Drugs will kill you
It’s not just overdoses that end lives – the fight to control Mexico’s drug trade is stacking up bodies in Narcos: Mexico.
Season 1 Tuesdays (from 22 March) SABC3 (*193) 21:00
Drugs are bad, but the cartels and druglords running the show are way worse. Narcos: Mexico is the spin-off of biographical drama series Narcos and is set in the ’80s, when Mexico’s drug world goes from millions in sales to billions. And it’s all thanks to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, played by Diego Luna. While it’s a well-known tale, Diego reveals that “we know nothing. What I learnt about not just Miguel, but the things he did – the plans he made and how he operated – is terrifying. He’s one of the worst of the worst. He will sit you down and make you coffee or pour you a beer, then watch as one of his henchmen strangles you to death.”
But it’s not just about gunning people down and betrayals – there’s a real-life story being told as Miguel sets about creating the world’s most advanced and lucrative industry. “He was a family man by all means,” explains Diego. “But at the same time, Miguel was an intelligent business-man and he saw a gap.”
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW
It’s a case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” for Miguel because he starts off his working career as a cop – he’s part of the Mexican Federal Judicial Police Service. “He worked originally as a bodyguard for politicians and he ends up using his connections to his advantage,” reveals Diego. “Miguel meets all of these people and they have connections and they’ve got needs. So Miguel begins a side job of finding corrupt state officials and he helps them get in touch with druglords who pay them well.”
And that’s when Miguel realises that he doesn’t need to be the middleman.
“It was like a light-bulb moment in his head,” says the actor. “Instead of letting drug dealers use him and pay him nothing, Miguel takes control. He goes about either murdering his competitors directly or having them eliminated. It’s a violent time in Mexico’s history but it’s one that needs to be explored.” Miguel also sees the immediate chance for expansion, adds the actor. “He sets up a network with the Colombian druglords. At that time, Florida was setting up anti-drug countermeasures to stop speedboats bringing cocaine and heroin into the United States. So Miguel offers use of his new channels across the US-Mexico border,” says Diego, who wanted to speak to the real-life Miguel, who has been serving a 40-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of murdering a US DEA agent in 1989. “Unfortunately he’s not well – he’s almost blind and he doesn’t like visitors, so we didn’t get his approval for the show,” adds Diego.
CONTROLLING HAND
Bringing Miguel to life was difficult for the team because his family are so secretive, as are his business contacts. Show creator Carlo Bernard says that the production company tried to speak to the people Miguel dealt with, but most of them either died at Miguel’s hand or they know better than to talk about the Guadalajara Cartel.
“Miguel is known as El Jefe De Jefes (The Boss Of Bosses) for a reason. If you cross him, you’re going to pay with your life. He’s 76 now but he is still very much in control of the drug trade that he built,” says Carlo. “He uses a phone to communicate with his people from prison, so he knows about our show. We’re not at risk from Miguel because we’re not 100% accurate. There’s creative licence. We’ve never been threatened or sent messages or had to worry (about an attack from the cartel). We’re telling a story that everyone knows.”
TELLING HIS TALE
Miguel might be a man of myth and legend, but he has spoken about his life before. In 2008, his teenage son Abril (conceived during Mexico’s loosely monitored spousal visits) connected his inmate dad with journalist Diego Enrique Osorno. “I got about 35 pages, all hand-written by Miguel,” says Diego the journalist. “It was difficult reading because his mind is all over the place. He jumped from stories about his family, to how the police arrested him. But he was very sharp with his business.” And it’s something he still controls – Miguel hand-picked the men to succeed him in the Guadalajara Cartel and they’ve kept him worth billions.