Retired DEA Agent Leo Silva has written a fascinating book titled "Reign of Terror" chronicling the rise and fall of Los Zetas.

In this Episode, Leo and I discuss his book, his career in the DEA, and his inside view of the ascendence of Los Zetas and the factors that lead to their demise. During our discussion, Leo shares personal insights revealing the enormous cost of the fight to bring down Los Zetas -- on both sides of the border.

One week after the election of Donald Trump, we are getting an idea of some of the policies his administration will adopt that likely will affect the US's relationship with Mexico and both countries' concerns with the cartels and drug trafficking.

In this Episode, I assess some of these potential policies of the next Trump administration and the emerging policies of the Scheinbaum administration. Specifically, I look at border policies in general, the potential designation of cartels as terrorist groups, economic policies, mass deportations, and a variety of political issues in Mexico.

Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno, aka El Azul, may not be the most known of the drug traffickers in Mexico's cartel history but he had one of the most interesting careers, which I discuss in this Episode.

Born in the same town as El Chapo, El Azul worked for the DFS, is credited as being a leader in the so-called Guadalajara Cartel, and was jailed for his involvement in the murder of Agent Kiki Camarena.

After his release from jail, El Azul worked in the Juarez Cartel alongside Amado Carrillo Fuentes, was said to be a consigliere to El Chapo, a friend of El Mayo, and a leader in CDS. Everywhere he went he was a negotiator and mediator, earning the monicker the "Peacemaker" from US investigators.

Finally, his reported death in 2014 remains shrouded in controversy, much like that of his former mentor Carillo Fuentes.