Narrativas juveniles sobre el narcotráfico en Sinaloa: ingreso, riesgos y planes a futuro

The article’s objective is to understand the youth experiences, assessment, and meaning construction of drug trafficking. The fieldwork was carried out in 2018 and 2019 in Culiacán, Sinaloa. A qualitative approach was made to the sociocultural understanding of drug trafficking. We interviewed 16 young persons between the ages of 18 to 29 who collaborated or were involved with drug trafficking. The results highlight drug trafficking entrance motivation and experience; permanence, risk assessment, and consequences of the activities carried out; making plans within and outside drug trafficking. It is concluded that young people join and remain in drug trafficking due to the idealization of a successful life, economic retribution, acceptance, legitimacy, and recognition of drug trafficking in the context. For young people, drug trafficking is constituted as a space for work, projection, and building a future.