Retired DEA special agent Leo Silva discusses his book Narco Tales and his career fighting drug trafficking and organized crime. Silva provides a historical perspective on how Mexican cartels transitioned from business-oriented organizations with strict codes to the modern, ultra-violent groups that rely on extortion and kidnapping. The conversation covers the evolution of the narcotics trade, specifically the shift from marijuana and cocaine to the current fentanyl crisis and synthetic drugs. Silva highlights the challenges of undercover work in the age of social media and reflects on the varying levels of government cooperation between the United States and Mexico across different administrations. The dialogue concludes with a somber look at the deteriorating security situation in Mexico and the potential for increased U.S. intervention to combat the instability. Through his books, Silva aims to humanize the individuals on both sides of the law while documenting the violent realities of the narco world.

Escape the Technocracy Live Workshop (w/ Geopolitics & Empire)! https://escapethetechnocracy.com/product-escape-the-technocracy-live-workshop-season-2

*Support Geopolitics & Empire!

Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com

Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations

Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation

**Listen Ad-Free for $4.99 a Month or $49.99 a Year!

Apple Subscriptions https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/geopolitics-empire/id1003465597

Supercast https://geopoliticsandempire.supercast.com

***Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors!

Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics

American Gold Exchange https://www.amergold.com/geopolitics

Escape The Technocracy (15% off w/ GEOPOLITICS!) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics

Expat Money (FREE "WW3 Plan-B" Report!) https://expatmoney.com/geopolitics

PassVult https://passvult.com

Sociatates Civis https://societates-civis.com

StartMail https://www.startmail.com/partner/?ref=ngu4nzr

Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics

Websites

Leo Silva https://leosilvaauthor.com

X https://x.com/LXSilva1

About Leo Silva

Before there were headlines, there was Leo Silva — working the shadows of Monterrey, running operations against the most dangerous cartel organizations in the Western Hemisphere. As Resident Agent in Charge of the DEA's Monterrey Office, Silva spent decades at the sharp edge of America's war on transnational crime, building cases against high-value targets that most people only read about in the news.

Now he's telling the full story. Silva is the author of Reign of Terror and its Spanish-language edition El Reinado de Terror — a memoir that pulls no punches about what frontline law enforcement really looks like: the operations, the sacrifices, the bureaucracy, and the human cost on every side of the fight.

His writing draws on something no researcher or journalist can replicate — a career spent inside the story, where the stakes were measured in lives, not column inches.

*Podcast intro music used with permission is from the song "The Queens Jig" by the fantastic "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)