How Killing Cartel Kingpins Backfires: Fragmentation, Violence, and Chaos
June 12, 2025
25 min
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Episode 8 · June 12, 2025
How Killing Cartel Kingpins Backfires: Fragmentation, Violence, and Chaos
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Katarina Szulc Episodes Around June 12, 2025
Episode 9 of 69 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
How Killing Cartel Kingpins Backfires: Fragmentation, Violence, and Chaos
Summary
In this episode of Borderland: Dispatches, Katarina examines the long-running “kingpin strategy” used by the U.S. and Mexican governments to dismantle drug cartels by targeting their top leaders. Drawing on case studies from major criminal organizations, she outlines how this approach often leads to the fragmentation of cartels, the rise of rival factions, and increased violence. The episode explores the operational logic behind the strategy, its historical outcomes, and why some experts argue it may be counterproductive.
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