I Was a DEA Agent Inside Mexico — Here's the Truth About Cartels Nobody Tells You | Leo Silva

Leo Silva grew up in Texas, was recruited into the DEA at just 22 years old, and spent the next 28 years on the front lines of America's war on drugs — starting with undercover operations in Texas before being stationed in Monterrey Mexico as Resident Agent in Charge where he built cases against the Gulf Cartel and the infamous Los Zetas and eventually rose to Special Agent in Charge. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what hunting cartels from the inside of Mexico really looked like — the undercover buys the high stakes operations the cartel violence and the bureaucracy that most people on the outside never hear about. He also breaks down how cartels have evolved over nearly three decades how Los Zetas changed everything about cartel violence and what the real truth about the war on drugs looks like from the person who lived it on the front lines for 28 years.

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#cops #cartels #truecrimestories

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Connect with Leo Silva:

https://leosilvaauthor.com/

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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en

https://ianbick.com/

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Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Leo Silva: DEA Agent's Story

01:18 Growing Up on the Border

02:18 Early Encounters With Cartel Culture

03:32 Choosing DEA Over Teaching

05:03 Training, Family Reactions, and Joining DEA

07:07 First Assignment in Texas

08:18 Undercover Work & Street Smarts

09:55 DEA Training vs. Real-World Experience

12:22 Being a Young Undercover Agent

14:04 Cartel Connections and Local Targets

17:44 Violence and Danger Along the Border

18:56 Cases, Informants, and Prosecution

21:14 Experiencing the Drug Trade Firsthand

24:47 Wiretaps and Changing Technology

27:14 Big Undercover Operations

29:20 Handling Risk and Mental Toll

32:08 Life as a DEA Agent in Texas

36:42 Transferring to Mexico: Bigger Targets

41:09 Adapting to Work in Mexico

44:00 Operations Against Zetas and Cartel Wars

48:19 Cartels, Corruption, and Survival

52:51 Cartel Violence and Evolution

57:08 Prioritizing Cases & Supervisory Challenges

01:01:17 Mexico Operations, Leadership, and Cartel Dynamics

01:07:59 Cartel Power, Money, and Tactics

01:12:00 Personal Toll, Stress & Burnout

01:17:21 Darkest Moments: Loss and Violence

01:19:44 Justice, Reforms & Mexico's Future

01:21:26 Retirement, Recovery, and Life After DEA

01:24:42 Reflections, Writing, and Final Thoughts

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