Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
Driving through cartel-controlled territory in a beat-up rental car, 鈥淧edro鈥 is more nervous than I would like. He鈥檚 gripping the wheel and rapid-fire explaining in Spanish that this is dangerous, he can't guarantee our safety, and "oh, by the way," he asks, "do you have bulletproof vests?"
Cameraman Jerry Vienneau and I are in the backseat. We look at each other and laugh. "He鈥檚 asking us about body armour? Now?" In whispers, we debate whether to send "I love you" texts to our kids. We decide not to; it might make them worry unnecessarily.
Pedro is the middleman between our W5 crew and one of the most brutal cartels in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by their Spanish acronym, CJNG (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generaci贸n).
They have unleashed very public displays of violence to gain control of huge swaths of Michoac谩n state in western Mexico: beheadings, acid baths, videotaped torture, hanging bodies from bridges. And they are armed with military-grade weaponry: drone bombs, landmines, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, homemade armoured tanks that they call 鈥榤onsters.鈥
Everything I know about this cartel is rattling around in my head as Pedro drives us into the mountains to meet the commander of a cell of CJNG hitmen, known in Spanish as sicarios.
We are working on a documentary about CJNG muscling its way into this region and the impact it鈥檚 having on the US$3-billion-a-year avocado industry. Michoac谩n state supplies 95 per cent of the avocados on Canadian store shelves.
Before leaving Canada, we were told not to bring body armour, because it would increase our visibility. Instead, a security company in Mexico is tracking us, through an app on our phones, and has prepared an extraction plan if things go south.
As Pedro drives us further into CJNG-controlled territory, my heart sinks a little when the signal bars on my phone disappear. We鈥檝e moved into a region without cell service. We have an emergency satellite phone but the security company can no longer track us.
The cartel monitors our every move. (W5)
The cartel, however, is monitoring our every move. Pedro tells us that hundreds of eyes will be on us as we drive through invisible CJNG security perimeters. They want to make sure we aren鈥檛 being followed by the police or the military.
After about 20 minutes of driving, Pedro pulls off onto a smaller road, in a hamlet in the middle of nowhere, and tells us to get out of the car. We need to wait for permission to continue further up into the mountains.
Sitting on the curb beside the car, the cartel lookouts become more obvious. Up on the hill across from where we are parked, a man speaks into a satellite phone, looking down at us. A guy on a motorcycle pulls up behind our car and watches us for about 15 minutes. For some reason, I think I should pretend not to notice and so I keep my back to him. A white pickup truck slowly drives past. Once. Twice. Another truck drives by, this time with armed men standing in the back.
I can tell Pedro is getting worried about how much time has passed without direct contact. I鈥檓 starting to get concerned, too. My fear? That the narcos might be a no-show. This is an interview that was previously called off at the last minute. About two months earlier, we were supposed to meet the CJNG commander, but we returned to Toronto empty-handed. Spies for the cartel had sent him photos of our crew interviewing Michoac谩n鈥檚 top cop and he was convinced that we were trying to get him arrested as part of our documentary.
For weeks, Pedro has been relaying messages from me in Toronto to the cartel commander, explaining that I just want to hear his side of the avocado story. Near the end of my Christmas vacation, he changed his mind and agreed to meet me.
Arranging an interview with a narco is tricky business and, on such short notice, we can鈥檛 find an interpreter who will agree to make the trip with us. That鈥檚 why, with Jerry and me in the backseat and Pedro driving, the front seat is occupied by my wife, a doctor with vast amounts of conflict zone experience, who also happens to be fluent in Spanish.
As we wait by the car, Jerry, Mel and I pass the time listing the hot zones where our collective work has taken us: Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Burma/Myanmar, North Korea, Haiti, Uganda, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali. Each had its own unique set of potential dangers. Jerry and I have interviewed on the Sinaloa cartel in Cancun. But this is different. We aren鈥檛 in a bustling tourist destination. We are in an isolated region of the cartel heartland.
We are comforted by the fact that we have been invited by CJNG into their territory and know that our only real danger is getting caught in the crossfire of skirmishes with rival cartels.
Some of the armed, masked men protecting their leader, at a concrete structure overlooking an avocado plantation. (W5)
After about two hours of waiting -- and trying not to feel like sitting ducks -- a rickety old car pulls up. The driver jumps out and approaches with a heavily-armed man at his side. Brief introductions are made and we are directed to follow them to, of all places, an avocado orchard.
We follow their speeding vehicle up the mountain as the road narrows and the potholes widen. Eventually, we aren鈥檛 on the road at all, but driving in the orchard, veering around avocado trees until we get to a dilapidated concrete structure that overlooks the avocado plantation below.
'WE WON'T HARM ANYONE'
We are greeted by about a dozen masked men who are armed to the teeth. They have loaded assault rifles slung across their chests. One proudly shows off his shiny silver grenade launcher.
One of the masked men showing off his grenade launcher. (W5)
Jerry has to move fast to set up three cameras for our interview. We don鈥檛 know how long they will give us. We also don鈥檛 want to be driving out of this area in the dark. While some of the sicarios are on lookout duty during our interview, the rest flank their commander. It is more surreal than it is frightening.
I鈥檝e done so much research on these purveyors of terror that it鈥檚 hard to reconcile what I know with what the commander is telling me. Standing across from him, looking into his eyes, he earnestly explains that CJNG is 鈥渕isunderstood.鈥
He explains that they are just trying to 鈥渃lean up鈥 the area, that they are being unfairly targeted by the military and the government, and that they don鈥檛 do bad things to good people.
鈥淲e won't harm anyone. Except for those that deserve it. If you deserve it, you better hide because we will come with all we got.鈥
When the interview ends, the sicarios take off their masks to smoke. I find out that some are just teenagers. One is so young he still has braces on his teeth.
As we start packing up, I grab one of Jerry鈥檚 heavy equipment cases and start lugging it down to our car. The sicarios jump up to help me and take it from my hands. It鈥檚 a jarringly chivalrous gesture amidst a group of men who live by a very different set of rules.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here鈥檚 what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas 鈥 and lately, that鈥檚 in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
鈥楾icking time bomb鈥: Those who raised suspicions about Trump suspect question if enough was done
The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
How to win the fight with kids over phone use
The end of the day 鈥 when school, extracurricular activities and homework are (hopefully) finally done 鈥 is the window that many kids have for downtime. It can be a struggle to convince them not to go on their phones.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former U.S. president Donald Trump on Oct. 23.
Tattoos are becoming more common in today's society and, as a result, appear to be more acceptable in the workplace than they used to be.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder 鈥 it鈥檚 a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
The small-town Ontario woman caught in Harrods sexual assault 'coverup'
An Ontario woman is among the dozens of people who have come forward to allege that they were sexually abused by London-based businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former chairman and owner of Harrods.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.