The extremely wealthy and powerful drug cartels in Mexico operate with near-impunity, perpetuating violent crime and terrorizing Mexican citizens. But they also bring pain and suffering to the United States by importing massive amounts of fentanyl, fueling the deadly opioid epidemic. Drug lords saw an opening after the U.S. government finally stepped in to stop the flow of prescription opioids created by the pharmaceutical industry. A ready-made market of addicted people just over the border provided incentive, and fentanyl was cheaper and easier to produce than other drugs. Anabel Hernandez, a Mexican journalist who’s covered the cartels for more than two decades, joins former assistant U.S. attorney Sherri Hobson for today’s talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival in June. Hobson went after traffickers on the border from the San Diego office for 30 years and prosecuted hundreds of smugglers. The two break down the timeline of the fentanyl crisis and share the insider information they spent years building up from either side of the border. Reuters editor in chief Alessandra Galloni moderates the conversation.

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