Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America’s Cartels

Journalist Bonello posits in her slender debut that there are many more female leaders of Latin American criminal cartels than the mainstream media has acknowledged or covered. One such “narca” is Guadalupe Fernández Valencia, who joined Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s Sinaloa drug cartel and worked her way up in its power structure for 30 years before her capture by U.S. authorities, which netted her a 10-year prison sentence in 2021. Digna Valle led a Honduran cartel associated with El Chapo, while Yaneth Vergara Hernández, Sebastiana Cottón Vásquez, and Marllory Chacón Rossell ran cocaine in Guatemala. Many of these women’s backgrounds were similar: they grew up impoverished, regularly witnessed violence in their communities, and lacked education and legal job opportunities. They took up crime so they could earn large amounts of money and wield power, both of which proved fleeting, since most of them ended up in prison. In the book’s strongest sections, Bonello recounts her investigations, including risks to her own safety, and explains how she tracked down sources that included criminals, members of law enforcement, and court documents. Readers fascinated by organized crime and the inner workings of investigative journalism will want to check it out. (July)