[Mexican living in Mexico here] There's a GREAT book about a lot of that, at least the Mexico side. It is called "Narcoland: Mexican Lords and Their-Godfathers

[Mexican living in Mexico here] There's a GREAT book about a lot of that, at least the Mexico side. It is called "Narcoland: Mexican Lords and Their-Godfathers" (original name "Los Señores del Narco) by Anabel Hernandez. She is a renowned journalist in Mexico who has lived threatened to death for several years, by several narcos and government officers. The book shows how the real "Lords" or "Godfathers" of Drug Trafficking are not some illiterate-uneducated kid from a small town in the middle of nowere in Mexico who becomes a "drug kingpin" with all connections and whatnot (CEOs and Cofounders who have struggled doing real word/legal relationships know that's a fairy tale), but rich people in Mexico, members of the elite class. That's why nothing real happens with cartels. The real bosses are people who have the real power, they control the government, control the narcos and control the money in Mexico. It's no conspiracy theory, everything is documented in that book. Here in Mexico society just "knows it". "Secreto a voces" they say it is, every state and city knows their narcos. To give you an example, in the "La Laguna" area of Durango, an ex-mayor, prominent businessman in the region and VERY rich guy named Carlos Herrera Araluce has been known to be a narco and in relationship with narcos. He was an elected officer (city mayor!!) with everybody knowing what he was doing. And the same is "known" in each state. You just have to ask some of the locals.