CrashOut Podcast

The kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on July 25, 2024, and his rendition to New Mexico, where he was handed into U.S. agents, is one of the craziest events in decades of crazy cartel wars in Mexico. It has huge implications, sparking a Sinaloa Cartel civil war, that has seen more than 3,800 murders, 4,400 kidnappings and 211 people shot dead by soldiers in the state in two years.

Yet there is still much we need to learn about the incident, and especially the role of U.S. agents. Joe Hefferon, a former New Jersey police captain, conducted an excellent investigation, which I discuss with him on this episode of the CrashOut podcast, and you can also read here. He discovers fascinating info that point to a wider role of U.S. federal agents in what they have already said was called “Operation Air Kings.” The most important findings include -

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This morning at 11 am New York time, Judge Brian Cogan, who also sentenced Mayo’s partner El Chapo and corrupt security chief Genaro García Luna, handed Mayo a life sentence.

The aging godfather received the sentence after limping into the court room in an orange jumpsuit, and reportedly exclaimed an “hay cabrón!” (or a “damn, man!”) to show his difficulty getting up, according to reporters in the gallery. He apologized for his crimes and gave a short sermon about needing to end the cartel wars in Mexico.

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I look at the bombshell indictment of governor Rubén Rocha on drug trafficking charges.

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CrashOut talks to Danny Gold and Sean Williams at The Underworld podcast about the five dumbest ever crime stories.

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When Ghaleb Krame was working in the security department in Tamaulipas, he arranged to go for a breakfast in a prestigious restaurant in state capital Ciudad Victoria. However, he canceled at the last minute, which was lucky as gunmen came and sprayed it up. He soon learned he had a price on his head.

This is only one of many intense incidents in Krame’s crazy life that spirals through security, intelligence, academia and consulting, not only in his homeland of Mexico, but in Europe and the Middle East, where his family hails from. He went as a teenager to Lebanon and learned to shoot with the Syrian army and after September 11 was a valuable asset in the UK.

His unorthodox life contributes to making him one of the most interesting and outspoken former officials on Mexican security. While many here in Mexico understandably try to avoid the subject of cartels and crime, Krame digs deep into it. He recognized the cartel use of drones early and now foresees the development of AI drone swarms. He analyzes how sicarios operate as irregular armed forces.

Like with any guest, I don’t agree with everything Krame says, and may disagree strongly on certain points, but he is a fascinating thinker and in this episode we get into a range of subjects including the death of El Mencho (or is he really dead, Krame asks), the CIA agents (or officers!) in Chihuahua, the shooting at Teotihuacán, a divided country under Morena (he is a big critic), and hope for a less violent Mexico. I recommend listening through as the convo gets more intense as we go on.

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I look at the case of the CIA agents who died on Sunday in Mexico. For more info, go to: www.crashoutmedia.com

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I talk with Ángel Hernández about the many narco trials he is covering in the U.S., including Rafael Caro Quintero, Nicolás Maduro and Ryan Wedding.

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Gustavo Grav has spent years documenting the cholos of the Mexico City urban area and brings us great photos and video. 

See a full photo essay and more info at: www.crashoutmedia.com 

See more of Gustavo's work at: www.gustavograf.com and on   / gustavograf_  

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While El Mencho has been buried in a golden casket, we are yet to see a photo of his corpse (those that have been circulated have been found to be fake). When I went to the cabins where Mencho’s was captured I found some curious details that didn’t add up, including .50 caliber shells inside a room with no visible damage to the walls or windows. There could of course be a non-nefarious explanation. But without a real disclosure of what happened, there are many questions around “the last stand of El Mencho.” 

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