Pure Narco: One Man's True Story of 25 Years Inside the Cartels

by Jesse Fink, Luis Navia (Subject)

‘Gripping story ... fascinating ... those interested in how the illegal drug trade and law enforcement interact will be rewarded.’
– Publishers Weekly

‘Pure Narco is an unbelievable insider's look at the life and times of a real narco. During his 25-year criminal career, Luis Navia learned to work with all of the major Colombian cocaine manufacturing and distribution organisations, something not easily done, and miraculously survived to tell his tale. Jesse Fink and Navia provide a detailed and uncensored look at the underbelly of the beast, the international cocaine trade, and give an account that even most experienced law-enforcement professionals never see.’
– Steve Murphy, DEA Special Agent (Retired) who hunted down Pablo Escobar

‘In August 2000, a joint–law enforcement investigation between the U.S. and the British government resulted in the dismantling of a large drug-smuggling ring. Tons of drugs were seized, and arrests were made. Navia, a man who walked a tightrope of criminality and legitimacy, was nabbed after operating in the drug underworld for 25 years. Of Cuban heritage, Navia had worked for Colombia's Medellín and Cali cartels and gradually transferred his skills in working with various cartels in Mexico. He met and sometimes worked with the biggest names in the infamous underground empire: Pablo Escobar, Alberto Sicilia Falcon, the Ochoa Brothers. As recalled to coauthor Fink, Pure Narco amasses Navia's colourful recollections of past exploits in a candid yet guarded fashion. Navia disarms with his charisma and intelligence; his remorse is a little less apparent. He believes that the war on drugs is a hypocritical war with no end. Navia's insights make for a revelatory look inside the treacherous world of organised crime in this new true-crime classic.’
– Booklist

‘Intriguing and thought provoking. While there is no perfect formula when it comes to telling a life story...there can be an almost ideal result. A truly gripping and detailed account about a life lived on the edge. A must read.’
– C. A. Heifner, author of Mule: My Dangerous Life as a Drug Smuggler Turned DEA Informant

‘The best insider account ever written of the global cocaine trade and the outrageous but precarious lives of those at the top.’
– Peter Walsh, author of Drug War: The Secret History

For a quarter century, Luis Antonio Navia worked as a high-level cocaine transporter for all of the major Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, including Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel, and flooded the United States and Europe with cocaine before his dramatic arrest in Venezuela in 2000 during the 12-nation Operation Journey. The story of Navia's rise, fall, takedown, imprisonment, and redemption is expertly researched and told by acclaimed biographer Jesse Fink, who has gathered interviews with Navia, Navia's family, and a dozen law-enforcement agents in the United States and Great Britain from agencies such as the DEA, ICE and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (now Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs). Told in vivid detail, this true crime story will captivate the reader from start to finish.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Biography, International

592 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

Jesse Fink was born in London in 1973. He is the author of six books including The Eagle in the Mirror, Pure Narco, Bon: The Last Highway and The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC. Visit his official website at jessefinkbooks.com

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a fourth book by Jesse Fink (after The Youngs, Laid Bare and Bon) that I read and he ALWAYS delivers. Subject and co-author of the book (Luis Navia) is a former narco who tells his life’s story, living in parallel world. World among the people and culture that I despise in general. Drug suppliers, traffickers, assassins - you name it. With whole palette of characters ranging from scum of the society, amoral lowest of the low, all the way up to the people who were well-off but simply chose it because it was too easy. But once you step into it, there’s no way back and there are not many survivors who can tell the story. Miraculously, Luis Navia went full circle and we can read about it. There’s a Netflix/AppleTV series in this and I hope they will jump at it. This cautionary tale deserves to be told and I wish Jesse a great success with it as there must be endless days, weeks, months and years of hard work behind it. All in all a great read and insight into the dark world of traffickers.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 out of 10. One of the best books i have read in a long time.

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[David Trunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, If you are a fan of any movie or series on the cocaine business this book is for you. Jesse Fink goes one on one with one of the biggest traffickers that was ever in the business and lived. Movies and shows are just that; however Pure Narco takes you behind the scenes and trust me there is plenty of action. You sit side by side with the man who made it happen and get his stories of the cartels, mobsters, and corruption world wide in governments.

[Robert Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning there are SPOILERS in this review! This is an interesting story of a criminal. At first I was capitvated by the lifestyle Luis led. I was even envious of all the women and partying and the "good life". However by the time of his capture I was sick of this narcissist. His five years of incarceration while boasting of how happy he was and how well he ate is a joke. That this unrepentant criminal still gets to live a good life and still has money from his cartel days is unbelieveable. How he blames his mother for being too lenient as the reason for him turning to a life of crime is laughable. That he claims that he is an honorable man shows how disillusioned this piece of work is. How is a being a rat honorable? How is sleeping with all those prostitutes while he had a wife and kids at home honorable. Luis Navia is nothing but a greedy self absorbed piece of work of **** that didn't care about the consequences of the line of work he was in. That he admired and respected a known murderer shows that he had no regard for other peoples lives.
While I have never written a review this long before it is obvious that this criminal's story really affected me. So having said that that's the reason I gave the book a good review. Despite really despising the Narco by the end the book was fascinating. Although I felt that it was a bit overwritten. The book could have easily been about 100 pages shorter.
My question is why do we as a society admire and sometimes hero worship these criminals throughout time. From guys like Robin Hood to Billy the Kid to Ned Kelly. What is our fascination with people from the pirates to mafia to cartel bosses? Some of the best movies are about murders like the Godfather, or Al Capone, or even serial killers. It's a question I ask myself all the time. Until then I will keep reading books like Pure Narco.

[Randolph Breschini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting life of Luis Navia, I’d heard in an interview on the Jordan Harbinger podcast…so I decided to read his story..

Wildly crazy,,,over his 25 year career of trafficking cocaine, before he got caught, he earned somewhere between $80-$120 million…

He tells his incredibly crazy story…drugs, alcohol, never ending parties, women, wife’s, living in so many places especially in Latin America and Mexico, his murderous business associates especially the Colombians, and did I say so many beautiful women😱🤣🤷

He served his time and now is a construction business owner in Florida…a very family man…

I really enjoyed his story

10/10

[Freddie Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and detailed insight into this necifierous world

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Australian author Jesse Fink has put a lot of time and effort into researching the South American drug cartels and their smuggling operations into the USA, across South America and Europe to present a very interesting work.

It was co-authored with Luis Navia who spent over 20 years working for the cartels in South America and his experiences give this book a rare insight into what this world is like.

Jesse Fink is forthright in saying that he could not verify everything Luis was telling him, but he did try to verify as much as possible by interviewing some associates of Luis', his ex-wife, girlfriends, family, and officers and agents from US drug enforcement agencies.

Even if Luis is exaggerating some of his exploits, if only 50% of the content is accurate, this is a wild ride.

We often see news reports of cartel activities but to hear directly from someone who lived that life for more than 2 decades is at times quite chilling. The amount of money that is being made makes your eyes water. This is a very engaging book and one that showcases a world the majority of us can't even imagine being involved in.

An excellent, entertaining and eyebrow raising read.

[Andy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book! Brilliantly written this describes Luis Navia's descent into the drug trafficking business which involved smuggling tons of cocaine around the world for cartels in Colombia and Mexico. Middle-class and the son of a successful businessman it belies the notion that all poor desperados fall into the drug trade. Tales of countless murders , tortures and what seems like countless bodies flowing down the Rìo Cauca on a regular basis it also gives an inside look into the workings and dealings with the most notorious cartels and government and police corruption. Packed with interviews with his sister , kids, ex-girlfriends and other family members...most notably his ex-wife Patricia...an amazingly strong woman. His capture in 2000 ultimately saved his life! Its incredible he is still alive to tell the tale!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one of the "characters" mentioned in Pure Narco, I can state unequivocally that the story is not only spot on accurate, but written in a manner that grips you from page one. I know the truth of much of what is written as I was there at the very start back in the early 1970s when Alberto Sicilia-Falcon organized what was to become the Mexican cartels. Having now met Luis Navia in person, I can say he is depicted by Jesse without embellishment, as the bon vivant, charismatic gentleman he is. What a book..hats off, Jesse.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. I can only imagine the amount of research that went into the corroboration of Luis Navia's life story. Well reported, and it read like a novel. I rank this right up there with the Hollywood film productions on entertainment value - it was written like a long and anecdotal story that still flowed like a movie. Highly recommend.

[Robert Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started I couldn't put it down. Jesse did a great job of telling Luis' story. Amazing how Luis survived. I've read numerous books about the cartels, but none come close to this. If you want the inside story of how the cartels worked, this is a must read!

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been shorter

I like a cartel tale and heard a podcast with Luis which made me interested to read this. You get the feeling some of it may not be 100% authentic which meant I only finished half the book. Save time listen to the podcast

[Marely Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

not what I was expecting at all but the storytelling was amazing. will probably revisit.

[Aisha Bellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first biography I’ve ever read and it didn’t disappoint!

Pure Narco was superbly written by Jesse Fink who, together with Luis Navia, spent years writing and this book.
It was a truly unbelievable story of life behind the scenes of the cartels. Jam packed with drama, emotions and questionable decisions, Pure Narco is an amazing and informative read.

Pure Narco is from the man who did a 360, and has now worked with the government for almost as long as he was in the cocaine trafficking business.

Finishing this book, I feel as if I have met and know Luis Navia himself.

[Maddie Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not think I would like this book as much as I did. Was a really great and insightful book to read on one of the biggest cocaine traffickers in the world. Normally not my go to subject for reading but I’m very glad I gave it a shot!

[Yetla · Rating 4 out of 5]

heavy heavy book, glad i finished it tho. it took a while

[Joe Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luis' story is exhilarating, and Jesse's research/presentation is superb! Excellent collaboration between two great storytellers.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun(ny) fact(s): This book just seemed like an interesting story, so I picked it up at the Waco library for a read.

Favorite quote/image: "The beast makes us all believe that to be happy we constantly have to have more. But the more successful he was as a drug trafficker, the more dangerous the job became...Luis didn't see it then, but he was creating his own prison. The beast had swallowed him up. There was no way out, whichever way he turned. A man can spend his life on the run from the law but he cannot evade hard truths about himself." (pg. 415)

Honorable mention: "My goal in life was always to have lots of money. Money is my driving force...When I have money, I am very happy. But money's very cheap, you know, in the sense it's something you can count. That's how cheap it is. How can you count your family's life or the life of a loved one? There's no counting that. How do you count love? When you can count something, it's a very cheap commodity." (pg. 393)

Why: Fink artfully tells Navia's story with its high highs and low lows, balancing Luis' distinct voice and perspective while also doing as much responsible research, fact-checking, and interviews with other sources as possible. I was definitely interested in the ride, but probably wouldn't read again.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story jumps around a bit and I got lost in some of the names. I'm glad Jesse Fink fact checked as much as he could because I still found some of what Luis told him was either exaggerated or a lie. The alligator story, details changed when Luis was on a podcast, to a more reasonable order of events as per pertaining to the phone call about the pool table bet; leads me to believe a tall tale here. Some of his stories are more embellished during the podcast. It's obvious he's a terrible business man, most of his businesses were either cons or ways to launder money. It's clear why he lost all those businesses, but he lies about them. Interesting story though.

[Jamie Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into a totally different world from the norm! Found it tough to keep up with the amount of people mentioned and who was who, also gave up on the ‘endnotes’ at the back as flicking back and forth every other sentence was becoming too annoying!

All in all though I enjoyed the book as it gives a real insight into something I would never know anything about!

[Raigo Loide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cocaine business is interesting. Extraordinary lives are interesting. And this book is easy to swallow, because it's written well.
The beginning and the end are too cheesy for me, especially the part where Luis Navia is presented as such a good dad. Maybe he is, but after all this macho talk with lavish lifestyle and high libido it felt awkward. But most of the book was really enjoyable.

[William Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about drug trafficking mostly from the perspective of Luis Navia. The editing leaves a lot to be desired and what could’ve been a highly entertaining read becomes very repetitious in places. Edit down about 25-30% of the guff and you’ve got a top read.

[Ted Nierzwicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disjointed and all over the place. Seemed like a series of drunken conversations that were pieced together to attempt to tell a story. A lot of name dropping without a significant hook as to why the details are being put into the book.

[Cullen Bickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book with great stories that I wish I enjoyed more. Luis Navia deserved a better author to tell his story as the writing was quite choppy and had limited knowledge of the industry, which Jesse Fink acknowledges.

[Chuckdee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting…

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly entertaining until the last 100 pages. I am not sure Luis is the most reliable narrator.

3 page foreword.
30 page introduction.
30 page prologue.

This is not the best way to start a book, imo.

[Ian Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

PURE NARCO - by JESSIE FINK and LUIS NAVIA
If you’re a reader who likes new characters every chapter, you’re going to love this one. Though there are almost 600 pages you’ll most likely be reading around 420 of this page turning expose of the drug world, as centred around named co-author Luis Navia, who just happens to be one of the largest shippers of drugs in history. We’re talking tonnes here, as well as aeroplanes and ships.
His evolvement from son of a wealthy ex-Cuban sugar baron into a life of crime can be put down somewhat to boredom in America after his father was forced out of Cuba by Castro. Study was not something he relished, no, adrenaline was the fuel he sought. Enter the drug world; small at first before rising to deal with the cartels but never belonging to any of them. Luis’ world was transport, and he was very good at it.
We learn how different nationalities have different takes on how to run drug networks; some have violence in the extreme, while others are less inclined towards killings and mayhem but still indulge.
Quite a few of the cast are sourced for quotes and fact checking, particularly via Luis’ family and the detective who ultimately caused him to be arrested. That makes for interesting reading at times and reveals how important family loyalty is. Though aware he was involved in drugs, he never brought his work home with him so to speak.
Money meant nothing, it was just a means to a lifestyle. Being in a hotel room with a number of prostitutes while his wife was at home was part of Luis’ way of living. He concedes it wasn’t always right and he became a devoted family man on his release, where his children are concerned anyway, though he was long divorced from his wife with whom he remains good friends. His closest relationship of all he feels is with his sister though.
Around ten percent of loads don’t make it, mostly intercepted by law enforcement but some lost due to incompetence such as incorrectly wrapping up bales with the wrong material when doing a water drop. Bye, bye cocaine. Then again, that is just one of numerous ways of shipping.
Luis loudly proclaims he was never into violence, never carried a gun, but twice came close to being killed or beaten. When captured he testified in many cases over the years as part of his plea deal but, as he states, that’s just part of the business that he lived in. Dobbing in your drug pals is part of trafficking if you’re caught apparently.
There are a couple of holes in the narrative. One is how the stepfather of his children died. No-one, but no-one, will say what happened, which leaves one speculating.
Having nine passports with different names eased Luis’ travel worries but when he discovered the one he was using was missing from his hotel room in Venezuela, alarm bells went off and it was the beginning of the end because the law had come calling.
Fink’s research has been meticulous and time-consuming but, such is the underworld you have to dig deep to get to something approximating the truth. As an insight into the world of drugs it accomplishes its goal and is a worthy read.

[Priscilla Mansour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it he is such a talent when it comes with choice for words although in some parts of the book when he is giving the reader his thoughts on what Luis Navias (the drug smuggler) responce is on a question he may have asked him or on topic he mentions he actually quotes along the lines “I’m not sure if I believe him “ !! Which makes you think if he the author has doubts wouldn’t that follow though to the reader !!!!