Drug War Zone: Frontline Dispatches from the Streets of El Paso and Juárez

Howard Campbell

Jan 2010 · University of Texas Press

About this ebook

A ground-level chronicle of the violent drug war in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico—with accounts from both traffickers and law enforcement, and “astute analysis” (The Americas).

Thousands die in drug-related violence every year in Mexico. Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, adjacent to El Paso, Texas, has become the most violent city in the drug war. Much of the cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine consumed in the United States is imported across the Mexican border, making El Paso/Juárez one of the major drug-trafficking venues in the world.

In this anthropological study of drug trafficking and anti-drug law enforcement efforts on the US–Mexico border, Howard Campbell uses an ethnographic perspective to chronicle the recent Mexican drug war, focusing especially on people and events in the El Paso/Juárez area. It is the first social science study of the violent drug war that is tearing Mexico apart.

Based on deep access to the drug-smuggling world, this study presents the drug war through the words of direct participants. Half of the book consists of oral histories from drug traffickers, and the other half from law enforcement officials. There is much journalistic coverage of the drug war, but very seldom are the lived experiences of traffickers and “narcs” presented in such vivid detail. In addition to providing an up-close, personal view of this world, Campbell explains and analyzes the functioning of cartels, the corruption that facilitates trafficking, the strategies of smugglers and anti-narcotics officials, and the perilous culture of drug trafficking that Campbell refers to as the “Drug War Zone.”

“This collection of oral histories of drug traffickers and counter-drug officials examines the border narco-world through the eyes of first-hand participants . . . An invaluable resource for anyone seeking a greater sociological understanding.” —Journal of Latin American Studies

Ratings and reviews

I read this book sometime back. I found it to be accurate and reflective of the people and situations I once knew when I lived in El Paso/Juarez. The only chapter that felt contrived and exaggerated was that of the young junkie. However, I do not think this reflects on the author's truth or storytelling ability. The book is broken down into vignettes of people who inhabit the underworld that straddles two countries and three states. From the cop to the junkie to the dealer to the businessman and others, they all play a part in the interconnected world, partly visible, partly submerged, that makes up the El Paso/Juarez border region's drug smuggling culture. The story is told with little editorializing. The featured speaker in every chapter speaks for him or herself. I recommend it strongly for background, ambiance, and a sense of what is happening on the US-Mexico border right now.

About the author

HOWARD CAMPBELL is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is the co-editor of the University of Texas Press Inter-America Series.