The Bullet or the Bribe: Taking Down Colombia's Cali Drug Cartel

For   more   than   20   years,   the   Cali   cartel   saturated   U.S.   streets   with   cocaine,   ruining   neighborhoods   and   lives   while   reaping   millions in   cash.   Efforts   to   combat   the   influx   of   drugs   from   Colombia   were   often   stymied   by   the   careful   organization   and   execution   of   the drug   trade.   Through   the   use   of   bribery,   terrorist   structures,   and   legitimate   business   practices,   the   cartel   rose   to   become   a   serious threat   to   Colombian   society's   fragile   stability,   while   providing   over   70%   of   the   world's   cocaine   to   various   markets.   It   took   more   than two decades and a global effort, spearheaded by U.S. law enforcement, to topple this notorious criminal organization. The   rise   and   fall   of   one   of   Colombia's   most   notorious   drug   cartels   is   a   story   of   how   organized   crime   can   function   at   the   most sophisticated   levels,   yet   still   be   taken   down   by   the   very   forces   it   seeks   to   evade.   This   book   vividly   examines   the   Cali   Cartel, providing   unique   insight   into   the   history   of   international   trafficking,   organized   crime,   and   U.S.   drug   policy.   Relying   on   first   hand accounts,   interviews,   and   DEA   records,   Chepesiuk   brings   the   story   to   life,   illustrating   how   drug   traffickers   operate   and   why   they   are so    difficult    to    stop.    In    detailing    law    enforcement's    biggest    take-down,    this    book    describes    how    such    transnational    criminal organizations   must   be   dismantled,   and   why   drug   trafficking   continues   to   be   an   important   problem   in   the   United   States.   The   fall   of the cartel also provides lessons for law enforcement efforts to combat terrorists and other formidable criminal organizations.