Bloodlines: How the FBI took on Mexico's most violent drugs cartel

by Melissa del Bosque

The riveting and suspenseful account of two young FBI agents in a pursuit of a drug cartel's most fearsome leader, Miguel Treviño

Drugs, money, cartels: this is what FBI rookie Scott Lawson expected when he was sent to the border town of Laredo, but instead he’s deskbound writing intelligence reports about the drug war. Then, one day, Lawson is asked to check out an anonymous tip: a horse was sold at an Oklahoma auction house for a record-topping price, and the buyer was Miguel Treviño, one of the leaders of the Zetas, Mexico's most brutal drug cartel. The source suggested that Treviño was laundering money through American quarter horse racing. If this was true, it offered a rookie like Lawson the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the cartel. Lawson teams up with a more experienced agent, Alma Perez, and, taking on impossible odds, sets out to take down one of the world’s most fearsome drug lords. 

In Bloodlines, Emmy and National Magazine Award-winning journalist Melissa del Bosque follows Lawson and Perez's harrowing attempt to dismantle a cartel leader’s American racing dynasty built on extortion and blood money. 

With extensive access to investigative evidence and in-depth interviews with key players, del Bosque turns more than three years of research and her decades of reporting on Mexico and the border into a gripping narrative about greed and corruption. Bloodlines offers us an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the Zetas and US federal agencies, and opens a new vista onto the changing nature of the drug war and its global expansion. 

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, History, Sports, Mystery

Paperback

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Melissa del Bosque is an award-winning investigative journalist who has written about the U.S.-Mexico border region for the past two decades. Her work has been published in international and national publications including: The Intercept, ProPublica, the Guardian and Marie Claire. Her work has also been featured in television and radio on Democracy Now!, MSNBC, PBS, the BBC and NPR.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library]

I first became intrigued with this book listening to an interview the author gave at the Tucson Book Festival. She is a veteran investigative journalist who has been writing about the US-Mexico border for decades. Her story follows rookie Special Agent Scott Lawson in Laredo, Texas, fresh from Tennessee, and his partner, Alma Lopez, recently transferred from Miami and pregnant with her third child.

The story is a fascinating look into the underworld of Mexican drug cartels. The Zetas are led by Miguel Trevino with his brother Omar serving as right hand man. Miguel, passionate about quarter horse racing, began quietly investing in horses as he was rising through the ranks. The obsession is shared by much of Northern Mexico where there is a rich horse ranching heritage.

As Miguel came into power, the Zetas were a multi-billion dollar entity that was desperately in need of a way to launder much of their ill-gotten gains. With the help of their brother Jose, a poor brick layer living outside of Dallas, millions of dollars are laundered through the purchase hundreds of pedigreed race horses.

Following a tip concerning the sale of a horse in Oklahoma for an unheard of amount of money, the agents are led to the ranch where Trevino’s horses are being boarded. The family that owns it is prominent in the horse-breeding and racing industry and the grandson made the record bid. With the help of the somewhat reluctant grandson, a Zeta informant, several agencies and countless agents both Mexican and American, the partners lead the charge in the dismantling of the Zeta’s horse-racing dynasty. -Kassie G.

[Byron Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is about a FBI money-laundering case involving a Mexican drug cartel and quarter horses. This book generally provides a kinda-overview of the case, some brief details into the lives of the main players – with an extra emphasis on one of the FBI agents – and a decent overview of the history of the Mexican drug cartels.

I think this book would have been improved had it just gone all out and framed the narrative as a thriller or procedural, strictly sticking to the point-of-view of the main FBI agent.

Without a strict narrative focus as a thriller or procedural, it needed to present a ton of detail – or tie this episode into a detailed, broader historical or social context – in order to be something special. As written, the book only scratches the surface of many of the topics it brings up: cartels, money laundering, horse racing, civil asset forfeiture, life on the border, federal inter-agency squabbling, bureaucratic inefficiency. It provides highlights, but it never really goes deep into the weeds. For example, it airs some of frustrations of the FBI agent with the obstacles presented by other agencies who want the investigation to have a different focus, but it never provides any justification or explanation for why the FBI case should have been the priority.

Basically, this book is just another non-fiction book written like a whole bunch of other non-fiction books: take a generally unusual or interesting “anecdote” of a story (drug cartels were buying American race horses, of all the things! and the FBI agent investigating it is from Tennessee! That’s far from Mexico!), splash some office conflict/gossip that is presumably generally favorable to the author’s sources (can you believe the DEA wanted to use the FBI’s source for something else!?), throw in some titillating details (kidnapping!), then call it a day and wait for a movie deal.

Ultimately, though, it’s a readable story (that could be made into a better movie) that wouldn’t be a bad read on an airplane or to kill a few hours. It’s not baaaad….it’s just not good.

[Nancy Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading. Descriptions of the atrocities committed by the Zeta cartel are horrific. My only criticism ... and this is probably a personal bias ... is there is really not much about the horses, specifically. It is a book about how the FBI caught some bad guys. Moves along fast and it is very interesting. If I could give it a 3.5 I would.

[Adrian]

Reporter Del Bosque follows a five year case of a Mexican drug cartel laundering dirty money through the world of American quarter horse racing. As one might guess of a case that involves three branches of law enforcement- FBI, IRS and DEA- plus tons of paper work the possibility of losing track of what's going on here is high. It doesn't happen and Del Bosque's workmanlike prose is the reason why. She deals with the evidence and personalities involved in just the right amount of detail. It's not the most exciting case to be honest but she handles it well. The trial which comes near the end of the book delivers most of what law enforcement wanted but not all. The fight against drugs in Mexico is very much one step forward two steps back.

[Chris Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into how the FBI, IRS, and DEA actually work cases as well and some insight into the court system. There's a lot less information about the quarter horse industry than I thought. I honestly felt like for the amount of activity and story that was actually collected and told this may have been a better news article.

[Serge Brutskiy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great true crime, I really liked that the book was not just from one persons perspective. Not too gory. Great read, I would recommend.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the blurb written here on Goodreads from the publishers, this book turned out to be neither riveting nor suspenseful. This was a mostly dull look at the tedium of life as an FBI agent, insterspersed with a very occassional victory.



And there should be a law against misleading subtitles. There was very little about the "Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty." The author, although well-educated on Mexican cartels, knew next to nothing about horses. She couldn't even tell a colt from a stallion -- and that's pretty basic stuff. Why tout the horses in the subtitle if they play next to no role in the book?

There's hardly anything about the horses -- and they were the most intersting characters presented here. Horses died and the author never bothers to tell you why. It just makes me want to scream. I'll never watch a quarter horse race again after reading this. If it was THAT easy to fix the year's most perestigious quarter horse race, then all other races are suspect to me now.

I did give an extra star for the story of a kidnapped Mexican, but other than that, this book is a yawner.

[Jessyca505 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“All around him, life carried on as usual on the American side of the river. The region was already seven years into the drug war, and it had all taken on a surreal normality. A block away from where he’d parked his squad car, people went about their shopping in the downtown stores, while Mexicans—some of them innocent bystanders—died in the city across the river.” ~ Del Bosque

I am always intrigued by true crime. And by full admission I am super intrigued by the stories of the cartels, whether they are Colombian, Mexican, or whatever. Maybe the draw is because I have lived in places that have the “spirit” (shall we say) of beautiful places with this type of hidden past or that hides right under the surface.

This book is sure to be a movie. A young FBI agent, Scott Lawson is moved from his home in Tennessee to Larado, Texas. Right on the other side of the border is Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, home to one of the most violent cartels led by Miguel and Omar Treviño.

I’m five years time, Lawson enlists the help of the IRS, DEA, and other law enforcement agencies to take down the cartel, all by following the paper trail that tied back to the oldest brother, Jose Treviño. The cartel was buying up hundreds of quarter horses to launder money, and having them race in places like Los Alamitos, CA and Ruidoso, NM.

It’s strange to think that all the times we would visit the Ruidoso race track, or staying at Inn of the Mountain Gods, we could have been among their presence. This book also helped me gain a better understanding of the turmoil on the Mexico, Texas border. And since we just drove through all of these areas this summer, it made it that much easier to imagine.

Probably biased,but definitely was rooting for the good guys.

[ECS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both easy and difficult to read at the same time. Easy, because the author does such a great job crafting a narrative, making all the players clear and well-characterized, and generally maintaining a reader's interest. Difficult, because the entire story is grounded, never exaggerated. I grew up in Texas and the Southwest, and have been to so many places in this book, all touched by this massive criminal network that is just one of many such networks in the area. All these communities and people that were impacted and the severity of those impacts, and the amount of work and coordination required to make a tiny dent in this crime - it makes the entire thing hard to digest. This particular story is even one of the less violent ones you can read about, but disturbing and sad in its own way. The author did great work, and anyone interested in horse racing, true crime, and/or the Southwest should give it a shot.

[LT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting! This true story reads like fiction and was fascinating.

[Kaitlin Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The audiobook narrator was not my cup of tea. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this one more had I read it on my own. 2.5 stars, really.

[Jake Bernstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a gripping tale of José Treviño, a bricklayer who became a millionaire overnight laundering money for his infamous brothers, the heads of the Zeta cartel. In only a few years, the brothers managed to subvert the American quarter horse industry to their malignant ends. Del Bosque describes in clear-eyed prose the terrifying barbarism of the Mexican drug war and the villains who perpetrate it. She matches that tale with a fascinating police procedural on the painstaking effort required to unravel the money laundering operation. In Bloodlines, the humans behind the headlines come to life.

A decade ago, as editor of the Texas Observer, I hired Melissa del Bosque as an investigative reporter. Along with a deep understanding of the borderland between the U.S. and Mexico, she brought an incredible combination of reportorial toughness and empathy. Those qualities are very much on display in Bloodlines. For anyone who wants to understand the carnage south of the border and the challenges of confronting it, this is a must-read.

Jake Bernstein
Author of “Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite” http://amzn.to/2hVuohf

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars but I can't quite bring myself to round up. This is interesting and well-researched but I had a hard time remembering who everyone was. That's not really the author's fault; this was a huge crime ring.

Also, the book could have used one last polish. There wasn't an unreasonable number of typos or grammatical errors, but some things were just worded a bit awkwardly.

The descriptions of gang/drug violence and the money the cartels are raking in were shocking. I had a vague idea that it was bad but I never imagined anything like the author describes.

[Hannah Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melissa del Bosque's Bloodlines tells an incredibly interesting story about how an FBI agent attempts to use laundering to capture some of Mexico's most vicious drug lords. This long and complex case surprisingly leads to several arrests to harm the cartel, but fails to snag the number one Zeta they hope for. The overwhelming majority of the story follows an FBI agent named Lawson. He's a brand new agent sent to the boarder because he's new and single. This huge case falls into his lap as one of his first. His favorite partner is a Latina named Perez who has quite an interesting storyline herself with her pregnancies over the course of the case. One of the best characters in the book (I know they're actual people too, but I say "character" as a way to distinguish the real thing from their portrayal) is the extremely important informant Tyler Graham who accidentally gets involved as he's attempting to regain prestige for his grandfather's ranch. Sadly, Lawson, as a character, is less interesting and engaging. The most emotive part of his character is his complex relationship with his father and deep friendship with Perez. Personally, I could've used more characterization for most people involved, but the case was so long and complex I understand why the focus stays on the cartel and its horses. That being said, I was always thrown by the chapters told from the perspective of the cartel. There were only three or four of them, which made them always surprising and disorienting. I would have pushed to make them more consistent or left them out entirely until they could come through naturally during the trial toward the end, which was largely dry and boring because little new revelations were shared for readers here. Overall, this was incredible reporting and collection of this story. I simply liked it (3/5 stars) because, as stated earlier, I would prefer more non-work characterization and some stylistic changes with some of the plot. There were also a few phrases or bits of information that were repeated a bit too frequently for me. If you're interested in cartels and/or quarter-horse racing, I would strongly suggest reading this!

[Emilio III · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about the good guys getting the bad guys. And when I say bad guys, these aren't your run-of-the-mill bad guys. I'm talking Breaking Bad, drug cartel bad guys.

Melissa del Bosque's expose unravels a twisted story of murder, kidnapping, extortion, torture, horse racing, and money laundering. It all starts when the FBI is alerted to an unusually high price paid for a horse at auction. The FBI spends the next three years piecing together how three brothers, two of them high up in the Zetas drug cartel, funneled drug profits into horse racing and the breeding and selling of quarter horses.

The author does an excellent job of walking the reader through the intricacies of structured deposits, shell companies, horse racing, and breeding. Some of the proceeds are legitimate. Most of it is not. Miguel Trevino and his brother, Omar, fixed races through doping and intimidation. They also had the advantage of buying up all of the best horses and seeding the field with three or four of the top horses, all but guaranteeing a win.

To make the whole enterprise look legitimate, Miguel and Omar enlisted the help of their brother Jose, who lived a quiet life in San Antonio, working as a bricklayer. In a short time, Jose went from $50,000 a year to making enough money to buy a ranch and start a horse breeding business.

Hot on his trail, though, was a rookie FBI agent named Scott Lawson. Over three years, Scott and a small team of FBI agents and a couple of IRS agents put together a charging document that would ultimately lead to the undoing of the entire scheme. They confiscated all of the cartel's horses and were successful in getting lengthy prison sentences for Jose Trevino and a cast of co-conspirators. Jose's brothers, Miguel and Omar Trevino ended up in Mexican prisons.

A convoluted story like this could take years to unravel. The author, however, had the good fortune of having the work of the FBI, along with the thousands of pages of trial transcripts and depositions to draw upon. Add in the author's research and personal interviews, and you have the making of a compelling nonfiction narrative.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this book while running.

This was a fantastic audiobook. I'm pretty sure I picked this book out because I thought it might be about cheating (doping/performance enhancing drugs) used in horse racing. It's not. It's about an FBI investigation to bust a Mexican drug cartel using buying and selling of expensive horses as a way to move drug money from Mexico to the US and launder the money. The author does a fantastic job of breaking down how this operation worked and the amount of effort put in by the FBI to figure it out. She also humanizes people working for the FBI in a way that I haven't seen before. At times, I was trying to remember whether this was non-fiction or not, because it is put together so well as a narrative that I had my doubts.

The narrator does an amazing job. By giving each person who speaks in the book a unique voice, the narrator adds more personality and character.

Before listening to this book, I had zero knowledge of how drug cartels work, or really, what was going on in Mexico in the early 2010s. I also had zero knowledge of how the FBI operates. I now know a little more about both those things, and thought this was a really interesting book, despite not being on the topic I had imagined it was about.

[forsanolim · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the late 2000s, Miguel Treviño led the notoriously brutal Zetas drug cartel in Mexico. When his older brother, Jose, sold a quarter horse in Oklahoma for a record-breaking price, the FBI was tipped off about a potential money laundering scheme that cleaned Zeta drug money by injecting it into the world of quarter horse racing. This book documents the multi-year investigation led by FBI agents Scott Lawson and Alma Perez as they pieced together the money laundering scheme.

This was definitely interesting! I really enjoyed how the intricacies of the scheme were presented, and following Lawson as he and Perez made their investigation made sense and was satisfying. Jose's (and his acquaintances') trial was very exhaustively covered--it was interesting, but I felt like it could have been shortened a bit. I definitely learned a lot about quarter horse racing, the FBI and IRS, money laundering, and the cocaine trade. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it, though it took me a while to get used to the (female) narrator's voice for male quotes.

[Wanda Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book refers to horses. I wasn't aware of how big quarter horse racing is in Mexico and bordering states with million dollar purses at stake. The author tells a fascinating story of how a simple bricklayer in Laredo, Texas became an overnight millionaire by laundering money for his brothers who were leaders of the Zeta cartel on the Mexico side of the border. Though this book is a true story, it reads like fiction and is a sad reminder of what a problem we have with drugs, arms trade, and human trafficking at our borders. With government officials in the pockets of these cartels one has to wonder if the problem will ever be solved. In this case some of the bad guys are brought to justice but I was left wondering about the guys at the top who continue to allow the demoralization of Mexico and our bordering states. This book is also a sad commentary on the treatment of these horses by ruthless owners who will do anything to win.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely fans of Narcos on Netflix. The story was reminiscent of Narcos: Mexico, with a large focus on the federal agents' stories about uncovering the money laundering case involved American quarter horses. The information involved in this story was fascinating. As an avid horse lover, I never would have imagined how they could be a conduit for money laundering. This work of non-fiction was different than other non-fiction books that I have read where it was written more like a narrative than anything else.

Again, highly recommend for non-fiction readers that are a fan of Narcos. The points of view that vary from the agents to those in Mexico are enlightening to look at the process and the backgrounds of the people.

The ending was a bit gloomy though, as it is mentioned "criminals had short memories" and they message they hoped to send wouldn't stick for long (pg. 359).

[Gwendolyn Waddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read for horse lovers, crime lovers, and nonfiction readers. This offers an exciting look into the drug and money filed world of the Mexican cartel.

Originally, it was the horse tagline that was engaging. For anyone interested in quarter horse racing, the idea of how much money was laundered through the business is hard to comprehend. As the intricacies build and develop, the plotline becomes even more engaging.

Lawson, Perez, and Graham make for extremely likeable characters: Real detectives with relatable backgrounds and a young rancher carrying on his family legacy. Bosque spins a tale that keeps you enthralled. It is hard to comprehend the violence and blood in the world of the Mexico/Texas border.

It can get a little detail bogged like complex non-fiction novels do, but it is still a read that make you want to turn the page to see what happens next.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In depth look at the Mexican Zeta drug cartel and the law enforcement personnel assigned to stop them. The author begins the story with describing Scott Lawson,a new FBI agent assigned to Laredo. Lawson is originally from Tennessee and his mentor is his father a local policeman. When Lawson is asked to step away from reading procedure manuals, he jumps at the chance to get out from behind the desk. What he doesn't know is that 5 years later his entire life will change as he works to solve the crime. Not only does this book give the reader an insight into the violent life within the cartel and it's victims, it also details the long hours and lives of the law enforcement officers and what their job duties entail. Well written book.

[Laurel Starkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The DEA dominates the public eye when it comes to drugs and taking down the kingpins. There’s a good reason for that - they have international reach. This book reminds us that the FBI and IRS have important roles in smashing the roots the cartels attempt to plant on U.S. soil. It’s worth exploring.

Melissa del Bosque’s tale of the dismantling of the Treviño brothers’ racing empire is a fast-reading story that is the equal of any Law and Order episode. It opens a window onto the investigative world of the FBI, the IRS, the DEA and the importance of interagency cooperation to build a successful court case. It illustrates the limitations of American law enforcement in prosecuting foreign citizens not on American soil. Even the head of the Mexican terror troops — the Zetas — can only be prosecuted with the cooperation of the Mexican government.

This book provides no real insight in the relationship between the Mexican cartels and the Mexican government. It makes the controversial claim that the original plazas/territories were determined by the Mexican government via agreement with the cartels and that the government lost control of the cartels over time.

This book provides excellent first hand testimony about the life of rich Mexican businessmen under Zeta-controlled territory. The weakest part is the coverage of the trial — it becomes repetitive and offers no new insight. All in all though, a fascinating and fun read.

[Anne Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent book. Although it was sometimes hard to keep track of all the players, the author did a great job off telling the story of how the FBI. DEA and IRS took on a money-laundering scheme with Mexico's largest drug cartel. Some of the information was very chilling and it was obvious they weren't dealing with amateur crooks - these guys meant business and would let no one or nothing get in their way. Kudos to Scott Lawson with the FBI who started the initial investigation. An excellent piece of non-fiction.

[Sharlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Lawson, a rookie FBI agent has just been transferred to Laredo, Tx. He can stand in the street & hear the gunfire & see buildings burning across the Rio Grande in Nuevo Laredo. His first case involves the Zeta cartel who has taken over the territory across the river. It is rumoured that they are laundering money by buying & racing American Quarter Horses. Alma Perez joins him in accumulating evidence against one of the worst cartels leading to a trial in 2012. The book reads like a novel.

[Roger Angle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a big, sprawling, amazing piece of reporting. As a former investigative reporter, I don't know how Melissa del Bosque did it. It gives in-depth insight into what the FBI, DEA, and IRS agents go through to put together a case. I don't envy them. It looks like a tough life. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in true crime: college students majoring in criminal justice, writers, other reporters, and probably people in law enforcement. Good luck solving the big drug-war problem.

[Jane Comer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy books set in Texas around Austin, and I enjoy books dealing with the law and criminal cases; so this book had all the elements I like reading about. The Zetas of Mexico matched with FBI agents in Laredo and an IRS team in Waco go head-to-head. The good guys win, but hundreds of innocent people are slaughter maliciously by the Zetas and the success of the investigation takes five years to complete. This is an easy read, but packed with details to keep the reader thinking.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great research , incredible story of persistent FBI and IRS agents working to take down the Zeta Cartel.
The courtroom reporting was a bit tedious, but the overall story incredible. Apparently a movie is being made starring chandler Tatum. It will probably be better than the book because it will be faster paced. But the truth is that these agents worked on this case for years, which had to be agonizing.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting true story about the Mexican drug cartel, The Zetas, how they laundered drug money through quarter horse racing in Mexico and the United States, and the work of the FBI to follow the money and stop the laundering. Absolute page-turner, there is not a dull chapter in this book. I'm surprised it hasn't been optioned yet, it reads like a Hollywood blockbuster.

[F Thomas Andino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Historical Writing About the Sad Subject of Drugs and Gangs

I learn again how the ties between Mexico and the US are forever. A history of a wild drug battle that continues in modern day Texas and Mexico that still uses horses.
Fascinating writing that keeps the subject tight, interesting and infuriating.