And they were welcomed by some.
We spoke with a Colombian man who has worked in the drug trade since he was 10, first as a lookout and later as an assassin and a “cook.” He was wiry, unrepentant and laughed easily. He estimated that he murdered around 15 to 20 people in the course of his work, plus countless more in violent confrontations. The choice was clear, he said. “If I don’t do it, they will do it to me.” Plus, he said, he made more money in the drug trade than his friends who stuck to legal jobs. He agreed to talk with VICE World News on the condition of anonymity.
“The more [Mexicans] entering the business, the better,” he said. “There will be a lot of work. We will escape poverty.”
The Colombian said that last year was a good one because the Sinaloa Cartel made big orders, including one for 7,000 kilos of cocaine—the biggest he’s ever seen. It’s a complex process that involves turning coca leaf into cocaine paste, and converting the paste into white-powder cocaine. He was among a crew that worked six weeks filling the order, for which he was paid around $3,000, he said. He hoped there were more orders like that, but didn’t expect he’d live long enough to enjoy all the spoils. He’d killed too many people and had too many enemies, he said, and expected to live another two or three years maximum.
“Once you enter the business, it’s very hard to leave,” the Colombian said. “You say you’re going to retire, but the [bosses] keep you in mind. You usually get out when you die.”