Drug Wars and Covert Netherworlds: The Transformation of Mexico's Narco Cartels by James H. Creechan (review)

Abstract

Netherworlds: !e Transformation of Mexico’s Narco Cartels offers an insightful historical overview of the transformation of Mexico’s criminal syndicates and a nuanced portrait of the country’s contemporary violence. Since the turn of the century, Mexico has undergone a democratic transformation and remained “*rmly commi+ed to pursuing neoliberal economic policies that promised to bring peace along with prosperity” (p. 24). However, far from the promised results, “at least 400,000 Mexicans have now been murdered in the *rst two decades of the twenty-first century,” with the vast majority of these victims being poor and marginalized (p. 24). /roughout the book, Creechan challenges popular perceptions about the Mexican drug trade as well as the o0cial U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-led narrative about the nature of Mexican cartels. Creechan begins by giving readers insight into his personal connection to the topic of drug violence in Mexico, specifically in the state of Sinaloa, “la cuna del narco.” Having lived and worked in Mexico for years, Creechan’s narrative is informed by a vast personal network of contacts and resources. /roughout the text, he draws on the work of locally respected academics and journalists, in particular the work of renowned Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernandez (2014, 2020). In agreement with other scholars (e.g. Trejo & Ley, 2020), the author argues that narco-tra0cking is only possible with state support. While DEA agents and Hollywood writers may focus on kingpins and portray them as criminal masterminds, Creechan counters that what really matters in the narco-world are these groups’ networks and connections to elites and politicians. Moreover, he argues that instead of cartels—a term that most scholars of narco-economies have shifted away from, but that remains commonly used in mainstream media coverage of the topic—Mexico’s narcos should be conceptualized as a covert netherworld. He uses Alfred McCoy (2016)’s definition of covert netherworlds, which consists of three critical components: “social milieu, covert operations, and illicit commerce” (p. 28). It is a relatively straightforward argument, as these groups clearly have social bases of support and an entire subculture surrounding them. /ey engage in clandestine activities, and their reason for existence is their illegal enterprise. As Creechan states: