EPISODE · Mar 2, 2026 · 1H 13M
“I Interviewed Cartel Leaders… Here’s What I Learned”
from LA PLATICA · host Mariana Van Zeller, Josh Leyva, Sebastian Robles, Sazon Studios
Investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller joins us to unpack the world most people never see. From interviewing cartel leaders to going undercover and getting trapped during an overseas coup, her career has taken her into some of the most dangerous environments on the planet. We talk about fear, corruption, Mexico’s current climate, the glamorization of crime, and the crimes that are happening in our own backyards. Are there truly bad people — or are we products of our environment? CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Intro 02:57 – Mariana Van Zeller is On a Different Level 05:30 – Like Trafficked, but More Detailed 07:01 – How Did You End Up Here? 09:01 – A Month After Moving to NY, 09/11 Happened 😳 11:05 – We Were the First Journalists Who Were Doing This Kind of Work 16:20 – Sometimes People Aren’t Ready for the Truth 18:38 – You’re Not Afraid to Be Aggressive 20:32 – I Go Undercover Too 23:56 – As Women We’re Often Underestimated… 25:51 – Is Your Husband Freaking Out? 27:43 – The Cartel Had Some Ground Rules 29:01 – What I Really Want to Be Remembered As Is - 29:37 – Do You Believe There Are Bad People? 31:53 – His Story Seemed Too Fake… 34:21 – What Are Your Thoughts on Mexico Right Now? 37:35 – Based On Your Experience, What Happens Now? 39:49 – “I Got It Back From a Dirty Cop” 40:35 – People Are Scared 42:26 – They Took El Chapo and Look What Happened 45:38 – Cartel Leaders Are So Glamorized Nowadays 47:13 – We Wanted to Interview El Chapo’s Mother 53:37 – There’s a Huge Sex Trafficking Problem in LA 56:02 – That Could’ve Been Really Horrible 59:36 – We Were Stuck In a Foreign Country with Incoming War 01:02:19 – Stuck in an African Coup 01:04:43 – What Do You Do For Fun? 01:07:57 – I Have Contraband in My Podcast Studio 01:08:48 – What’s Something You’ve Learned About Humanity? Keep up with Mariana! IG: @marianavz TikTok: @mariana_vanzeller Podcast: The Hidden Third While you’re here, follow the Poddy on all socials 🫶🏼 IG: @laplatica TikTok: @LaPlaticaPod Sebastian Robles - @ayyysebas Josh Leyva - @TheJoshLeyva RESOURCES FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IMMIGRATION INFORMATION Immigrant Legal Resource Center - https://www.ilrc.org/advanced-search?issues%5B0%5D=35&resource_type%5B0%5D=15&terms= National Immigration Law Center - https://www.instagram.com/nilc?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Barrio Drive - https://barriodrive.com/collections/daca-renewal-fund Immigrants Rising - https://www.instagram.com/immigrantsrising?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Attorney Kathleen Martinez - https://www.instagram.com/laabogadamartinez?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== PLATÍCANOS Tell us what you’re going through! https://forms.gle/adWU3tmFuHW8fYsd8 SALUD! Get 10% off your Salud with code LAPLATICA! Click the link below to get started https://tastesalud.com/pages/salud-la-platica
What this episode covers
Investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller joins us to unpack the world most people never see. From interviewing cartel leaders to going undercover and getting trapped during an overseas coup, her career has taken her into some of the most dangerous environments on the planet. We talk about fear, corruption, Mexico’s current climate, the glamorization of crime, and the crimes that are happening in our own backyards. Are there truly bad people — or are we products of our environment? CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Intro 02:57 – Mariana Van Zeller is On a Different Level 05:30 – Like Trafficked, but More Detailed 07:01 – How Did You End Up Here? 09:01 – A Month After Moving to NY, 09/11 Happened 😳 11:05 – We Were the First Journalists Who Were Doing This Kind of Work 16:20 – Sometimes People Aren’t Ready for the Truth 18:38 – You’re Not Afraid to Be Aggressive 20:32 – I Go Undercover Too 23:56 – As Women We’re Often Underestimated… 25:51 – Is Your Husband Freaking Out? 27:43 – The Cartel Had Some Ground Rules 29:01 – What I Really Want to Be Remembered As Is - 29:37 – Do You Believe There Are Bad People? 31:53 – His Story Seemed Too Fake… 34:21 – What Are Your Thoughts on Mexico Right Now? 37:35 – Based On Your Experience, What Happens Now? 39:49 – “I Got It Back From a Dirty Cop” 40:35 – People Are Scared 42:26 – They Took El Chapo and Look What Happened 45:38 – Cartel Leaders Are So Glamorized Nowadays 47:13 – We Wanted to Interview El Chapo’s Mother 53:37 – There’s a Huge Sex Trafficking Problem in LA 56:02 – That Could’ve Been Really Horrible 59:36 – We Were Stuck In a Foreign Country with Incoming War 01:02:19 – Stuck in an African Coup 01:04:43 – What Do You Do For Fun? 01:07:57 – I Have Contraband in My Podcast Studio 01:08:48 – What’s Something You’ve Learned About Humanity? Keep up with Mariana! IG: @marianavz TikTok: @mariana_vanzeller Podcast: The Hidden Third While you’re here, follow the Poddy on all socials 🫶🏼 IG: @laplatica TikTok: @LaPlaticaPod Sebastian Robles - @ayyysebas Josh Leyva - @TheJoshLeyva RESOURCES FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IMMIGRATION INFORMATION Immigrant Legal Resource Center - https://www.ilrc.org/advanced-search?issues%5B0%5D=35&resource_type%5B0%5D=15&terms= National Immigration Law Center - https://www.instagram.com/nilc?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Barrio Drive - https://barriodrive.com/collections/daca-renewal-fund Immigrants Rising - https://www.instagram.com/immigrantsrising?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Attorney Kathleen Martinez - https://www.instagram.com/laabogadamartinez?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== PLATÍCANOS Tell us what you’re going through! https://forms.gle/adWU3tmFuHW8fYsd8 SALUD! Get 10% off your Salud with code LAPLATICA! Click the link below to get started https://tastesalud.com/pages/salud-la-platica
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“I Interviewed Cartel Leaders… Here’s What I Learned”
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