She Went Inside El Mencho's World | This Is What She Found

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, we sit down with Katarina Szulc, one of the leading independent reporters covering Mexican cartels, cartel violence, CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel, El Mencho, El Chapo’s family, fentanyl trafficking, and the criminal underworld along the U.S.–Mexico border. Katarina breaks down her reporting on El Mencho, the powerful CJNG cartel leader, and explains what she saw after traveling directly into cartel territory. From the reported final hideout of El Mencho to the power struggles inside Mexico’s cartel world, this conversation gives a raw and detailed look at stories most mainstream media never fully explains. This episode also covers the rise of CJNG, the influence of the Valencia family / Los Cuinis, the ongoing conflict between CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel, the role of El Chapo’s sons / Los Chapitos, the fentanyl pipeline, cartel links to China, cartel operations in Canada and Mexico, and how U.S. law enforcement is changing its approach to cartel cases. If you follow true crime, cartel news, drug trafficking, organized crime, criminal justice, border security, fentanyl trafficking, Mexican cartels, CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel, El Mencho, El Chapo, or real crime stories, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. In this episode, we discuss: Katarina Szulc’s reporting inside cartel territory The truth behind El Mencho and CJNG The power structure of the Sinaloa Cartel El Chapo’s family and Los Chapitos The cartel war between CJNG and Sinaloa How fentanyl trafficking changed organized crime China’s role in the fentanyl supply chain U.S. cartel investigations and terrorism charges Border security, cartel routes, and criminal networks Why Mexican cartel stories are more complex than the headlines This is a raw, unfiltered conversation about the reality of Mexico’s cartel world, the people who report on it, and the criminal organizations shaping modern drug trafficking across North America. Chapters 0:00 Intro: El Mencho, Cartel Reporting & Mexico’s Criminal Underworld 3:13 How Katarina Became a Cartel Reporter 8:15 CJNG, El Mencho & the Rise of Mexico’s Most Powerful Cartel 18:00 El Chapo, Los Chapitos & the Future of the Sinaloa Cartel 24:10 China, Fentanyl & the New Drug Trafficking Pipeline 34:00 CJNG, Sinaloa & the Changing Cartel Alliances 42:30 Katarina Travels to Mexico After the El Mencho Story Breaks 48:15 Inside Tapalpa: El Mencho’s Final Hideout 52:00 Entering El Mencho’s Residence and the Open Crime Scene 58:30 Bullet Casings, Missing Evidence & Questions About the Official Story 1:08:00 El Mencho’s Background, Family & Cartel Legacy 1:14:10 Border Corruption, Smuggling Routes & Human Trafficking 1:33:45 Close Calls Reporting in Cartel Territory 1:48:20 Journalism, Legacy & Giving Victims a Voice 📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest: 👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest 👕Honor Among Thieves Merch👇 https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/ 🔗 Links👇👇👇 📸 Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ 📸 Katarina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/katarinaszulc/ 💎 Sponsors NordVPN Use Promo Code MONTANA https://bit.ly/honorvpn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices