I’ve read a few of books on drug-trafficking and came out none the wiser about how it works on the ground. They either (a) focus on characters, their careers, alliances, beefs, lifestyles, relationships, etc, or (b) focus on organizations (drug cartels), their structure, members (with lots of name dropping), internal and external conflicts, etc. They end up being dramas about who turns on who and who kills who. I’m not interested in a human-interest story.
I want a book emphasizing technical details. How does drug-trafficking work? What are the smuggling methods? How did/do traffickers transport drugs and get them into a country? What is the average day of a mid to low level trafficker? What are the logistics of a legitimate businesses to cover this up? How did/do they stay ahead of the law? There are short montages showing this in the TV series Narcos, with the Colombian cartels getting drugs through Miami port in the 1980s.
Your recommendations are appreciated and thanks in advance.
by femke_0
1 Comment
Narconomics, by Tom Wainwright.
It examines the narcotics trade by applying economic principles: ie there’s a chapter on supply and demand, diversification, marketing etc. It goes into detail on how cartels apply the same strategies as big corporations like Coca-Cola, McDonalds, etc.
Wainwright interviewed farmers, heads of state, cartel members, journalists.
I really enjoyed it; it’s an eye opener and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.