The drug trade has created its very own rules and sub-culture in parts of Mexico. One man has become the face of it all: Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, the world’s most infamous drug kingpin.

Last July, Guzman was sentenced to life in prison for running Mexico’s biggest cartel. But in his native state, Sinaloa, not much has changed. His organisation still floods the United States with heroin and other narcotics that cause more than 70,000 deaths a year. And he is still considered a hero there as Alix Hardy reports in this first of a five-part series.

Click the 'play' button above to listen to the audio report, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report.