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El Traidor: El diario secreto del hijo del Mayo
El traidor es uno de los trabajos periodísticos más ambiciosos en la trayectoria de Anabel Hernández. Su historia se remonta a enero de 2011, cuando la contactó uno de los abogados de Vicente Zambada Niebla, mejor conocido como Vicentillo, quien enfrentaba un juicio en una corte de Chicago. La intención era compartir con la periodista documentos y hechos que ampliaban y esclarecían varios de los episodios que acababa de dar a conocer en Los señores del narco.
Entre los documentos a los que tuvo acceso se encuentran el inquietante autorretrato como payaso que aparece en la portada y los diarios realizados por Vicentillo durante las negociaciones para colaborar con el gobierno norteamericano, los cuales hasta ahora eran secretos. En ellos el capo reconstruyó su historia y la historia de una de las organizaciones de tráfico de estupefacientes más grandes del planeta.
A lo largo de estas páginas, la autora se adentra en el Cártel de Sinaloa a través del relato de Vicentillo, quien exhibe de manera descarnada cómo funciona el sistema interno que da vida a la organización criminal, la violencia, las mil formas de traficar droga y la complicidad entre políticos, empresarios y fuerzas del orden.
Pero sobre todo devela el perfil de quien durante el último medio siglo ha sido el rey del narcotráfico. Quien nunca ha pisado la cárcel y quien desde su trono ha visto caer a amigos, enemigos, socios, competidores, familiares, empleados del gobierno y hasta sus propios hijos, sin que eso haga mella en su poder, el padre de Vicentillo: Ismael el Mayo Zambada.
Entre los documentos a los que tuvo acceso se encuentran el inquietante autorretrato como payaso que aparece en la portada y los diarios realizados por Vicentillo durante las negociaciones para colaborar con el gobierno norteamericano, los cuales hasta ahora eran secretos. En ellos el capo reconstruyó su historia y la historia de una de las organizaciones de tráfico de estupefacientes más grandes del planeta.
A lo largo de estas páginas, la autora se adentra en el Cártel de Sinaloa a través del relato de Vicentillo, quien exhibe de manera descarnada cómo funciona el sistema interno que da vida a la organización criminal, la violencia, las mil formas de traficar droga y la complicidad entre políticos, empresarios y fuerzas del orden.
Pero sobre todo devela el perfil de quien durante el último medio siglo ha sido el rey del narcotráfico. Quien nunca ha pisado la cárcel y quien desde su trono ha visto caer a amigos, enemigos, socios, competidores, familiares, empleados del gobierno y hasta sus propios hijos, sin que eso haga mella en su poder, el padre de Vicentillo: Ismael el Mayo Zambada.
384 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2019
528 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
Anabel Hernández
22 books338 followersAnabel Hernández is one of Mexico’s leading investigative journalists. She has worked on national dailies, including Reforma, Milenio, El Universal and its investigative supplement, La Revista, where the work on the alleged collusion of government officials and drug lords won her the Golden Pen of Freedom award, presented by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
July 3, 2025
I might as well switch my profile bio from 'currently in my aquatic era' to 'currently in my cartel era.' Not sure how I went from reading about orcas and the Titanic to diving into cartel stories, but once I get hooked on something, I can't help but keep going. That's just where I'm at these days.
Anabel Hernández is a legend in Mexico. She is an investigative journalist who has dedicated years to researching and reporting on cartels and government corruption. If you're curious about her level of iconic status, consider this: Emma Coronel, the wife of the world's most infamous drug lord, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, told Anabel that he read her book Narcoland (Los señores del narco).
El Chapo, hiding in a safe house in the Sinaloa mountains, reading Anabel Hernández's book:
I like to believe that now that he is incarcerated, he has had the opportunity to read all of her books.
Although I am certain he felt displeased upon reaching the section where Anabel stated that he was merely the figurehead of the cartel, and that the true 'boss of all bosses' was his partner Ismael Zambada García, implying that El Chapo lacked the intelligence to lead the organization.
El Chapo's reaction when he reaches the section of the book where Anabel questions his intelligence:
Anabel continued to report on the corruption despite being warned by someone close to the police chief about a plot to kill her. She persisted even after learning that President Felipe Calderón was angry with her for calling his so-called war on drugs a sham. I believe her motivation stems from the fact that she never received justice for her father's murder, which the police said they would only investigate if the family was willing to pay.
I intended to read Anabel's book on El Chapo's beauty queen wife, Emma, and other wives of narcos, but I couldn't find an English edition. Although my Spanish is sufficient for enjoying Spanish songs, which I adore, it's not proficient enough for reading a full book in Spanish. I'm also bypassing Narcoland and heading directly to El Traidor. The cover and title caught my attention, and after reading it, I have no regrets about my choice.
Anabel had a secret meeting with a lawyer representing Vicente Zambada Niebla, the son of Ismael Zambada García, known as "El Mayo." El Mayo was the leader of the most powerful cartel in the world—the Sinaloa Cartel—alongside El Chapo. This is Vicente's tale told in his own words, extracted from his diary.
I was curious about the cover's design and was taken aback to discover that it was a self-portrait created by Vicente while he was in prison. That is how he perceived himself. The drawing is a parody of the world he was born into. Prince and slave. Prince and clown.
Vicente recounts how his father was among the first leaders of the cartel. He mentions that this business is rife with jealousy and betrayal. He is the only son of Ismael Zambada García and Rosario Niebla Cardoza. Despite his father having numerous children with different women, Vicente appeared to be his favorite. Vicente shares that when he was 15, he left his home to meet his girlfriend Zynthia, who is now his wife, and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in his car. This incident marked the first attempt on his life.
It's pretty funny to think a cartel member would keep a diary.
I was not at all surprised to discover that the Sinaloa cartel has been collaborating with three well-known American agencies for years. Not in the slightest. *whispers* The first agency's name begins with F, the second agency's name begins with C, and the third agency's name begins with D. If you know, you know.
If you had told me prior to reading this book that I might develop some sympathy for a cartel member, I would have thought you were insane. After reading this book, I have gained a deeper understanding of this world. The children of drug lords are thrust into this violent environment and have no option but to emulate their fathers. It's the only life they know. Yes, the money is great, but at what price? Living in constant fear and always looking over your shoulder is not my definition of a fulfilling life. Vicente is a man in conflict with himself. On one side, he was a high-ranking member of an organization that killed people and destroyed families. On the other side, he is a father who created superhero drawings while in prison and sent them to his children.
Vicente mentioned that one guest ended up killing another at his father's birthday party. Mexican telenovelas were a staple in my house growing up. If you've ever watched one, you know there's a murder in almost every episode, with people always plotting, cheating, and unexpected pregnancies. I never noticed how much cartel life mirrors the drama of a telenovela.
Drug lords at parties:
Vicente was arrested in 2009 and extradited to the U.S. in 2010. He was given a 15-year prison term. In return for his testimony, his sentence was lessened. He betrayed the cartel and provided evidence against his father, El Mayo, along with El Chapo and others. He is now free and under witness protection.
It was not truly a betrayal, however. Vicente didn't want to testify against his father and friend. He was willing to sacrifice himself. His lawyer traveled to Sinaloa and met with El Mayo and El Chapo, who communicated to Vicente that he had their permission to testify and that they knew how to take care of themselves.
When you play the game of cartel thrones, you are killed, or you end up in prison. Or you make a deal with the U.S. government.
Anabel Hernández is a legend in Mexico. She is an investigative journalist who has dedicated years to researching and reporting on cartels and government corruption. If you're curious about her level of iconic status, consider this: Emma Coronel, the wife of the world's most infamous drug lord, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, told Anabel that he read her book Narcoland (Los señores del narco).
El Chapo, hiding in a safe house in the Sinaloa mountains, reading Anabel Hernández's book:
I like to believe that now that he is incarcerated, he has had the opportunity to read all of her books.
Although I am certain he felt displeased upon reaching the section where Anabel stated that he was merely the figurehead of the cartel, and that the true 'boss of all bosses' was his partner Ismael Zambada García, implying that El Chapo lacked the intelligence to lead the organization.
El Chapo's reaction when he reaches the section of the book where Anabel questions his intelligence:
Anabel continued to report on the corruption despite being warned by someone close to the police chief about a plot to kill her. She persisted even after learning that President Felipe Calderón was angry with her for calling his so-called war on drugs a sham. I believe her motivation stems from the fact that she never received justice for her father's murder, which the police said they would only investigate if the family was willing to pay.
I intended to read Anabel's book on El Chapo's beauty queen wife, Emma, and other wives of narcos, but I couldn't find an English edition. Although my Spanish is sufficient for enjoying Spanish songs, which I adore, it's not proficient enough for reading a full book in Spanish. I'm also bypassing Narcoland and heading directly to El Traidor. The cover and title caught my attention, and after reading it, I have no regrets about my choice.
Anabel had a secret meeting with a lawyer representing Vicente Zambada Niebla, the son of Ismael Zambada García, known as "El Mayo." El Mayo was the leader of the most powerful cartel in the world—the Sinaloa Cartel—alongside El Chapo. This is Vicente's tale told in his own words, extracted from his diary.
I was curious about the cover's design and was taken aback to discover that it was a self-portrait created by Vicente while he was in prison. That is how he perceived himself. The drawing is a parody of the world he was born into. Prince and slave. Prince and clown.
Vicente recounts how his father was among the first leaders of the cartel. He mentions that this business is rife with jealousy and betrayal. He is the only son of Ismael Zambada García and Rosario Niebla Cardoza. Despite his father having numerous children with different women, Vicente appeared to be his favorite. Vicente shares that when he was 15, he left his home to meet his girlfriend Zynthia, who is now his wife, and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in his car. This incident marked the first attempt on his life.
It's pretty funny to think a cartel member would keep a diary.
I was not at all surprised to discover that the Sinaloa cartel has been collaborating with three well-known American agencies for years. Not in the slightest. *whispers* The first agency's name begins with F, the second agency's name begins with C, and the third agency's name begins with D. If you know, you know.
If you had told me prior to reading this book that I might develop some sympathy for a cartel member, I would have thought you were insane. After reading this book, I have gained a deeper understanding of this world. The children of drug lords are thrust into this violent environment and have no option but to emulate their fathers. It's the only life they know. Yes, the money is great, but at what price? Living in constant fear and always looking over your shoulder is not my definition of a fulfilling life. Vicente is a man in conflict with himself. On one side, he was a high-ranking member of an organization that killed people and destroyed families. On the other side, he is a father who created superhero drawings while in prison and sent them to his children.
Vicente mentioned that one guest ended up killing another at his father's birthday party. Mexican telenovelas were a staple in my house growing up. If you've ever watched one, you know there's a murder in almost every episode, with people always plotting, cheating, and unexpected pregnancies. I never noticed how much cartel life mirrors the drama of a telenovela.
Drug lords at parties:
Vicente was arrested in 2009 and extradited to the U.S. in 2010. He was given a 15-year prison term. In return for his testimony, his sentence was lessened. He betrayed the cartel and provided evidence against his father, El Mayo, along with El Chapo and others. He is now free and under witness protection.
It was not truly a betrayal, however. Vicente didn't want to testify against his father and friend. He was willing to sacrifice himself. His lawyer traveled to Sinaloa and met with El Mayo and El Chapo, who communicated to Vicente that he had their permission to testify and that they knew how to take care of themselves.
When you play the game of cartel thrones, you are killed, or you end up in prison. Or you make a deal with the U.S. government.
January 6, 2020
Excelente investigación, por fin entiendo la maraña de suerte y corrupción que rodea a los cárteles de drogas en México
May 22, 2022
Opinión: Es un libro que nadie me recomendó, el autorretrato de la portada robó mi atención y una vez que leí la sinopsis supe que estaba frente a Vicentillo, el hijo del Mayo, jefe del narcotráfico en México. Recuerdo muy bien que, cuando por fin atraparon al Chapo (que ya para ese entonces se había ganado la fama de Gudini), pensé que su captura era un gran paso en la lucha contra el narcotráfico. Este libro me hizo descubrir que fue un pensamiento muy ingenuo.
Aprendí que el Chapo no era el jefe, que El Chapo siempre tuvo jefe, porque el máximo líder del Cártel de Sinaloa es y por más de 50 años ha sido un hombre que jamás ha puesto los pies en la cárcel: Ismael Vicente Zambada (El Mayo).
Para este libro, entre otros documentos, Anabel Hernández tuvo acceso a información que le dio Fernando Gaxiola antes de morir, quien fue abogado de Vicentillo; y también a las declaraciones del mismo en la cárcel, de su puño y letra.
Un libro que se lee rápido, aunque por momentos la cantidad de nombres me dificultó centrarme en la historia; pero qué le vamos a hacer si hay más narcos que telenovelas en México. No por gusto la autora tuvo que abandonar su país luego de tantas amenazas de muerte. Y es que este libro pone en evidencia la razón del éxito del narcotráfico en México: la triste complicidad de su gobierno.
Aprendí que el Chapo no era el jefe, que El Chapo siempre tuvo jefe, porque el máximo líder del Cártel de Sinaloa es y por más de 50 años ha sido un hombre que jamás ha puesto los pies en la cárcel: Ismael Vicente Zambada (El Mayo).
Para este libro, entre otros documentos, Anabel Hernández tuvo acceso a información que le dio Fernando Gaxiola antes de morir, quien fue abogado de Vicentillo; y también a las declaraciones del mismo en la cárcel, de su puño y letra.
Un libro que se lee rápido, aunque por momentos la cantidad de nombres me dificultó centrarme en la historia; pero qué le vamos a hacer si hay más narcos que telenovelas en México. No por gusto la autora tuvo que abandonar su país luego de tantas amenazas de muerte. Y es que este libro pone en evidencia la razón del éxito del narcotráfico en México: la triste complicidad de su gobierno.
April 13, 2020
Como era de esperarse, muy buena labor periodistica de Anabel Hernandez. Sin embargo, creo que mucho contenido es ya cubierto en el libro “Los Señores del Narco”. Sin duda hay una diferencia notoria en el empeño e imparcialidad en Los Sres del Narco. En esta occasion me parecio muy interesante escuchar la historia desde la voz del propio hijo del Mayo, sin embargo dudo que todo lo que escribio en su diario sea 100% veridico. Que tan “maquilladas” son sus anecdotas? Omite muchos temas devsuma importancia: la vida del Mayo como empresario. Anabel nos proporciona breve informacion, pero Vicentillo al parecer lo omite enteramente y pinta a su papá de un modo mucho mas suave (hombre trabajador, calmado, pacifico, amoroso, conciliador). Igual al Chapo.
Este libro es una prueba mas de la corrupcion sin escrupulos que permea nuestro pais hasta las mas altas esferas y fronteras. Una corrupcion e interdependencia entre el narcotrafico y el gobierno tan compleja y profunda que seraimposible erradicar.
Este libro es una prueba mas de la corrupcion sin escrupulos que permea nuestro pais hasta las mas altas esferas y fronteras. Una corrupcion e interdependencia entre el narcotrafico y el gobierno tan compleja y profunda que seraimposible erradicar.
December 12, 2024
I started this book to understand a bit more the situation in Mexico and ended up in a rabbit hole into the Cartel de Sinaloa.
The combination of the text from Vicentillo’s diary together with the authors explanations, facts and further research make this book really interesting, mind blowing and at some points I could even empathize with the narcos (I’m still super conflicted about this). There are many names which made sometimes hard to follow but at the end that just drove me to do more research on my own.
This book gave me light into a part of Mexico’s history that I had not much understanding about. It helped me understand the origins of narco and the systems that maintain it.
The combination of the text from Vicentillo’s diary together with the authors explanations, facts and further research make this book really interesting, mind blowing and at some points I could even empathize with the narcos (I’m still super conflicted about this). There are many names which made sometimes hard to follow but at the end that just drove me to do more research on my own.
This book gave me light into a part of Mexico’s history that I had not much understanding about. It helped me understand the origins of narco and the systems that maintain it.
May 8, 2020
Este libro nos permite entender la corrupción que existe dentro de las instituciones del país y cómo el narcotráfico se ha desenvuelto con total complicidad.
También nos da un retrato crudo, de la voz del hijo del Mayo, de cómo es nacer y vivir dentro de una organización como el Cártel de Sinaloa y ser arrastrado a pesar de tu voluntad.
Un libro que debería volverse necesario en la lectura de los mexicanos.
También nos da un retrato crudo, de la voz del hijo del Mayo, de cómo es nacer y vivir dentro de una organización como el Cártel de Sinaloa y ser arrastrado a pesar de tu voluntad.
Un libro que debería volverse necesario en la lectura de los mexicanos.
December 8, 2019
Anabel lo vuelve a hacer, escribe un libro crudo reflejando la realidad del narcotrafico en México, no es un libro donde vas a ver datos morbosos, donde se exalte a los narcos, es más bien un libro que de nueva cuenta rebela el nivel de corrupción al interior del gobierno, y revela la cara detrás del verdadero líder del cartel de Sinaloa, el Mayo Zambada, lectura interesante y respaldada con diversos documentos.
March 21, 2020
Anabel Hernández menciona al comienzo del libro que busca que el lector recorra las entrañas del cartel de Sinaloa y vaya descubriendo sus más grandes secretos. Lo logra con creces.
Conforme avanza, pensaba que lo que cuenta no es verdad, que no puede ser verdad. Fue como descubrir un México alterno, clandestino y, al mismo tiempo, a la vista de todos y del el que pareciera que todos forman parte; lo que lo hizo más espeluznante.
Sin embargo, dentro de toda esa podredumbre en la que está sumergido nuestro país, la cual es peor de lo que yo hubiera imaginado, El traidor arroja luz sobre algo valioso y que debe destacarse en estos tiempos de narcocultura: que la vida de un criminal, ni siquiera del más grande capo desde hace medio siglo ni su hijo, son tan glamorosas ni valerosas como nos hace creer la televisión.
Todos deberíamos leer esto, por mas duro de tragar que sea.
Conforme avanza, pensaba que lo que cuenta no es verdad, que no puede ser verdad. Fue como descubrir un México alterno, clandestino y, al mismo tiempo, a la vista de todos y del el que pareciera que todos forman parte; lo que lo hizo más espeluznante.
Sin embargo, dentro de toda esa podredumbre en la que está sumergido nuestro país, la cual es peor de lo que yo hubiera imaginado, El traidor arroja luz sobre algo valioso y que debe destacarse en estos tiempos de narcocultura: que la vida de un criminal, ni siquiera del más grande capo desde hace medio siglo ni su hijo, son tan glamorosas ni valerosas como nos hace creer la televisión.
Todos deberíamos leer esto, por mas duro de tragar que sea.
May 8, 2020
Creo que es una investigacion muy buena por parte de Anabel Hernandez que ya nos tiene acostumbrados a este tipo de trabajo periodistico con el cual arriesga hasta su propia vida para contar todo el nivel de putrefacción del cual se encuentra enraizado lamentablemente nuestro país. Es claro que el negocio de las drogas jamás se terminará, hoy es el Mayo mañana será otra persona, sin embargo detalla muy claramente, como un tipo puede ser tan audaz e inteligente de cierta manera, para llegar a corromper a las más altas esferas y niveles de un país (Presidente). Estoy de acuerdo que te puede gustar o no el tema, sin embargo es un un trabajo sumamente importante y muy profesional que debe ser tomado encuenta para poder tener una opinion de politica, poder e historia en el caso de las drogas en México.
Felicidades a Anabel Hernandez!
Felicidades a Anabel Hernandez!
December 12, 2019
Sexenio tras sexenio ha sido la misma historia. Corrupción a todos los niveles que impiden erradicar el gran problema del narcotráfico, auspiciado también por el vecino del norte que tampoco detiene el flujo del dinero y de las armas, o lo hace a su conveniencia. El nuevo gobierno no es la excepción.
October 16, 2020
Es un buen trabajó periodístico pero no es mí tipo de lectura y no me sorprendió nada todo lo que aparece en esté libro, siempre hemos sabido que el gobierno trabaja para el narco...
March 2, 2025
Review viene pronto 😏
February 23, 2024
There’s an interest for getting a glimpse into a lifestyle you’ll never have. Narco cultura is something that whether you want to see or not, you hear about being a Mexican American living in Southern California.
There were some interesting take aways from el Mayo’s son’s version of events that took place leading up to El Chapo’s trial. I was shocked to read that El Chapo and El Mayo gave him their blessing to assist the DEA in belief that it would bring down the Arellano /Felix cartel. Prior to this book, I had no idea who El Mayo was. El Mayo is actually the last remaining standing leader that still has never been captured nor has he served any prison time. Although El Chapo was up there, El Mayo is actually the bigger player in the Sinaloa cartel according to this book. This book shows readers the complex history between the Narcos and the Mexican government and how Mexican society is heavily influenced by the ongoings of the Narcos.
I think the author is very brave for writing all the books she has written. All of which have been very controversial.
Overall, this was an interesting dive into a very scary world. I am curious though on what will become of El Mayo’s son when he is released. One of his parole conditions under his plea agreement is to not have any contact with the Sinaloa cartel. Will he really abide by that? That would mean he would never get to communicate with his dad again. Can he really live a straight life in the US? Time will tell how his story will truly end.
There were some interesting take aways from el Mayo’s son’s version of events that took place leading up to El Chapo’s trial. I was shocked to read that El Chapo and El Mayo gave him their blessing to assist the DEA in belief that it would bring down the Arellano /Felix cartel. Prior to this book, I had no idea who El Mayo was. El Mayo is actually the last remaining standing leader that still has never been captured nor has he served any prison time. Although El Chapo was up there, El Mayo is actually the bigger player in the Sinaloa cartel according to this book. This book shows readers the complex history between the Narcos and the Mexican government and how Mexican society is heavily influenced by the ongoings of the Narcos.
I think the author is very brave for writing all the books she has written. All of which have been very controversial.
Overall, this was an interesting dive into a very scary world. I am curious though on what will become of El Mayo’s son when he is released. One of his parole conditions under his plea agreement is to not have any contact with the Sinaloa cartel. Will he really abide by that? That would mean he would never get to communicate with his dad again. Can he really live a straight life in the US? Time will tell how his story will truly end.
August 11, 2020
Anabel es una excelente periodista de investigación, pero una muy mala escritora. Además, parte del contenido del libro ya fue cubierto en sus obras anteriores, en ocasiones presentaba citas textuales de las mismas. Considero que lo relevante de la obra son los últimos capítulos, donde narra la colaboración con la DEA y todo lo que NO se dijo en el ‘juicio del siglo’.
April 24, 2020
Tardó un poco en atraparme porque al inicio es un bombazo de información (de hecho todo el libro) pero una vez que estás situado con los personajes, la narración se vuelve más fluida.
Amé el rigor periodístico de la autora y su objetividad.
Algunos episodios que me impactaron:
El uso de pipas y buques de PEMEX para transportar cocaína y benzedrina.
La complicidad con Bachoco para mover droga en sus trailers.
Los subsidios de CONAGUA y la CFE para los campos ganaderos y de agricultura del Mayo.
Los contratos millonarios del IMSS con guarderías relacionadas directamente con el Mayo y su familia.
El Mayo en la Junta directiva que fija el precio de la leche en México.
La guerra del 2008 entre el cartel de Sinaloa contra los Zetas, Los Beltrán Leyva y Vicente Carrillo. Y las alianzas con la SEDENA, la PF y otras instituciones del Estado.
Los millonarios sobornos a los gobiernos de Felipe Calderón y Enrique Peña nieto.
Los tratos bajo el agua entre la DEA y el Chapo y el Mayo.
En fin... necesario para entender esa puesta en escena que tanto le ha costado al país.
Amé el rigor periodístico de la autora y su objetividad.
Algunos episodios que me impactaron:
El uso de pipas y buques de PEMEX para transportar cocaína y benzedrina.
La complicidad con Bachoco para mover droga en sus trailers.
Los subsidios de CONAGUA y la CFE para los campos ganaderos y de agricultura del Mayo.
Los contratos millonarios del IMSS con guarderías relacionadas directamente con el Mayo y su familia.
El Mayo en la Junta directiva que fija el precio de la leche en México.
La guerra del 2008 entre el cartel de Sinaloa contra los Zetas, Los Beltrán Leyva y Vicente Carrillo. Y las alianzas con la SEDENA, la PF y otras instituciones del Estado.
Los millonarios sobornos a los gobiernos de Felipe Calderón y Enrique Peña nieto.
Los tratos bajo el agua entre la DEA y el Chapo y el Mayo.
En fin... necesario para entender esa puesta en escena que tanto le ha costado al país.
March 31, 2024
Es un gran trabajo de investigación y periodismo, no es novela, es un relato muy bien documentado
February 21, 2021
“Mi papá es Ismael Zambada García... es el líder del Cártel de Sinaloa.”
Con estas palabras comienza un trabajo periodístico de primer nivel por parte de su protagonista, Vicente Zambada Niebla o mejor conocido como “Vicentillo” príncipe del Cártel de Sinaloa, el más poderoso grupo criminal de todo el mundo.
Anabel nos trae con testimonios de primera mano como entrevistas con el abogado de esta familia criminal, documentos que dan testimonio de los actos delictivos de este grupo del crimen organizado así como del diario personal de Vicentillo en donde narra todas las actividades en las que él estaba involucrado y cómo su padre operaba y dirigía toda una estructura criminal para mantener el poder.
La confesión de Vicente abarca desde la creación del Cártel de Sinaloa, así como sus alianzas con otros capos de la droga, la compra de droga colombiana y de autoridades mexicanas para poder traficar y venderla a su mercado principal: Estados Unidos. También se nos relata las formas inimaginables en las que escondían toneladas de cocaína y efedrina dentro de camiones, lanchas, trenes, aviones e incluso hasta en buques de PEMEX.
Toda fuerza pública de Gobierno a nivel municipal, estatal y federal estaban comprados por el Mayo Zambada. Pero así como el poder controla todo, hay otros que lo ambicionan y en este libro también se nos narra la guerra entre los diferentes cárteles que quisieron destruir el imperio del Mayo Zambada y cómo las mismas fuerzas de seguridad vendidas a diferentes cárteles fueron probadas en su lealtad y tomar bando en la guerra del narcotráfico.
Vicentillo como principal testigo (y por ende visto como ‘Traidor’) de todo lo acontecido y en la Corte donde fue sentenciado argumentó que esa vida no era la que él deseaba pero que por las circunstancias tuvo que estar inmiscuido, siempre anheló una vida tranquila y de paz.
Al final del libro vemos esa gran reflexión que hace la autora sobre este príncipe del emporio criminal más poderoso del mundo. ‘El traidor’ nos trae una historia triste, en donde nuestro país está corrompido hasta la médula y la pregunta a nosotros debería ser: ¿hay esperanza de un México que puede llegar a cortar estos lazos que lo someten? A corto plazo diríamos que no, pero conocer todos estos detalles nos retan a tratar de no conformarnos a eso y plantear soluciones.
Fue una apasionante lectura.
Con estas palabras comienza un trabajo periodístico de primer nivel por parte de su protagonista, Vicente Zambada Niebla o mejor conocido como “Vicentillo” príncipe del Cártel de Sinaloa, el más poderoso grupo criminal de todo el mundo.
Anabel nos trae con testimonios de primera mano como entrevistas con el abogado de esta familia criminal, documentos que dan testimonio de los actos delictivos de este grupo del crimen organizado así como del diario personal de Vicentillo en donde narra todas las actividades en las que él estaba involucrado y cómo su padre operaba y dirigía toda una estructura criminal para mantener el poder.
La confesión de Vicente abarca desde la creación del Cártel de Sinaloa, así como sus alianzas con otros capos de la droga, la compra de droga colombiana y de autoridades mexicanas para poder traficar y venderla a su mercado principal: Estados Unidos. También se nos relata las formas inimaginables en las que escondían toneladas de cocaína y efedrina dentro de camiones, lanchas, trenes, aviones e incluso hasta en buques de PEMEX.
Toda fuerza pública de Gobierno a nivel municipal, estatal y federal estaban comprados por el Mayo Zambada. Pero así como el poder controla todo, hay otros que lo ambicionan y en este libro también se nos narra la guerra entre los diferentes cárteles que quisieron destruir el imperio del Mayo Zambada y cómo las mismas fuerzas de seguridad vendidas a diferentes cárteles fueron probadas en su lealtad y tomar bando en la guerra del narcotráfico.
Vicentillo como principal testigo (y por ende visto como ‘Traidor’) de todo lo acontecido y en la Corte donde fue sentenciado argumentó que esa vida no era la que él deseaba pero que por las circunstancias tuvo que estar inmiscuido, siempre anheló una vida tranquila y de paz.
Al final del libro vemos esa gran reflexión que hace la autora sobre este príncipe del emporio criminal más poderoso del mundo. ‘El traidor’ nos trae una historia triste, en donde nuestro país está corrompido hasta la médula y la pregunta a nosotros debería ser: ¿hay esperanza de un México que puede llegar a cortar estos lazos que lo someten? A corto plazo diríamos que no, pero conocer todos estos detalles nos retan a tratar de no conformarnos a eso y plantear soluciones.
Fue una apasionante lectura.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2022
Excelente investigación periodística.
En este libro se tiene información de primera mano de cómo opera el grupo delictivo más grande de México y quizás del mundo.
Te muestra con datos y testimonios oficiales como es el crimen organizado en México, una locura.
Un excelente libro, que refleja la triste situación que se vive en nuestro país.
En este libro se tiene información de primera mano de cómo opera el grupo delictivo más grande de México y quizás del mundo.
Te muestra con datos y testimonios oficiales como es el crimen organizado en México, una locura.
Un excelente libro, que refleja la triste situación que se vive en nuestro país.
January 25, 2021
Honestamente he visto series relacionadas con el tema, pero jamás me imagine un relato tan crudo sobre la realidad que se vive en el país, sobretodo en las altas esferas de los gobiernos con sus nexos con el narcotrafico, este libro me deja pensando: ¿Realmente habrá algún funcionario limpio, o todo el mundo estará corrompido?
February 26, 2023
Como historia es un poco tediosa y monótona (nombres y más nombres de personas con historias similares de corrupción y tráfico), exceptuando, quizà, los primeros capítulos dónde se cuentan cosas sobre la vida personal del Mayo y la forma en la que Vicentillo se empezó a enterar del negocio, ese chisme sí está más amable.
Como registro periodístico es una joya. Si quisieras saber qué información le ha dado Vicentillo al gobierno de EUA, aquí está todo. Si EUA no apresa a Felipe Calderon es porque no quiere.
Pero bueno, nada que sorprenda, sólo es valioso tener las afirmaciones y los nombres y los testimonios de los negocios criminales del gobierno de viva voz del primogénito del cartel de Sinaloa. Le da un toque también el filtro de subjetividad que le aporta a el reporte periodístico.
El personaje del hijo tragicómico, ese autorretrato: icónico.
Como registro periodístico es una joya. Si quisieras saber qué información le ha dado Vicentillo al gobierno de EUA, aquí está todo. Si EUA no apresa a Felipe Calderon es porque no quiere.
Pero bueno, nada que sorprenda, sólo es valioso tener las afirmaciones y los nombres y los testimonios de los negocios criminales del gobierno de viva voz del primogénito del cartel de Sinaloa. Le da un toque también el filtro de subjetividad que le aporta a el reporte periodístico.
El personaje del hijo tragicómico, ese autorretrato: icónico.
June 1, 2022
Una investigación muy bie hecha por parte de la autora.
Este libro no es de mi género, sólo lo leí porque mi mamá lo compró y nunca lo leyó y lo dejó ahí al pobre...
En cierta forma, me llegué a sorprender en varias ocasiones por lo narrado en el libro pero no hay nada que no se sepa ya: que el gobierno es también el narcotráfico.
De igual manera, me dan ganas de leer otros trabajos de la autora.
Este libro no es de mi género, sólo lo leí porque mi mamá lo compró y nunca lo leyó y lo dejó ahí al pobre...
En cierta forma, me llegué a sorprender en varias ocasiones por lo narrado en el libro pero no hay nada que no se sepa ya: que el gobierno es también el narcotráfico.
De igual manera, me dan ganas de leer otros trabajos de la autora.
June 28, 2022
no es el tipo de libros que leo pero es de mi papá y me llamó la atención saber un poco más de cómo funciona y manejan este rollo, la verdad está muy completo, recomendaría hicieran un arbol genealogico desde que empiecen el libro pq esta enredoso los nombres y eso.
me gusta mucho como anabel relata por su cuenta ciertos acontecimientos
me gusta mucho como anabel relata por su cuenta ciertos acontecimientos
June 30, 2024
este libro si todo lo que esta escrito en él es cierto, no me cabe la menor duda que es un buen trabajo de investigación...
me confundió un poco al inicio que persona era la que estaba hablando, pero sin duda alguna es un excelente trabajo periodístico, lamentablemente refleja la sociedad mexicana
me confundió un poco al inicio que persona era la que estaba hablando, pero sin duda alguna es un excelente trabajo periodístico, lamentablemente refleja la sociedad mexicana
January 24, 2021
La realidad superó a la ficción! Increíbles las vidas que llevan estas personas. Es un libro de lectura fluida. Me gusto, una pequeña ventana de ese mundo paralelo, que ha tomado el control del país por debajo de la superficie.
September 4, 2021
Un documento clave para entender muchos de los fenómenos que hoy se presentan en México. Sirve para desenmascarar, al menos en parte, el funcionamiento del imperio del narcotráfico y sobre todo de las simulaciones y colusiones de las autoridades, que muchos sospechábamos.
October 5, 2020
Un libro que podría ser un básico para la población en México, para darnos cuenta de que el Narcotráfico está más arraigado en el gobierno de los que creemos. 😔
January 16, 2020
El Traidor: El diario secreto del hijo del Mayo
Anabel Hernández (Hernández, 2019)
Spanish language
El Traidor: El diario secreto del hijo del Mayo
Anabel Hernández (Hernández, 2019)
In 2010, Anabel Hernández published her first edition of Los Señores del Narco following five years of intensive research and investigation. Much of that research consisted of tracking down government documents.
It became a controversial and groundbreaking book describing Mexican Cartels and the deep connection to the Mexican State, and it was reprinted several times. Eventually, an English language translation was based on most of her book — but unlike the Spanish language versions there were no copies of original documents included. (Hernández, 2013)
Some parts of her investigation, those relating to a wave of assassinations targeting Protected Witnesses (Testigos Protegidos) appeared in two articles that were published the previous year of the book appearance(2009) in the Mexican magazine Reporte Indigo. (Hernández, 2009a, 2009b) In 2010, a friendly police officer informed Hernández that there was a credible death threat specifically targeting her because those articles and her book referred to the specific involvement in those assassinations by the Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna. Garcia Luna had occupied the same role in the previous Vicente Fox government and had long been rumoured to be working directly with Mexican drug cartels.
The credibility of those death threats meant that her life was turned upside down and closely monitored by armed guards, and later threats from other public figures eventually led her seek permanent registration as one of 365 Mexicans in a program established in 2012 (MECANISMO PARA LA PROTECCIÓN DE PERSONAS DEFENSORAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS Y PERIODISTAS) intended to safeguard Journalists and Human Rights workers.
But in 2010 and 2011, Anabel Hernández and most everyone else was not aware of the full extent to which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI were alread working directly with major cartel bosses in a shadowy quid-pro-quo arrangement. The DEA was actively pursuing a questionable legal strategy that it had first used in Colombia and which had been described in some detail in autobiography by Andrés López López. He had given Protective Witness Status in return for feeding the DEA information about other cartels and even his own friends and associates in the Cartel del Valle Sur. (López López, 2008)
As early as 1998, DEA agents had made contact with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman Loera who had begun to falsely identified as the most powerful cartel boss in Mexico. Anabel Hernández later made convincing case that El Chapo could NOT be the powerful figure that the media portrayed, but in any even the DEA began to work with him as part of their larger plan to fight the US War on Drugs. El Chapo Guzman was happy to work with them because he wanted to to convince the USDOJ that the Arellano Felix family was responsible for killing Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo in 1994.
That cooperation with El Chapo continued during the Vicente Fox sexenio (2000-2006) and resulted in the decimation — and arguably complete elimination— of the Arellano Felix cartel based in Tijuana. In return, El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel would escape relative unscathed in the War on Drugs by receiving important favours like information about impending raids and even received cash from DEA intermediaries. The Sinaloa cartel would also be the prime beneficiary of the misguided Fast and Furious DEA program that supplied arms to Mexican cartels in hope that they could be traced.(Solotaroff, 2017)
By 2009, the DEA had introduced a new variant of its longstanding “Testigo Protegido” strategy by specifically targeting the so-called narco-juniors — especially the oldest children of the most powerful cartel bosses. The underlying rationale remains buried in inaccessible archives of DEA and FBI files, but it is most likely that the strategy was intended to either put pressure on the capos to negotiate, or to force the targeted children into becoming “soplones” (rats, informers)— or both. In a high profile takedown, Vicente Carrillo Leyva, the son of the murdered “Lord of the Skies” (Amado Carrillo Fuentes) and founder of the Juárez cartel was captured in Mexico City in April 2009. He was surprisingly released one year later after being assessed a substantial fine. And then, Vicente Zambada Niebla (El Vicentillo), the eldest son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested a month later. Vincentillo did not fare as well as his narco-junior confrere: he was extradited the following year to a Chicago Federal Courtroom to face charges of cocaine smuggling and money laundering.
In this context of intrigue, Anabel Hernández was contacted in January 2011 by a man she did not know. Fernando Glaxiola unexpectedly reached out and asked to meet. He told her that he was the lawyer for the very same son of El Mayo Zambada currently locked up in a Chicago jail awaiting trial. Anabel Hernández was already covering that trial of Vincentillo and his uncle “El Rey Zambada”, and had written a few reports about it.
She had obvious reasons for being suspicious of this contact, and was reasonably fearful for her life and falling into a trap. But Glaxiola, a lawyer who trained at the University of Arizona in Tucson, told her that he and his client Vincentillo knew her book “Los Señores del Narco” and that they wanted to share information with her. Glaxiola had also heard an interview with her about that book and the trial on radio station, and he decided he wanted to contact her with information that would “help with her research” and possibly help his client prove that he had been betrayed by the DEA and USDOJ. Glaxiola informed her that they could NOT meet in Mexico, and proposed a public meeting at O’Hare International airport. In February, Anabel Hernández agreed to meet with great trepidation. One cannot truly imagine the depth of her concern unless they are familiar with the hornet’s nest of Mexican betrayals. But she decided to take a chance and went to the meeting
She writes that she sat nervously at a table in a bar and sensed that she was being watched from the balcony. Eventually, an ordinary looking man approached and sat beside her. She writes that he appeared to be Anglo, but it quickly became clear that his accent had traces of the unique Sinaloan phrasing. Initially, she remained very concerned because that stranger habitually moved his hand on his stomach in indecipherable movements. But he noticed her concern and told her not to worry—that he had just undergone surgery for cancer of the stomach and he raised his shirt to show her the bandage. And then, he immediately began to relate an incredible story that become the basis of her latest book – El Traidor.
She writes that she had heard many incredible and unbelievable stories in researching Los Señores del Narco, but none of those tales would come close to what he was about to tell her.
Glaxiola explained that he had read her book with great interest but that there was much more to the story that she related, especially with regards to the shadowy involvement of the DEA with Mexican cartel leaders: “You are right in what you wrote, but things are even worse, much more complex, than you have written”. In that book she had written about the Iran-Contra affair and the CIA cooperative arrangements with the Guadalajara Cartel, and about the Rapid and Furious fiasco. But Glaxiola told her that those events were even more complicated than she had described and the American government cooperation (DEA, CIA, ICE) with drug lords ran even deeper than she suspected.
And then Glaxiola told her that his client Vincentillo had been negotiating with the DEA to enter the Protected Witness at the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City, but that he had been double-crossed at the last minute and was arrested later at what he thought was a safe-house in the southern part of the city in Lomas de Pedregal. Glaxiola told Hernández that he could provide documents proving the arrangements and detailing that double cross, and that his client Vincentillo Zambad Niebla wanted to share that information with her.
Anabel Hernández had already written about Vincentillo’s claim that both he and his father El Mayo claimed to have a signed agreement of cooperation with the DEA. But, at that first meeting in O’Hare airport she remained very skeptical of that claim. Glaxiola promised to giver documents if they were to meet again, and Hernández hesitatingly asked for time to think about it.
In March, Anabel Hernández was once again in Chicago for a book launch of Los Señores del Narco, and was surprised to see Fernando Glaxiola in the audience. She met with him afterwards, and then again with him and Vincentillo over the next few days. During those meetings she was given a few pictures and handwritten pages of a diary that Vicente Zambada Niebla had written in his cell. The book “El Traidor” includes an appendix of that actual handwritten diary.
Vincentillo’s diary was explosive. He named names. He described the organization of the Sinaloa Cartel in great detail, and made it very clear that his father El Mayo Zambada was the real jefe-de-jefes. He described the longstanding cooperation between El Chapo and the DEA that resulted in the eradication of the Arellano Felix cartel and the take-down of many members of the Juárez, Gulf cartels and Los Zetas. He described in great detail how his father served as the primary broker for most of the cocaine that moved through Mexico and he elaborated how the Sinaloa cartel operated as a type of holding company with various shareholders. Whoever could afford the cost, was allowed to buy in and distribute drugs. He provided exact details about the narco routes through Mexico and the strategies for shipping product— especially the ingenious use of tractor trailers with secret compartments. He described the links to legitimate businesses in those shipping routes — including PEMEX, milk companies and chicken distributors. The diary also describes his personal experiences in the cartel, and his life-long desire to leave that life behind and and live as a normal person with his family. The diary also describes how he finally agreed to become a “soplòn” and how both his father and El Mayo reluctantly encouraged and allowed him to pursue the option of entering the DEA Protected Witness Program. And tragically, he also lays out the details about how he had been betrayed at the last moment when one the Beltran-Leyva cartel managed to have him arrested by their corrupt agents in the PGR .
The diary alone would have been a block-buster. Afterall, such inside accounts of the mafia are extremely rare. Prior to this diary, there has been no high level inside account of life inside a Mexican cartel. Many years ago, one book claimed to be an inside account ((Andrade Bojorges, 1999), but most experts consider that to be a fake. But the book El Traidor does not only depend on the first-hand account of Vincentillo. It cludes the privileged information that Fernando Glaxiola provided over several month, and it also includes sections that are based on Anabel Hernández access to documents and archives.
Fernando Glaxiola continued to meet with Anabel Hernández in various locations, and at each meeting he filled in many details and provided a specific context for the diary written by Vicentillo in his Chicago jail cell. Over the next few years, Hernández gathered that information and recorded the details provided by Fernando Glaxiola. She grudgingly admits that she came to admire Glaxiola and his honesty and implicitly trusted his information. Such was her attachment to him that she attended his funeral and writes about mourning his passing. She waited until he died before publishing this book.
There is NO other book like this one. It may be a complex read for many who do not know the long history and emergence of cartels in Mexico, primarily because the links between narco bosses and all levels of Mexican society, justice and politics are so deeply intertwined. The list of names mentioned in the appendix runs to more than 300 – many are known but there are many more that will be unknown except to the most dedicated investigators of Mexico’s whose who.
Hernández organized the book so that Vicentillo’s words from handwritten pages are presented in a non-cursive font, and the reader always know when he is person describing events or operations. But, for all but a few chapters of this book, those sections directly from the diary are regularly interrupted by sections where Glaxiola explained more to Hernández and where she added her own meticulous descriptions of the events mentioned directly by Vincentillo.
For those who have followed Narco Mexico and have read the excellent journalistic reports, the diary of Vincentillo will be useful to verify details and clarify many that have remained ambiguous or subject to alternate explanations. There are even a few nuggets of new information that have never appeared elsewhere (as far as I know). Those new pieces of information are primarily found in the section where Vincentillo describes his personal experiences during the extended war with Arturo “El Barbas” Beltrán Leyva.
There are also extensive sections where Vincentillo describes his life-long unhappiness in the cartel and with the criminal life. He describes how both his father and El Chapo eventually gave him permission and provided him with their blessing to leave.
He was convinced that he was about to make a move to a new life thanks to his cooperation with the DEA, but then was thrown into great confusion after being betrayed by forces of the PGR and the government loyal to the Beltran-Leyvas and not the Sinaloa cartel. This book makes it clear that there were even warring factions within government agencies, and that the politics of survival within cartels depended on understanding who to trust and who were enemies. The description of his arrest and extradition is a brutal first-hand account of police and military practices (…it was one of the few sections where I had to resort to my dictionary to understand torture and debasement).
Vincentillo does not directly describe the family finances and business connections used for laundering. But there are three chapters of the book where Anabel Hernández provides those details. The extent of interconnection between narco enterprises and the Mexican State (…Federal and States) is deep and remains untouched in spite of the now popular American Kingpin policy focused on freezing assets.
Anabel Hernández (Hernández, 2019)
Spanish language
El Traidor: El diario secreto del hijo del Mayo
Anabel Hernández (Hernández, 2019)
In 2010, Anabel Hernández published her first edition of Los Señores del Narco following five years of intensive research and investigation. Much of that research consisted of tracking down government documents.
It became a controversial and groundbreaking book describing Mexican Cartels and the deep connection to the Mexican State, and it was reprinted several times. Eventually, an English language translation was based on most of her book — but unlike the Spanish language versions there were no copies of original documents included. (Hernández, 2013)
Some parts of her investigation, those relating to a wave of assassinations targeting Protected Witnesses (Testigos Protegidos) appeared in two articles that were published the previous year of the book appearance(2009) in the Mexican magazine Reporte Indigo. (Hernández, 2009a, 2009b) In 2010, a friendly police officer informed Hernández that there was a credible death threat specifically targeting her because those articles and her book referred to the specific involvement in those assassinations by the Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna. Garcia Luna had occupied the same role in the previous Vicente Fox government and had long been rumoured to be working directly with Mexican drug cartels.
The credibility of those death threats meant that her life was turned upside down and closely monitored by armed guards, and later threats from other public figures eventually led her seek permanent registration as one of 365 Mexicans in a program established in 2012 (MECANISMO PARA LA PROTECCIÓN DE PERSONAS DEFENSORAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS Y PERIODISTAS) intended to safeguard Journalists and Human Rights workers.
But in 2010 and 2011, Anabel Hernández and most everyone else was not aware of the full extent to which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and FBI were alread working directly with major cartel bosses in a shadowy quid-pro-quo arrangement. The DEA was actively pursuing a questionable legal strategy that it had first used in Colombia and which had been described in some detail in autobiography by Andrés López López. He had given Protective Witness Status in return for feeding the DEA information about other cartels and even his own friends and associates in the Cartel del Valle Sur. (López López, 2008)
As early as 1998, DEA agents had made contact with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman Loera who had begun to falsely identified as the most powerful cartel boss in Mexico. Anabel Hernández later made convincing case that El Chapo could NOT be the powerful figure that the media portrayed, but in any even the DEA began to work with him as part of their larger plan to fight the US War on Drugs. El Chapo Guzman was happy to work with them because he wanted to to convince the USDOJ that the Arellano Felix family was responsible for killing Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo in 1994.
That cooperation with El Chapo continued during the Vicente Fox sexenio (2000-2006) and resulted in the decimation — and arguably complete elimination— of the Arellano Felix cartel based in Tijuana. In return, El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel would escape relative unscathed in the War on Drugs by receiving important favours like information about impending raids and even received cash from DEA intermediaries. The Sinaloa cartel would also be the prime beneficiary of the misguided Fast and Furious DEA program that supplied arms to Mexican cartels in hope that they could be traced.(Solotaroff, 2017)
By 2009, the DEA had introduced a new variant of its longstanding “Testigo Protegido” strategy by specifically targeting the so-called narco-juniors — especially the oldest children of the most powerful cartel bosses. The underlying rationale remains buried in inaccessible archives of DEA and FBI files, but it is most likely that the strategy was intended to either put pressure on the capos to negotiate, or to force the targeted children into becoming “soplones” (rats, informers)— or both. In a high profile takedown, Vicente Carrillo Leyva, the son of the murdered “Lord of the Skies” (Amado Carrillo Fuentes) and founder of the Juárez cartel was captured in Mexico City in April 2009. He was surprisingly released one year later after being assessed a substantial fine. And then, Vicente Zambada Niebla (El Vicentillo), the eldest son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested a month later. Vincentillo did not fare as well as his narco-junior confrere: he was extradited the following year to a Chicago Federal Courtroom to face charges of cocaine smuggling and money laundering.
In this context of intrigue, Anabel Hernández was contacted in January 2011 by a man she did not know. Fernando Glaxiola unexpectedly reached out and asked to meet. He told her that he was the lawyer for the very same son of El Mayo Zambada currently locked up in a Chicago jail awaiting trial. Anabel Hernández was already covering that trial of Vincentillo and his uncle “El Rey Zambada”, and had written a few reports about it.
She had obvious reasons for being suspicious of this contact, and was reasonably fearful for her life and falling into a trap. But Glaxiola, a lawyer who trained at the University of Arizona in Tucson, told her that he and his client Vincentillo knew her book “Los Señores del Narco” and that they wanted to share information with her. Glaxiola had also heard an interview with her about that book and the trial on radio station, and he decided he wanted to contact her with information that would “help with her research” and possibly help his client prove that he had been betrayed by the DEA and USDOJ. Glaxiola informed her that they could NOT meet in Mexico, and proposed a public meeting at O’Hare International airport. In February, Anabel Hernández agreed to meet with great trepidation. One cannot truly imagine the depth of her concern unless they are familiar with the hornet’s nest of Mexican betrayals. But she decided to take a chance and went to the meeting
She writes that she sat nervously at a table in a bar and sensed that she was being watched from the balcony. Eventually, an ordinary looking man approached and sat beside her. She writes that he appeared to be Anglo, but it quickly became clear that his accent had traces of the unique Sinaloan phrasing. Initially, she remained very concerned because that stranger habitually moved his hand on his stomach in indecipherable movements. But he noticed her concern and told her not to worry—that he had just undergone surgery for cancer of the stomach and he raised his shirt to show her the bandage. And then, he immediately began to relate an incredible story that become the basis of her latest book – El Traidor.
She writes that she had heard many incredible and unbelievable stories in researching Los Señores del Narco, but none of those tales would come close to what he was about to tell her.
Glaxiola explained that he had read her book with great interest but that there was much more to the story that she related, especially with regards to the shadowy involvement of the DEA with Mexican cartel leaders: “You are right in what you wrote, but things are even worse, much more complex, than you have written”. In that book she had written about the Iran-Contra affair and the CIA cooperative arrangements with the Guadalajara Cartel, and about the Rapid and Furious fiasco. But Glaxiola told her that those events were even more complicated than she had described and the American government cooperation (DEA, CIA, ICE) with drug lords ran even deeper than she suspected.
And then Glaxiola told her that his client Vincentillo had been negotiating with the DEA to enter the Protected Witness at the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City, but that he had been double-crossed at the last minute and was arrested later at what he thought was a safe-house in the southern part of the city in Lomas de Pedregal. Glaxiola told Hernández that he could provide documents proving the arrangements and detailing that double cross, and that his client Vincentillo Zambad Niebla wanted to share that information with her.
Anabel Hernández had already written about Vincentillo’s claim that both he and his father El Mayo claimed to have a signed agreement of cooperation with the DEA. But, at that first meeting in O’Hare airport she remained very skeptical of that claim. Glaxiola promised to giver documents if they were to meet again, and Hernández hesitatingly asked for time to think about it.
In March, Anabel Hernández was once again in Chicago for a book launch of Los Señores del Narco, and was surprised to see Fernando Glaxiola in the audience. She met with him afterwards, and then again with him and Vincentillo over the next few days. During those meetings she was given a few pictures and handwritten pages of a diary that Vicente Zambada Niebla had written in his cell. The book “El Traidor” includes an appendix of that actual handwritten diary.
Vincentillo’s diary was explosive. He named names. He described the organization of the Sinaloa Cartel in great detail, and made it very clear that his father El Mayo Zambada was the real jefe-de-jefes. He described the longstanding cooperation between El Chapo and the DEA that resulted in the eradication of the Arellano Felix cartel and the take-down of many members of the Juárez, Gulf cartels and Los Zetas. He described in great detail how his father served as the primary broker for most of the cocaine that moved through Mexico and he elaborated how the Sinaloa cartel operated as a type of holding company with various shareholders. Whoever could afford the cost, was allowed to buy in and distribute drugs. He provided exact details about the narco routes through Mexico and the strategies for shipping product— especially the ingenious use of tractor trailers with secret compartments. He described the links to legitimate businesses in those shipping routes — including PEMEX, milk companies and chicken distributors. The diary also describes his personal experiences in the cartel, and his life-long desire to leave that life behind and and live as a normal person with his family. The diary also describes how he finally agreed to become a “soplòn” and how both his father and El Mayo reluctantly encouraged and allowed him to pursue the option of entering the DEA Protected Witness Program. And tragically, he also lays out the details about how he had been betrayed at the last moment when one the Beltran-Leyva cartel managed to have him arrested by their corrupt agents in the PGR .
The diary alone would have been a block-buster. Afterall, such inside accounts of the mafia are extremely rare. Prior to this diary, there has been no high level inside account of life inside a Mexican cartel. Many years ago, one book claimed to be an inside account ((Andrade Bojorges, 1999), but most experts consider that to be a fake. But the book El Traidor does not only depend on the first-hand account of Vincentillo. It cludes the privileged information that Fernando Glaxiola provided over several month, and it also includes sections that are based on Anabel Hernández access to documents and archives.
Fernando Glaxiola continued to meet with Anabel Hernández in various locations, and at each meeting he filled in many details and provided a specific context for the diary written by Vicentillo in his Chicago jail cell. Over the next few years, Hernández gathered that information and recorded the details provided by Fernando Glaxiola. She grudgingly admits that she came to admire Glaxiola and his honesty and implicitly trusted his information. Such was her attachment to him that she attended his funeral and writes about mourning his passing. She waited until he died before publishing this book.
There is NO other book like this one. It may be a complex read for many who do not know the long history and emergence of cartels in Mexico, primarily because the links between narco bosses and all levels of Mexican society, justice and politics are so deeply intertwined. The list of names mentioned in the appendix runs to more than 300 – many are known but there are many more that will be unknown except to the most dedicated investigators of Mexico’s whose who.
Hernández organized the book so that Vicentillo’s words from handwritten pages are presented in a non-cursive font, and the reader always know when he is person describing events or operations. But, for all but a few chapters of this book, those sections directly from the diary are regularly interrupted by sections where Glaxiola explained more to Hernández and where she added her own meticulous descriptions of the events mentioned directly by Vincentillo.
For those who have followed Narco Mexico and have read the excellent journalistic reports, the diary of Vincentillo will be useful to verify details and clarify many that have remained ambiguous or subject to alternate explanations. There are even a few nuggets of new information that have never appeared elsewhere (as far as I know). Those new pieces of information are primarily found in the section where Vincentillo describes his personal experiences during the extended war with Arturo “El Barbas” Beltrán Leyva.
There are also extensive sections where Vincentillo describes his life-long unhappiness in the cartel and with the criminal life. He describes how both his father and El Chapo eventually gave him permission and provided him with their blessing to leave.
He was convinced that he was about to make a move to a new life thanks to his cooperation with the DEA, but then was thrown into great confusion after being betrayed by forces of the PGR and the government loyal to the Beltran-Leyvas and not the Sinaloa cartel. This book makes it clear that there were even warring factions within government agencies, and that the politics of survival within cartels depended on understanding who to trust and who were enemies. The description of his arrest and extradition is a brutal first-hand account of police and military practices (…it was one of the few sections where I had to resort to my dictionary to understand torture and debasement).
Vincentillo does not directly describe the family finances and business connections used for laundering. But there are three chapters of the book where Anabel Hernández provides those details. The extent of interconnection between narco enterprises and the Mexican State (…Federal and States) is deep and remains untouched in spite of the now popular American Kingpin policy focused on freezing assets.
February 11, 2020
Es admirable el trabajo que realiza Anabel, después de leer este libro, cambia tu perspectiva de México para bien o para mal.
January 19, 2020
Sorprendente.
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