ONLY ON ABC-7: El Paso DEA clears up events in latest season of Netflix’s ‘Narcos’
If you’ve watched the new season of “Narcos: Mexico” on Netflix, you may have noticed several references to the Borderland, starting with the show intro popping up a map showing the El Paso-Juarez border.
Just like the show disclaimer states, much of we watch is dramatized, although based on real events and people.
ABC-7 reached out to the Drug Enforcement Agency to ask if it could give us a clearer picture of events in the show that align closely to what happened in real life.
“Drugs have been traded and ship through El Paso for many many years,” said DEA Special Agent In Charge Kyle Williamson.
In episode six of the new season, “La Ultima Frontera,” the DEA characters talk about a drug bust in Sunland Park, New Mexico, and how El Paso Police are going to help them take down the infamous Guadalajara Cartel kingpin, Miguel Ángel Felix Gallardo.
DEA officials can’t confirm specific incidents, but there’s proof of a longstanding problem at the El Paso library. Archives of newspaper clippings details drug-related problems in our community dating back to the early 1900s.
In 1973, President Nixon started the agency under the Department of Justice to combat the drug trafficking problem in the United States. But the agency set goals to stop the drug trade problems at their sources.
“DEA begin working overseas and locations like Mexico and Colombia for example,” said Williamson.
It’s in those countries “Narcos” is based. The latest season features slain DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, killed in 1985 as he tracked Gallardo.
“He (Gallardo) is the Godfather of the Mexican drug trafficking organizations so he ordered the abduction,” said Williamson.
Although tackling drug trafficking is an on-going task for the DEA, Gallardo was caught and cuffed, according to the Los Angeles Times April 11, 1989 paper.
“It unified us because, one thing you’ll find about DEA agents is, we believe in what we do, we believe in the mission,” said Williamson.
Agent Camarena’s honor is remembered every October during Red Ribbon week, when communities teach about the dangers of drugs.
