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The Betrayal: The True Story of My Brush with Death in the World of Narcos and Launderers
From Robert Mazur, undercover agent and bestselling author of The Infiltrator , comes the riveting true story of grave corruption at the heart of one of the most explosive DEA missions of his career. Three years after undercover agent Robert Mazur infiltrated Pablo Escobar’s Medellín drug cartel, he reemerged, a half-million-dollar bounty still on his head, with a new identity for a risky new sting. He was now Robert Baldasare, money launderer and president of an international trade finance company. Deployed to Panama, Mazur worked, traveled, partied, and washed millions with Central America’s criminal elite. Partnered with a young superstar DEA task force agent, Mazur slipped effortlessly into Colombia’s notorious Cali drug cartel. But as his underworld reputation skyrocketed, the operation started going dangerously off the rails. On US soil, drug money en route to Mazur was seized. He started to notice an unsettling shift in the cartel’s inner circle. Contacts were being assassinated, and Mazur was being tailed. His identity had been compromised. Refusing to acknowledge the threats ahead, Mazur was obsessed with seeing the mission through to its treacherous expose the Cali cartel, find out who betrayed him, and escape with his life.
330 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
March 3, 2022
There are people who will enjoy this. I just wasn't for me .
I am halfway through THE BETRAYAL and am just not motivated to finish. I don't think it is right to do a full review on a book I haven't read in its entirety, because some books manage to redeem themselves in the concluding chapters. Since I don't plan to finish this one, i can only give my impressions to the halfway mark.
THE BETRAYAL is a first person account of a long term undercover operation ran by the DEA, as part of the overall "War on Drugs" program. The operation targeted the Columbian cartels and drug lords by inserting the DEA into the role of money launderers. In other words the DEA was accepting huge cash deposits in the United States directly from the Cartels, and returning it to them as legitimate earnings from trade and exports -less a fee, of course. We are talking obscene amounts of money here. (2 million dollars per month from one source alone.) Sounds Interesting, right?
THE BETRAYAL is interesting. But it is a difficult book to get swept up in. It is jam packed with so many intricate details that it is more like a detailed report or accounting than it is a story. It is chock full of phone calls and meetings with attendees, dates, times, places and every imaginable detail spelled out. It feels repetitive and never-ending. There is an index of the players at the beginning, to help you keep track of who's who. You'll need to reference it often, to keep track. Even then, all the connections made by the author, during this years long operation, swim together. Every meeting is basically the same as the last.
There isn't much in the way of emotion from the author, especially for a guy involved in such a dangerous operation. People do get kidnapped and tortured but it is all very matter of fact. Just the facts. It feels almost like a direct report to a supervisor or a justification to provide to a Senate Hearing or Over Site Committee about the DEA's sketchy, quasi-legal, elaborate undercover operation. It is dull as a box of rocks and just as heavy.
If the subject matter is something you find particuarily interesting, I would still give it a try. There are quite a few interesting tid bits that had me reading out loud to my husband. It also makes clear that US Law enforcement agencies profited mightily off of drug money. The agencies were stepping all over each other to seize cash. I have no doubt the forfeiture laws that enriched the various law enforcement agencies, got many people killed and were particularly dangerous for those working undercover. I don't think they cared at all who got caught in the crossfire or who became collateral damage I think that much cash corrupted many law enforcement agencies and served as a disincentive to stop the actual drugs generating the profits, the traffiking or the cartels. I think allowing agencies to enrich themselves (still happening) through seizure and forfeiture laws has a corrupting effect on law enforcement and the juristictions they represent. It isn't condusive to fair, measured, thoughtful and considered policing.
THE BETRAYAL may be for you, but it wasn't for me.
I am halfway through THE BETRAYAL and am just not motivated to finish. I don't think it is right to do a full review on a book I haven't read in its entirety, because some books manage to redeem themselves in the concluding chapters. Since I don't plan to finish this one, i can only give my impressions to the halfway mark.
THE BETRAYAL is a first person account of a long term undercover operation ran by the DEA, as part of the overall "War on Drugs" program. The operation targeted the Columbian cartels and drug lords by inserting the DEA into the role of money launderers. In other words the DEA was accepting huge cash deposits in the United States directly from the Cartels, and returning it to them as legitimate earnings from trade and exports -less a fee, of course. We are talking obscene amounts of money here. (2 million dollars per month from one source alone.) Sounds Interesting, right?
THE BETRAYAL is interesting. But it is a difficult book to get swept up in. It is jam packed with so many intricate details that it is more like a detailed report or accounting than it is a story. It is chock full of phone calls and meetings with attendees, dates, times, places and every imaginable detail spelled out. It feels repetitive and never-ending. There is an index of the players at the beginning, to help you keep track of who's who. You'll need to reference it often, to keep track. Even then, all the connections made by the author, during this years long operation, swim together. Every meeting is basically the same as the last.
There isn't much in the way of emotion from the author, especially for a guy involved in such a dangerous operation. People do get kidnapped and tortured but it is all very matter of fact. Just the facts. It feels almost like a direct report to a supervisor or a justification to provide to a Senate Hearing or Over Site Committee about the DEA's sketchy, quasi-legal, elaborate undercover operation. It is dull as a box of rocks and just as heavy.
If the subject matter is something you find particuarily interesting, I would still give it a try. There are quite a few interesting tid bits that had me reading out loud to my husband. It also makes clear that US Law enforcement agencies profited mightily off of drug money. The agencies were stepping all over each other to seize cash. I have no doubt the forfeiture laws that enriched the various law enforcement agencies, got many people killed and were particularly dangerous for those working undercover. I don't think they cared at all who got caught in the crossfire or who became collateral damage I think that much cash corrupted many law enforcement agencies and served as a disincentive to stop the actual drugs generating the profits, the traffiking or the cartels. I think allowing agencies to enrich themselves (still happening) through seizure and forfeiture laws has a corrupting effect on law enforcement and the juristictions they represent. It isn't condusive to fair, measured, thoughtful and considered policing.
THE BETRAYAL may be for you, but it wasn't for me.
March 1, 2023
Robert Mazur’s memoir “The Betrayal” features a dramatis personae of Cali drug cartel leaders, money launderers, lawyers, corrupt bankers, money brokers, businessmen, undercover customs and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and informants.
The subject matter intrigues me but its dry writing and structure that went all over the place just doesn't flow well that I often have to reread several paragraph just to follow the narrative clearly.
The subject matter intrigues me but its dry writing and structure that went all over the place just doesn't flow well that I often have to reread several paragraph just to follow the narrative clearly.
March 24, 2022
Might be a good story but writing is awful
I couldn't finish this book. The premise is good, and maybe the story is too. But he can't write. The dialogue is stilted and some sentences don't make sense. I'm glad I didn't pay for this book or even use one of hold slots at the library.
I couldn't finish this book. The premise is good, and maybe the story is too. But he can't write. The dialogue is stilted and some sentences don't make sense. I'm glad I didn't pay for this book or even use one of hold slots at the library.
March 31, 2022
Couldn't finish this. The story was all over the place.
April 29, 2024
2,7⭐
Opět jedno rychločtení, ze kterého jsem však poměrně v rozpacích. Kniha za četla skvěle, ale nedokázala se mě dotknout. Očekávala jsem spíše autobiografický román než úplně literaturu faktu, ale přesně ta to bohužel byla. I když tu máme přímou řeč a vyloženě příběh jako v románu, tak tu chybí emoce. Není tu přiblížená atmosféra, postrádá to cit a nějakou osobitost, což je hlavní důvod, proč jsem se do knihy nedokázala pořádně vžít. Navíc mě mrzí, že tu je spoustu postav, které nejsou více přiblížené v ději, ale máme tu jejich rejstřík. A už jen to nutí čtenáře listovat, přeskakovat, vracet se a já si připadala, že čtu pouhou učebnici, která mi v hlavě utvořila obrovský shluk informaci, které postrádali větší smysl 🥺
Opět jedno rychločtení, ze kterého jsem však poměrně v rozpacích. Kniha za četla skvěle, ale nedokázala se mě dotknout. Očekávala jsem spíše autobiografický román než úplně literaturu faktu, ale přesně ta to bohužel byla. I když tu máme přímou řeč a vyloženě příběh jako v románu, tak tu chybí emoce. Není tu přiblížená atmosféra, postrádá to cit a nějakou osobitost, což je hlavní důvod, proč jsem se do knihy nedokázala pořádně vžít. Navíc mě mrzí, že tu je spoustu postav, které nejsou více přiblížené v ději, ale máme tu jejich rejstřík. A už jen to nutí čtenáře listovat, přeskakovat, vracet se a já si připadala, že čtu pouhou učebnici, která mi v hlavě utvořila obrovský shluk informaci, které postrádali větší smysl 🥺
April 8, 2022
Robert Mazur is a DEA agent that goes undercover as Bob Baldasare to expose illegal money laundering in the Cali cartel This book details who he worked with, where he traveled, illegal activities he was exposed to, the risks he took, the risks to his life, and the prosecution of the individuals that they were able to expose. He also talks about corruption within law enforcement.
There is a TON of information that he goes through, most of which is fascinating and thought provoking. Some of it is hard to follow, simply because the cartels are something I know about, but not nearly to the extent that Mazur discusses in his book. It felt like there were a lot of moving pieces and I occasionally had to go back and re-read sections of the book to determine exactly what was happening and who was involved.
That being said, I think this book is an important read. As a US citizen, it can be "easy" to pretend that the dark world of drugs and cartels doesn't exist, but it does. It is very real, and I think we should all be aware of it and the implications to society.
There is a TON of information that he goes through, most of which is fascinating and thought provoking. Some of it is hard to follow, simply because the cartels are something I know about, but not nearly to the extent that Mazur discusses in his book. It felt like there were a lot of moving pieces and I occasionally had to go back and re-read sections of the book to determine exactly what was happening and who was involved.
That being said, I think this book is an important read. As a US citizen, it can be "easy" to pretend that the dark world of drugs and cartels doesn't exist, but it does. It is very real, and I think we should all be aware of it and the implications to society.
July 7, 2022
It's a hard one to rate.. the story itself is quite amazing, but the writing and structure of the book are not great.
It felt that author would often leave one part of the story unfinished and then jump to another. At times it's hard to keep track.
Robert did some amazing work and he's a genius of money laundering, his mind works at some incredible speeds. It's a shame that book didn't have a nice flow to it and was so hard to get through the story.
P.S. If anyone can find any additional info on Dr Death - ping me
It felt that author would often leave one part of the story unfinished and then jump to another. At times it's hard to keep track.
Robert did some amazing work and he's a genius of money laundering, his mind works at some incredible speeds. It's a shame that book didn't have a nice flow to it and was so hard to get through the story.
P.S. If anyone can find any additional info on Dr Death - ping me
April 11, 2022
First of all, kudos to the author for his dedicated service as an undercover cop seeking justice for many in the Cali drug cartel. The story itself is a real thriller, it almost reads like crime fiction. It's a world I knew very little about and is even more dangerous than I imagined. That being said, the book is a bit difficult to follow, there are so many characters and they are often referred to by either first or last names or nicknames, I needed a cheat sheet to keep up. The other slight disappointment is that the author goes undercover as a money launderer but I didn't really come away with an understanding of what that's all about or why he was able to convince these drug lords to use his services. Still, it's a fascinating tale and if you're at all curious about undercover work and the dangers therein, this might be a good choice for you.
June 18, 2022
Love a good true crime story. This one’s a quick read but there’s so many characters that if you set it down for long, it’s hard to remember who’s who and where they fit into the grander narrative.
April 12, 2022
This book left me feeling like my simple world does not exist; rather, the world is run by criminals of all kinds - bankers, politicians, presidents, narcos, even some of the so-called good guys. It discouraged me, but I read till the end. Some of our public servants are incredibly brave, and Bob Mazur is one of them. I am glad he lived to tell his story and to carry on doing the work of exposing criminal behavior.
The first part of the book is difficult to read on a Kindle because there are so many names to remember, and it is hard to go back and forth. By the middle, the narrative picks up and reading left me breathless. This is a world I do not like nor want to be part of, but it is important we know of it. I think I am wiser and better informed now.
The first part of the book is difficult to read on a Kindle because there are so many names to remember, and it is hard to go back and forth. By the middle, the narrative picks up and reading left me breathless. This is a world I do not like nor want to be part of, but it is important we know of it. I think I am wiser and better informed now.
April 16, 2022
DNF
Although this book came with a glossary of who’s who in the front, I couldn’t keep up. It’s unfortunate because the little I did read was eye opening. The lengths the US goes to set up fake businesses with fancy cars and luxury rentals to ensnare drug kingpins is mind boggling.
My sincere appreciation goes to the women and men who put their lives, and the lives of their families at stake for us.
Although this book came with a glossary of who’s who in the front, I couldn’t keep up. It’s unfortunate because the little I did read was eye opening. The lengths the US goes to set up fake businesses with fancy cars and luxury rentals to ensnare drug kingpins is mind boggling.
My sincere appreciation goes to the women and men who put their lives, and the lives of their families at stake for us.
May 19, 2022
Treading in the Quicksand of Double Lives
Life is very dangerous and confusing in the world of undercover operations infiltrating Latin and South American drug cartel money laundering schemes. If you are an American agent living with dual identities around the Caribbean basin, this career of double lives can be challenging – just balancing the fictional front and personal allegiances.
And regrettably murky for readers trying to track how money laundering works, who’s who in cartel world, allegiances and lethal consequences in Robert Mazur’s 2022 “The Betrayal: The True Story of My Brush with Death in the World of Narcos and Launderers”. You may want to read the last chapter (“19 - The Ugly Truth”), epilogue (“Hope”) and appendices first. It was the difference between a double- and triple-star rating for this book for me.
The premise of the author’s autobiographical work is straightforward: worldwide cartels use elaborate schemes to get their illegal drug sales income into the mainstream financial systems and disguise their sources from government watchdogs. Some approaches involve inflating the prices of goods purchased by governments. The dark money is commingled on the books with official money to make the purchases, recorded in the banking system and redistributed in whatever currency the cartel desires – local denomination or US dollars.
It also means a lot of people have to be involved, each getting a “handling” percentage - from the original cartel members and their agents (aka “mules”) to government and customs officials, transportation owners, bankers and brokers who set up the exchange process. Getting acceptable, tangible evidence to present in criminal legal proceedings can be difficult.
The need for US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) undercover agents equipped to record conversations and gather money laundering evidence by becoming involved in the illegal activities is the basis for Mazur’s experiences 30 years ago “going under” to infiltrate the Colombian Cali cartel. For over two years his life moved around Panama, Colombia, Caribbean countries and the Southern US – even though he sacrificed time away from his family.
Very quickly, the story gets complicated with multiple personalities appearing, going away, reappearing. Though some names are familiar like American financier Robert Vesco, you need a scorecard to track who is with which group, shifting alliances, questioning Mazur’s loyalty. You may want to have at hand the list of key player names at the end of the book.
And there are those who switch sides for ego gratification and fringe benefits, including one of Mazur’s police colleagues, hence, the book title. It’s messy. And tiresome with the multiple overlapping back stories in a black-and-white world seemingly created for the oversimplification requirements of film or television series.
It may also be what Mazur needed to do to keep his head clear about why he was pursuing and likely continuing this career.
(For more recent money-laundering schemes, here’s the link to my Amazon posted review of David Enrich’s 2020 “Dark Towers” about Deutsche Bank: https://www.amazon.com/review/R22ANQW...)
Life is very dangerous and confusing in the world of undercover operations infiltrating Latin and South American drug cartel money laundering schemes. If you are an American agent living with dual identities around the Caribbean basin, this career of double lives can be challenging – just balancing the fictional front and personal allegiances.
And regrettably murky for readers trying to track how money laundering works, who’s who in cartel world, allegiances and lethal consequences in Robert Mazur’s 2022 “The Betrayal: The True Story of My Brush with Death in the World of Narcos and Launderers”. You may want to read the last chapter (“19 - The Ugly Truth”), epilogue (“Hope”) and appendices first. It was the difference between a double- and triple-star rating for this book for me.
The premise of the author’s autobiographical work is straightforward: worldwide cartels use elaborate schemes to get their illegal drug sales income into the mainstream financial systems and disguise their sources from government watchdogs. Some approaches involve inflating the prices of goods purchased by governments. The dark money is commingled on the books with official money to make the purchases, recorded in the banking system and redistributed in whatever currency the cartel desires – local denomination or US dollars.
It also means a lot of people have to be involved, each getting a “handling” percentage - from the original cartel members and their agents (aka “mules”) to government and customs officials, transportation owners, bankers and brokers who set up the exchange process. Getting acceptable, tangible evidence to present in criminal legal proceedings can be difficult.
The need for US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) undercover agents equipped to record conversations and gather money laundering evidence by becoming involved in the illegal activities is the basis for Mazur’s experiences 30 years ago “going under” to infiltrate the Colombian Cali cartel. For over two years his life moved around Panama, Colombia, Caribbean countries and the Southern US – even though he sacrificed time away from his family.
Very quickly, the story gets complicated with multiple personalities appearing, going away, reappearing. Though some names are familiar like American financier Robert Vesco, you need a scorecard to track who is with which group, shifting alliances, questioning Mazur’s loyalty. You may want to have at hand the list of key player names at the end of the book.
And there are those who switch sides for ego gratification and fringe benefits, including one of Mazur’s police colleagues, hence, the book title. It’s messy. And tiresome with the multiple overlapping back stories in a black-and-white world seemingly created for the oversimplification requirements of film or television series.
It may also be what Mazur needed to do to keep his head clear about why he was pursuing and likely continuing this career.
(For more recent money-laundering schemes, here’s the link to my Amazon posted review of David Enrich’s 2020 “Dark Towers” about Deutsche Bank: https://www.amazon.com/review/R22ANQW...)
September 28, 2022
Remarkable and Thoughtful Account
This book offers a briskly and dramatically rendered, basically true account of high echelon undercover work by an federal agent with a career spanning decades. He is obviously enormously knowledgeable and skilled. The sheer weight of detail is daunting, but can be skimmed over by those so inclined, without detracting from the momentum of the narrative. I have two main criticisms, though. First, Mazur mostly minimizes or just alludes to the enormous emotional toll exacted by functioning for months and years in insanely dangerous settings. He reveals a bare minimum of his emotional life- both the fears of being brutally murdered, and the highs and temptations of having a lavish, monied lifestyle as he poses as a drug cartel money launderer. The book suffers some lack of depth and interest as a result. Second, his most important thoughts are expressed just twice, briefly, in the body of the text, and only a little more fully in an appendix. These thoughts are clearly central to his personal commitment, but seem to have been shrunken by the publisher so as not to detract from the book’s commercial appeal. They have to do with the degree to which legions of bankers and others in the financial communities of all countries facilitate huge criminal profits by turning a blind eye to massive, systematic money laundering practices. Political, legal and financial corruption constitute an infrastructure that actively supports and enables criminal endeavors, and the resulting harms to ordinary people worldwide. I wish he could have said much more about this subject, that he understands so authoritatively.
This book offers a briskly and dramatically rendered, basically true account of high echelon undercover work by an federal agent with a career spanning decades. He is obviously enormously knowledgeable and skilled. The sheer weight of detail is daunting, but can be skimmed over by those so inclined, without detracting from the momentum of the narrative. I have two main criticisms, though. First, Mazur mostly minimizes or just alludes to the enormous emotional toll exacted by functioning for months and years in insanely dangerous settings. He reveals a bare minimum of his emotional life- both the fears of being brutally murdered, and the highs and temptations of having a lavish, monied lifestyle as he poses as a drug cartel money launderer. The book suffers some lack of depth and interest as a result. Second, his most important thoughts are expressed just twice, briefly, in the body of the text, and only a little more fully in an appendix. These thoughts are clearly central to his personal commitment, but seem to have been shrunken by the publisher so as not to detract from the book’s commercial appeal. They have to do with the degree to which legions of bankers and others in the financial communities of all countries facilitate huge criminal profits by turning a blind eye to massive, systematic money laundering practices. Political, legal and financial corruption constitute an infrastructure that actively supports and enables criminal endeavors, and the resulting harms to ordinary people worldwide. I wish he could have said much more about this subject, that he understands so authoritatively.
March 3, 2024
After I read the book I checked the reviews. Most of them complained that the writing was more like a report than a memoir, devoid of emotion and including too many characters. I rather liked the no-nonsense approach because it gave me a sense of just how much compartmentalizing these agents do just to survive.
The events of the book are both fascinating and terrifying. It makes the reader wonder whether any institution is exempt from corruption. Banks, police departments, restaurants, and governments all include people who engage in the activities of the Narcos and money launderers. The dangers faced by every person who have interactions with the crime syndicates are real and usually deadly. I had thought of the world of drug running to be mostly limited to the Americas and East Asia. I was not aware that Hamas, among other terror organizations also profit from laundering money and running drugs. Of course, if I thought about it, I already knew that international criminals know no borders, but the media has been successful in its coverage of drug running as most a Central American issue.
Infiltrating the crime families is complex and layered. Those who pursue undercover work must be able to divide their minds into two distinct personalities while balancing the dictates from their superiors and the demands of their Bosses. Their families also pay a price of secrecy, uncertainty, and potential exposure if betrayal occurs. Added to the danger is the fact that the battle is like an endless game of Whack-a-Mole; knock down one player, and the void is quickly filled as long as there is demand for oblivion by the users and wealth by the suppliers.
The events of the book are both fascinating and terrifying. It makes the reader wonder whether any institution is exempt from corruption. Banks, police departments, restaurants, and governments all include people who engage in the activities of the Narcos and money launderers. The dangers faced by every person who have interactions with the crime syndicates are real and usually deadly. I had thought of the world of drug running to be mostly limited to the Americas and East Asia. I was not aware that Hamas, among other terror organizations also profit from laundering money and running drugs. Of course, if I thought about it, I already knew that international criminals know no borders, but the media has been successful in its coverage of drug running as most a Central American issue.
Infiltrating the crime families is complex and layered. Those who pursue undercover work must be able to divide their minds into two distinct personalities while balancing the dictates from their superiors and the demands of their Bosses. Their families also pay a price of secrecy, uncertainty, and potential exposure if betrayal occurs. Added to the danger is the fact that the battle is like an endless game of Whack-a-Mole; knock down one player, and the void is quickly filled as long as there is demand for oblivion by the users and wealth by the suppliers.
March 16, 2022
**Goodreads WIN
This book recounts Mazur's time as an undercover DEA officer, specifically the three years he spent as a "money-launderer" extraordinaire in FL, Panama, and Columbia for large drug cartels. Before this, I vaguely knew what laundering money involved and never realized how really complicated and far-reaching it is. It was amazing how he was able to keep things straight operating as someone else for that long. The book was interesting but at times went into too much detail so that it was dry and detached. I now have a deep respect for those who choose to work undercover at great risk to themselves, fellow undercover peers/helpers, and their families. Sadly, it seems that the War on Drugs will never end as long as there are enablers like banks all over the world (yes, also in the USA) that will turn a blind eye. When caught they'll only pay fines without individual bankers doing any prison time.
This book recounts Mazur's time as an undercover DEA officer, specifically the three years he spent as a "money-launderer" extraordinaire in FL, Panama, and Columbia for large drug cartels. Before this, I vaguely knew what laundering money involved and never realized how really complicated and far-reaching it is. It was amazing how he was able to keep things straight operating as someone else for that long. The book was interesting but at times went into too much detail so that it was dry and detached. I now have a deep respect for those who choose to work undercover at great risk to themselves, fellow undercover peers/helpers, and their families. Sadly, it seems that the War on Drugs will never end as long as there are enablers like banks all over the world (yes, also in the USA) that will turn a blind eye. When caught they'll only pay fines without individual bankers doing any prison time.
March 31, 2022
The true story that didn't always seem true and left me wanting more danger because of it.
First and Foremost, thank you for your service goes out to the author. There is no doubt that the undercover work he took on was extremely dangerous and life-threatening. We have all benefitted from his generous life of service. If nothing else, this book was eye opening to the dangers that some jobs we take for granted can be.
However, while reading the book I came to wonder if I was reading a memoir or a crime drama piece of fiction. The book had all these elements right up until the last 1/3 when I expected there to be some gun fire, torture, or some others high stakes game that had to be navigated with precision in order to avoid death. I'm sure everything was dangerous, but it wasn't like the movies dangerous, and I think that left me a little wanting as a reader. As a human, I'm glad none of that happened of course, it just left the book a little incomplete for me.
First and Foremost, thank you for your service goes out to the author. There is no doubt that the undercover work he took on was extremely dangerous and life-threatening. We have all benefitted from his generous life of service. If nothing else, this book was eye opening to the dangers that some jobs we take for granted can be.
However, while reading the book I came to wonder if I was reading a memoir or a crime drama piece of fiction. The book had all these elements right up until the last 1/3 when I expected there to be some gun fire, torture, or some others high stakes game that had to be navigated with precision in order to avoid death. I'm sure everything was dangerous, but it wasn't like the movies dangerous, and I think that left me a little wanting as a reader. As a human, I'm glad none of that happened of course, it just left the book a little incomplete for me.
May 6, 2022
AMAZING
Unless you’re involved with drug smuggling or laundering the money, you don’t have a clue how it all works and works so well for those involved. I was blown away learning how educated so very many of the higher ups in this world are. College degrees, speaking several languages, the knowledge of exactly how to do what they do, and how to get once upstanding, honest professionals agreeing to do business with them. Money definitely talks.
Not only was this an extremely educational learning experience for me (I’m sure for many others, too), there’s danger, intrigue, stabbing a “friend” in the back, among so many other ways to dishonor individuals in law enforcement, family, friends and those trying to live a decent life. I walked away after this book knowing so much more about this underworld and the ones brave enough to work undercover. I have more respect for them now than I did 3 days ago.
Unless you’re involved with drug smuggling or laundering the money, you don’t have a clue how it all works and works so well for those involved. I was blown away learning how educated so very many of the higher ups in this world are. College degrees, speaking several languages, the knowledge of exactly how to do what they do, and how to get once upstanding, honest professionals agreeing to do business with them. Money definitely talks.
Not only was this an extremely educational learning experience for me (I’m sure for many others, too), there’s danger, intrigue, stabbing a “friend” in the back, among so many other ways to dishonor individuals in law enforcement, family, friends and those trying to live a decent life. I walked away after this book knowing so much more about this underworld and the ones brave enough to work undercover. I have more respect for them now than I did 3 days ago.
April 20, 2022
Very informative
No faith in our government to fight the war on drugs. Not sure about the DEAs plan to spend millions fooling the drug pins and filling up their coffers just to imprison a dirty cop in the end. The minor players got plea deals and the major players bribed a dirty judge. Robert nearly died as well as did his partner with the ineptitude of the system. However, the silent partners (the dirty banks) all got exposed and levied huge fines. Hoping that will discourage them in the future to take easy money. Robert's plea is to provide free college tuition to the underserved communities. I think that is too little too late. Invest in the communities themselves. Provide job training, finance training, community programs, after school programs. Get faith based entities involved. Let the kids see that they are valued and belong.
No faith in our government to fight the war on drugs. Not sure about the DEAs plan to spend millions fooling the drug pins and filling up their coffers just to imprison a dirty cop in the end. The minor players got plea deals and the major players bribed a dirty judge. Robert nearly died as well as did his partner with the ineptitude of the system. However, the silent partners (the dirty banks) all got exposed and levied huge fines. Hoping that will discourage them in the future to take easy money. Robert's plea is to provide free college tuition to the underserved communities. I think that is too little too late. Invest in the communities themselves. Provide job training, finance training, community programs, after school programs. Get faith based entities involved. Let the kids see that they are valued and belong.
May 24, 2022
Will make you think deeply
Just finished "The Betrayal: The True Story of My Brush with Death in the World of Narcos and Launderers" by Robert Mazur.
Would make for a terrific thriller fiction if it weren't true. The author takes the reader on a behind the scenes experience of the criminal enterprise that is money laundering and the drug underworld.
The complexities of the undercover sting operation were at times confusing when telling who was who, who was where and how it all was interconnected. Be that as it may, "The Betrayal" scores high marks for exposing a part of our world most of us ignore and are not caught up in. When one begins to sense the magnitude of the issues, one begins to appreciate those who sacrifice and risk their lives fighting evil, drugs and terror.
"The Betrayal" will make one think deeply.
Check it out
Just finished "The Betrayal: The True Story of My Brush with Death in the World of Narcos and Launderers" by Robert Mazur.
Would make for a terrific thriller fiction if it weren't true. The author takes the reader on a behind the scenes experience of the criminal enterprise that is money laundering and the drug underworld.
The complexities of the undercover sting operation were at times confusing when telling who was who, who was where and how it all was interconnected. Be that as it may, "The Betrayal" scores high marks for exposing a part of our world most of us ignore and are not caught up in. When one begins to sense the magnitude of the issues, one begins to appreciate those who sacrifice and risk their lives fighting evil, drugs and terror.
"The Betrayal" will make one think deeply.
Check it out
September 9, 2022
The writing in this book is not great. The author thinks he has to end each chapter with a hook to keep the reader reading. It sometimes feels like you're reading an entire book's worth of click bait headlines. However the story he tells is fascinating, offering a view into high level law enforcement and how drug money is entwined into the financial system. Corruption is exposed in the banking world, in South American politics, and in our own country's law enforcement. His policy prescriptions for dealing with the problem are laid out in a chapter at the end of the book and they make sense. They include stiffer criminal penalties for money laundering (banks should not be allowed to just buy their way out of trouble), more aggressive policing of corruption, both domestic and foreign, and re-investing drug seizure money into education and economic development in deprived areas.
April 8, 2022
I had to keep telling myself this is not a novel
Reads well with great tension. It's mind-boggling how much secondary and tertiary corruption supports the illegal drug trade.
There were times it seemed the story mentioned an event then "turned on a dime" and went in a totally different direction.
Noticed one edition error: on page 55-56 Bob is speaking to Luis Latorre and says, "... I had an extra two men watching Quino's back ...". Then on page 56 again addressing Luis, Bob says, "Sure, Luis, I'll have Antonio [Quino] handle it. ..." Did he just blow Quino's cover?
And what happened to Jamie?
Well worth the read, but try to tell yourself, " This is real and happening right now, maybe in my own neighborhood."
Reads well with great tension. It's mind-boggling how much secondary and tertiary corruption supports the illegal drug trade.
There were times it seemed the story mentioned an event then "turned on a dime" and went in a totally different direction.
Noticed one edition error: on page 55-56 Bob is speaking to Luis Latorre and says, "... I had an extra two men watching Quino's back ...". Then on page 56 again addressing Luis, Bob says, "Sure, Luis, I'll have Antonio [Quino] handle it. ..." Did he just blow Quino's cover?
And what happened to Jamie?
Well worth the read, but try to tell yourself, " This is real and happening right now, maybe in my own neighborhood."
April 25, 2022
Eye-popping details for understanding the illegal drug underworld!
Want to see what happens behind the scenes in the real world? This book will tell you how huge cartels & drug operations get away with their crimes with the help of bankers, major banks & financial institutions that seem legit.
You'll appreciate the work that the honest cops & agents do to ferret out corruption in their own departments while knowing that others want to put a bullet in their back. Amazing how they keep exposing themselves to danger to protect millions of lives from devastation. This book answered many questions I had on how money laundering protects drug cartels & major criminal organizations. I now understand. And it's quite an education!
Want to see what happens behind the scenes in the real world? This book will tell you how huge cartels & drug operations get away with their crimes with the help of bankers, major banks & financial institutions that seem legit.
You'll appreciate the work that the honest cops & agents do to ferret out corruption in their own departments while knowing that others want to put a bullet in their back. Amazing how they keep exposing themselves to danger to protect millions of lives from devastation. This book answered many questions I had on how money laundering protects drug cartels & major criminal organizations. I now understand. And it's quite an education!
June 6, 2022
This book was a good read. It opened my eyes to the realities of working as an undercover agent fighting crime across the globe.
The only thing difficult about this book was the pacing. It felt like a long book because it filled each page with necessary details but the story felt slow because of those details. I think it was the writing style maybe.
Also, I kept getting confused with the people. There were so many moving parts throughout the book that I got a little confused several times with who was who.
The betrayals felt real and the stakes were actually high. It was a good read I’ll likely recommend to my friends that are into nonfiction books. If I read more nonfiction this may be higher rated but it’s a solid 3.5 stars for me.
The only thing difficult about this book was the pacing. It felt like a long book because it filled each page with necessary details but the story felt slow because of those details. I think it was the writing style maybe.
Also, I kept getting confused with the people. There were so many moving parts throughout the book that I got a little confused several times with who was who.
The betrayals felt real and the stakes were actually high. It was a good read I’ll likely recommend to my friends that are into nonfiction books. If I read more nonfiction this may be higher rated but it’s a solid 3.5 stars for me.
June 19, 2022
This is a book that should be read, as it gives a (admittedly biased) view of the war against the drug cartels and their money launderers in the ‘90s. The paints an insiders’ picture of corruption at very high levels as the enormous amounts of money generated by the drug trade made its way back yo the cartels. As an undercover agent the author was deeply involved with money launderers, taking down and arresting people from the Colombian cartels at very high levels.
But this was a difficult read. I decided to slog through to the end, despite the molasses slow pace of the author’s writing, but only because his story should be read.
If you don’t mind the mind numbing details int the prose you should read this.
But this was a difficult read. I decided to slog through to the end, despite the molasses slow pace of the author’s writing, but only because his story should be read.
If you don’t mind the mind numbing details int the prose you should read this.
October 2, 2022
This a fantastic, point-by-point account of Operation Pro Mod. This DEA operation was enacted to stop the Cali Cartel by hitting them where it really hurts, their pocketbook. The author led the undercover aspect of the operation with the goal of indicting of the people who made the money laundering work, i.e. the bankers and owners of laundering companies. As the author states, it is this greedy global banking cabal that allows the criminal organizations to profit off of their crimes.
This is not an exciting book about fighting crime. This book is written in a very matter of fact style that lays out the progress of the operation over two years. It is dry, but it paints a daming picture of the global banking system and its greed and corruption.
This is not an exciting book about fighting crime. This book is written in a very matter of fact style that lays out the progress of the operation over two years. It is dry, but it paints a daming picture of the global banking system and its greed and corruption.
April 2, 2022
Incredible version of what is transpiring in the world today. Evil seems to be overtaking civility and good. I am intrigued by the three legs to move r come this mass I've and out of control coruption that ok s do prevalent in our beloved country and t he world. Equal opportunity for education and jobs are a logical and sensible options to implement in order to tackle the criminal activities mentioned in the story. Great story and makes one think of the near hopeless system we are in. Real eye e opener in a sad way.
Great story. My response respect and prayers go out to all good law enforcement. I appreciate you going after these greedy and evil criminals.
Great story. My response respect and prayers go out to all good law enforcement. I appreciate you going after these greedy and evil criminals.
April 6, 2022
This book deviates from the books I typically read, which are science fiction and fantasy. However, with all the plot twists and nail-biting moments, this book certainly reads like a fiction novel! If you are expecting lots of action and lethal encounters, then you may be a little let down with this book; it focuses mainly on sneaky subtlety and intricate deception. But the whole experience is heightened by the fact that this is a true story, and that the risks and rewards carry very real consequences. Each chapter ends with a masterful hook that makes the urge to continue reading nearly irresistible. Overall, it was a fantastic read, and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in drug cartels, money laundering, or true crime stories!
June 10, 2022
Betrayal is an amazing true story of drug trafficking and money laundering as told by a U.S. Customs officer and DEA agent. The volume of drug trafficking and money laundering is enormous, and while author Mazur only scratches the surface, he provides the reader with a perspective on this problem. Mazur creates an undercover identity and works with criminals in the U.S., South and Central America, and Europe. When one of his fellow agents betrays his fellow officers, Mazur’s life and the lives of fellow agents are imperiled. I enjoyed Betrayal, but found the many Latin names and complex deals difficult to follow at times.
March 16, 2022
Amazing reading
Quite simply, one of the best books I have read in a long time! The author is quite intelligent, believable, and absolutely fantastic!
I wasn't able to put this one down. If you follow true crime or even FBI serial books, you will love this one. The points at the end of the book as to solutions to issues we have in the US with drug crimes are both laudable and promising. It will take a lot of people to make those things happen. Hopefully, everyone that reads this book will agree.
Bravo!
Quite simply, one of the best books I have read in a long time! The author is quite intelligent, believable, and absolutely fantastic!
I wasn't able to put this one down. If you follow true crime or even FBI serial books, you will love this one. The points at the end of the book as to solutions to issues we have in the US with drug crimes are both laudable and promising. It will take a lot of people to make those things happen. Hopefully, everyone that reads this book will agree.
Bravo!
April 10, 2022
Tremendous respect
This novel gives the reader a glimpse into the real life world of drug lords and money laundering. The dangers of operating undercover and elaborate planning that goes into creating the facade. I have tremendous respect for these law enforcement officers who put their lives on hold to really go the extra mile to get the bad guys. I did have trouble keeping them all straight but the "cheat sheet" at the beginning provided a reference. For those who enjoy true crime stories, this is worth a look. I would read another tale by Mr. Mazur for sure.
This novel gives the reader a glimpse into the real life world of drug lords and money laundering. The dangers of operating undercover and elaborate planning that goes into creating the facade. I have tremendous respect for these law enforcement officers who put their lives on hold to really go the extra mile to get the bad guys. I did have trouble keeping them all straight but the "cheat sheet" at the beginning provided a reference. For those who enjoy true crime stories, this is worth a look. I would read another tale by Mr. Mazur for sure.
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