire first turned to Gonzalo Mora, a Columbian coke dealer. Mora was interested in meeting Musella, and so Emir made contact with Mora and eventually after weeks of communication, convinced Mora to meet Musella. Mora was making plenty of money but needed a way to get it laundered so Musella offered his money laundering services. Musella had successfully made his first steps into the Medellin Cartel. After a few months of doing business with Mora, Musella was introduced to Alcaino who was working directly with Pablo Escobar, the leader of the Medellin Cartel. Musella as part of his cover had a fiancee named Kathy, who was key in winning over Alcaino. Once Alcaino accepted Musella's business offer, Mussella was able to easily access the leaders of the Medellin Cartel. Now that Musella was making money he needed a way to launder the money quickly, he turned to BCCI bank which was already thought to be conducting illegal activities. Musella meet with bankers Hussain, Awan, and Bilgrami who were more than willing to take illegal money and launder it. The first major obstacle that Musella faced was the funding needed for the operation. Since the case needed more than $60,000 it would be managed by the higher ups in Customs. Often cases that were managed by the higher ups in Customs ended up failing, so Musella’s job would be much harder to accomplish. As Musella infiltrated the Cartel more and more, a senate subcommittee was formed to oversee the important operation. Musella, after his success in laundering money in the states needed to go to europe to set up bank accounts in Switzerland, France, and England so that he could transfer money through different countries. While in Europe, Musella met banker, Chinoy, and Howard who managed BCCI Paris. These dirty bankers helped launder hundreds of thousands of dollars for Musella. Eventually the senate sub committee decided that the case should be ended by October which gave Musella a few months to infiltrate further. In Paris Musella also met Ambrecht who was the main money launderer for the Medellin Cartel. Musella after meeting Ambrecht decided that he was probably not going to be able to infiltrate further before the deadline so he now needed a plan to arrest all of the coke dealers, dirty bankers, and money launderers. As Musella infiltrated he became not only associates with his business partners, but close family friends trusted eachother. Musella decided to throw a wedding for himself and Kathy (His fake fiancee). The bait worked, all of the dirty bankers, money launderers, and coke dealers showed up to the wedding which allowed customs agents to easily go in and arrest everyone ending the case. In the end, the arrested were able to use their influence and money to get reduced sentences or sentences that were not very harsh.
I really like this book because it conveys a really blunt and honest message that you need to be careful of your most trusted allies. Often in this story, Emir and Musella are betrayed by their allies in customs time and time again, while their “enemies” become more trustworthy and reliable. The leaders of Customs often leaked sensitive information to the media to look successful in office. The police were also often overtaken by greed and arrested key Medellin members to make their departments performance and numbers better. The bureaucracy of Customs also did not give Musella all of the resources he needed to be successful forcing him to compromise. This book conveys a harsh message, but it is an important message nonetheless. Often you can never truly know who your allies are until it's too late.
Read
December 15, 2024I read this book as research for my romantic suspense series, and boy was it good. You really get a sense of not only the danger of the work undercover operatives have to do, but the emotional toll it takes on them. I ended up hunting down the movie and that was excellent, as well. It was great seeing the book come to life on screen.
August 10, 2021
If you loved NARCOs then this is a must read
February 5, 2024
Interesting story based on true accounts of Robert Mazur who worked as a custom agent joined Miami as an undercover agent that infiltrate drug dealers to launder their money. He was very successful in bringing to justice many of the top drug dealers and the bankers who assisted him in laundering the money. I was surprised that he did not retire after their convictions that he still worked without having retaliation from the gangs.
April 10, 2021
#IqaRead The Infiltrator by Robert Mazur
The entire 350 pages, I felt like I have been sucked into another world - the crazy, dangerous yet exciting life of Robert Mazur as he infiltrated Pablo Escobar’s drug cartel network. It was in the 1980s; the cocaine business was blooming. Billions of dollars were filling in the pockets of not just the drug lords and dealers, but also bankers and corrupted politicians.
Robert Mazur, or Robert Musella an undercover agent was the key person behind one of the biggest undercover operations in the US. This operation brought down dirty bankers, including Amjad Awan, Akbar Bilgrami and Ian Howard from the BCCI bank, who were pleased to launder billion dollars of illicit money that came out from the drug trade in exchange for large fees, silently creating power across the globe.
It is fascinating how detailed Mazur’s narratives are in this book, right from how he created his false identity by browsing through gravestones in the cemetery; used his connection with a criminal named Dominic who became the first person to lead Mazur in the drug world in exchange for lesser time in prison; developed a relationship with Gonzalo Mora who opened the door to Colombia; bonded with Roberto Alcaino and his family; climbed up the hierarchy that bought him closer to Rudy Armbrechy whose boss Don Chepe dealt directly to Escobar; faked a romantic relationship with another agent that led to a wedding ceremony where these criminals were supposed to attend but got arrested instead, one by one; used his briefcase with hidden recorders sewed neatly to capture conversations and evidence to prove these men guilty, to the point of standing in the witness box, testifying against the heinous crime of money laundering.
Robert Mazur put his life at stake, and also his wife and children, dealing with narco traffickers and narco launderers. It came as no shock when, at the end of the operation, Mazur had a USD500,000 contract on his head. On top of that, “Escobar was bombing the hell out of his competition. Cops and innocent people were dropping like flies in Colombia. And he was exporting terror just as he had been exporting narcotics.”
Mazur’s enemies apparently were not just the drug cartel network, but threat was coming from his own government office too. So many times the top management had tried to blow down the whole operation, for example, engaging with the media to boast about minor shipment busts from Mazur’s intel, putting Mazur at risk for getting exposed and having his head blown. There were also attempts to prevent Mazur from digging further, which indicates to us readers that something far more serious was taking place, politics-wise.
The conclusion of this book is exactly what I have been trying to make people in my circle to try and grasp - that the War on Drugs is such a big failure.
Mazur was floored.
“If the American’s so called War On Drugs is a sham, why were we (Mazur and his peers) risking our lives?”
The entire 350 pages, I felt like I have been sucked into another world - the crazy, dangerous yet exciting life of Robert Mazur as he infiltrated Pablo Escobar’s drug cartel network. It was in the 1980s; the cocaine business was blooming. Billions of dollars were filling in the pockets of not just the drug lords and dealers, but also bankers and corrupted politicians.
Robert Mazur, or Robert Musella an undercover agent was the key person behind one of the biggest undercover operations in the US. This operation brought down dirty bankers, including Amjad Awan, Akbar Bilgrami and Ian Howard from the BCCI bank, who were pleased to launder billion dollars of illicit money that came out from the drug trade in exchange for large fees, silently creating power across the globe.
It is fascinating how detailed Mazur’s narratives are in this book, right from how he created his false identity by browsing through gravestones in the cemetery; used his connection with a criminal named Dominic who became the first person to lead Mazur in the drug world in exchange for lesser time in prison; developed a relationship with Gonzalo Mora who opened the door to Colombia; bonded with Roberto Alcaino and his family; climbed up the hierarchy that bought him closer to Rudy Armbrechy whose boss Don Chepe dealt directly to Escobar; faked a romantic relationship with another agent that led to a wedding ceremony where these criminals were supposed to attend but got arrested instead, one by one; used his briefcase with hidden recorders sewed neatly to capture conversations and evidence to prove these men guilty, to the point of standing in the witness box, testifying against the heinous crime of money laundering.
Robert Mazur put his life at stake, and also his wife and children, dealing with narco traffickers and narco launderers. It came as no shock when, at the end of the operation, Mazur had a USD500,000 contract on his head. On top of that, “Escobar was bombing the hell out of his competition. Cops and innocent people were dropping like flies in Colombia. And he was exporting terror just as he had been exporting narcotics.”
Mazur’s enemies apparently were not just the drug cartel network, but threat was coming from his own government office too. So many times the top management had tried to blow down the whole operation, for example, engaging with the media to boast about minor shipment busts from Mazur’s intel, putting Mazur at risk for getting exposed and having his head blown. There were also attempts to prevent Mazur from digging further, which indicates to us readers that something far more serious was taking place, politics-wise.
The conclusion of this book is exactly what I have been trying to make people in my circle to try and grasp - that the War on Drugs is such a big failure.
Mazur was floored.
“If the American’s so called War On Drugs is a sham, why were we (Mazur and his peers) risking our lives?”
March 30, 2021
True to my personality, the entire time I was reading this I was thinking, “I hope they make this a movie!” without realizing the movie came out five years ago. So, naturally, I’m really excited to see it and hope that it is as fascinating as this book, though I can’t imagine it could possibly do justice to all the links and web-like connections.
Most of the true crime I’ve read has consisted of victim memoirs or focused on catching street criminals or low-level white-collar criminals. This book was truly eye-opening (and terrifying) in terms of shedding light on just how high up the drug empire goes. With how intertwined cartel money is with bank operations through money laundering, this book made me wonder how “winning” the war on drugs might actually upset the legal/legitimate world economy.
I thought the writing was fairly dry, and it was sometimes hard to keep track of all the names and connections, but I appreciate that the reason for that is because it was mostly reconstructed from recordings and transcripts. Robert Mazur and his fellow undercover colleagues were truly brave and brilliant to pull this off.
Most of the true crime I’ve read has consisted of victim memoirs or focused on catching street criminals or low-level white-collar criminals. This book was truly eye-opening (and terrifying) in terms of shedding light on just how high up the drug empire goes. With how intertwined cartel money is with bank operations through money laundering, this book made me wonder how “winning” the war on drugs might actually upset the legal/legitimate world economy.
I thought the writing was fairly dry, and it was sometimes hard to keep track of all the names and connections, but I appreciate that the reason for that is because it was mostly reconstructed from recordings and transcripts. Robert Mazur and his fellow undercover colleagues were truly brave and brilliant to pull this off.
July 19, 2019
I read this book after seeing the movie, the story is fascinating. Never really knew much about money laundering or how cartels moved their money around the world. This gives an inside look as to how it's done. These cartels seem far away, but really their money impacts much more than you expect and you will probably see something in your life that has been impacted by dirty money.
There are many more fascinating and maddening pieces of the story that the movie didn't go into. Like everything that happened after the "wedding" arrest, so much more to the story.
One drawback is that it didn't seem as polished as seasoned book writers. There were a few times I had to re-read sentences to make sense of them. But, this didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.
There are many more fascinating and maddening pieces of the story that the movie didn't go into. Like everything that happened after the "wedding" arrest, so much more to the story.
One drawback is that it didn't seem as polished as seasoned book writers. There were a few times I had to re-read sentences to make sense of them. But, this didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.
July 31, 2017
This was a good book…and the eternal rule that the movie is not even close to be as good as a book fully applies here, so if you have seen the movie and you liked it then you have to read the book.
Is very engaging, you get connected pretty fast and it’s the kind of book you “manage” so that it doesn’t end soon. It is not the best book I have read but is quite ok and reveals details on the money laundering biz structure and shows how the money is moved around the world to get cleaned.
Is very engaging, you get connected pretty fast and it’s the kind of book you “manage” so that it doesn’t end soon. It is not the best book I have read but is quite ok and reveals details on the money laundering biz structure and shows how the money is moved around the world to get cleaned.
June 1, 2018
Well, here is Elite, their schemes, their corruption and more importantly, Tax evasions. If you want to know, how world works today, here is your guide book.
I am not sure if it was first time, someone decided to go after the money, instead of Drug shipments, but it worked amazingly, and that lead investigators to bring down BCCI, although many of the culprits are still untouchable, even some had succeeded to become Ministers in Pakistan.
I am not sure if it was first time, someone decided to go after the money, instead of Drug shipments, but it worked amazingly, and that lead investigators to bring down BCCI, although many of the culprits are still untouchable, even some had succeeded to become Ministers in Pakistan.
December 29, 2016
This was a great book, once you got past the sordid details which had to be told and explained with all the names and positions. The intensity had me on the end of my seat. The friendships Robert forged with these criminals that he had to betray in the end felt terribly sad but had to be done. It was violent, yes, but it's a crime novel, this stuff really happened. I enjoyed it!
July 29, 2019
Worst book I’ve ever read. I am a sucker for undercover books, but this one is like reading a manual on how to put home entertainment system together. The author is too precise and confusing. I wasted a month of my summer reading this garbage.
January 15, 2020
Good read. Brave man.
February 16, 2022
An insightful look at the white collar framework through which criminal enterprises washed their dirty money in the late 80s…and I dare say little has changed today!
I liked elements of this - interesting concept, crazy that it’s true, some useful insights into how it’s all done from the street drop offs of dirty cash through to the executives at financial institutions turning a blind eye…and the politicians that let them all do it.
However, the book has an accountant’s take on it all; heavy on forensic transactional detail yet light on the emotional impact. The author occasionally hints at how it affected him emotionally without going in deep. I’d have preferred a closer look at things like how it affected his family…did he feel remorse…danger even?
It’s all kept at arms length and that was the stuff that would keep me glued through what becomes quite a stodgy middle section recounting deal after deal, Dom Perignon and cocktails at yet another swanky hotel… etc etc.
By the end I was glad it was all over, maybe because Masur reads the audiobook and his style is stilted to say the least.
Incredible tale though, fair play to that man
I liked elements of this - interesting concept, crazy that it’s true, some useful insights into how it’s all done from the street drop offs of dirty cash through to the executives at financial institutions turning a blind eye…and the politicians that let them all do it.
However, the book has an accountant’s take on it all; heavy on forensic transactional detail yet light on the emotional impact. The author occasionally hints at how it affected him emotionally without going in deep. I’d have preferred a closer look at things like how it affected his family…did he feel remorse…danger even?
It’s all kept at arms length and that was the stuff that would keep me glued through what becomes quite a stodgy middle section recounting deal after deal, Dom Perignon and cocktails at yet another swanky hotel… etc etc.
By the end I was glad it was all over, maybe because Masur reads the audiobook and his style is stilted to say the least.
Incredible tale though, fair play to that man
August 17, 2019
A couple of things about this book. Facts and information are good but too much detail can make a person lose interest. There were so many names and places in detail that towards the end I just wanted it to get over. The second thing is that the title is true but there is extremely, almost non-existence, of information about Pablo Escobar. Yes, it was about the people in the cartel but not Escobar. The information and basis for the book are very interesting and just goes to reinforce the corruptness that is in the world. I love facts and details but when it starts reading like a police report instead of a story, it overloads your brain with unnecessary facts that muddle the story. I gave it a 2 instead of 3 stars because towards the end I had lost interest.
January 22, 2018
The Infiltrator is a very unique book. The true story of Robert Mazur going undercover (as Bob Musella) as a money launderer is nowhere near any other undercover story. He expanded his business as he became associates with some of the biggest names in the drug cartel. He, along with his partner, spent years of hard work, recorded conversations, and feuds with their own government to arrest 40 men and an entire bank. Not many people can boast about the time that they took down the largest drug cartel in history. Robert Mazur’s book brings up lots of interesting parts of the government that are rarely talked about. A great read with many facts about the drug industry and how it works.
April 14, 2018
A very good book about a customs agent who infiltrates the money laundering operations of the Medellin cartel. Detailed operations on how dirty money is moved in and out of the United States how the cartels and corrupt banks like BCCI operated. The sheer idiocy of superiors, politicians and other agents out to grab glory who put the undercover agent’s life in peril is particularly telling. For instance, he details how the operation had to be wrapped up in October so the head of the office could get big headline and get promoted to a bigger job. Excellent read though for a mob book a little dry since many of the plot lines revolve around the movement of money.
March 22, 2023
I thought this book was going to be so gripping… but I couldn’t even finish it. I started reading this book while on vacation, so it was what I was reading as I traveled over spring break on a flight with a layover… and I still came home having read less than 100 pages… 4 days since returning and I’m only at 50%.
The story held interesting information, but that all was overshadowed by way too many details. I was unable to keep up with the amount of characters, hotels, restaurants, and cities. The author speaks from his own experience, but writes it as if he was only allowed to write in a factual and unemotional manner.
Off to watch the movie to see the half I didn’t read.
The story held interesting information, but that all was overshadowed by way too many details. I was unable to keep up with the amount of characters, hotels, restaurants, and cities. The author speaks from his own experience, but writes it as if he was only allowed to write in a factual and unemotional manner.
Off to watch the movie to see the half I didn’t read.
March 8, 2017
This was published in 2009, but it describes undercover activity from the late 1980's.
This really isn't thrilling. It is an account of how an IRS agent left due to paperwork and red tape, in favor of joining US Customs. He and his colleagues skirted a variety of internal rules to launder money for cartels, then turned the matter over to the US Attorney's office for prosecution.
The writing isn't *bad* but it is clear that a CPA wrote this.
This really isn't thrilling. It is an account of how an IRS agent left due to paperwork and red tape, in favor of joining US Customs. He and his colleagues skirted a variety of internal rules to launder money for cartels, then turned the matter over to the US Attorney's office for prosecution.
The writing isn't *bad* but it is clear that a CPA wrote this.
December 29, 2017
Riveting from start to finish. this book documents the undercover investigations into drug sourced money laundering that eventually brought down BCCI , the bank that also laundered billions of dollars of stolen wealth for African dictators and their cronies. indeed the weak but vital link in the drug trade are the banks/bankers......the more a hauled to jail the greater the chances of winning this global war
March 24, 2020
This book is an indictment of the international banking system that allows criminals and the ultra-wealthy to wash their dirty money. Nothing has changed since its publication in 2009; witness the activities of Donald Trump's favourite bank. Robert Mazur is a true hero for fighting corruption as well as standing up to back-stabbing government agencies with their murky political influences . Eat the Rich.
July 28, 2021
Excellent book detailing the intricacies of laundering drug proceeds, and especially international money laundering.
By the middle of the book, some may find the details to be burdensome or even boring but I enjoyed the book from beginning to end.
The chapters on the intra- and inter-agency politics was especially interesting to me, but disappointing as a citizen/taxpayer. Hopefully things have improved three decades removed.
By the middle of the book, some may find the details to be burdensome or even boring but I enjoyed the book from beginning to end.
The chapters on the intra- and inter-agency politics was especially interesting to me, but disappointing as a citizen/taxpayer. Hopefully things have improved three decades removed.
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