501: Ed Calderon | Survival Secrets of a Drug War Veteran Part Two

Corruption

Corruption within Mexican law enforcement is pervasive, with Ed Calderon estimating that around 30% of police officers are directly employed by cartel groups. He explains that different factions of law enforcement, such as local, state, and federal police, often work for rival cartels, leading to situations where they might even engage in gunfights with each other 1. Ed describes the challenges of being "in the pocket" of these cartels, where once a police officer accepts a bribe, they become entangled in a web of corruption that is nearly impossible to escape 2.

Just don't mess with my work and I won't mess with yours. And that's how things kind of rolled.

--- Ed Calderon

The systemic corruption is further exacerbated by the lack of accountability, as officers are often subjected to invasive checks to ensure loyalty, yet these measures do little to curb the influence of cartels.

   

Factional Violence

Factional violence is a grim reality in Mexico, where different law enforcement factions aligned with rival cartels often clash violently. Ed Calderon highlights instances where aircraft have been taken down by cartel forces, incidents often dismissed as accidents by the government 3. He urges listeners to research the suspicious deaths of high-ranking political figures in aerial accidents, suggesting that these are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of violence and cover-ups.

There's been a lot of aircraft taken down by cartel forces all over Mexico, and some of these have been covered up or being jotted off as aerial accidents.

--- Ed Calderon

This factional violence underscores the complex and dangerous interplay between cartels and law enforcement, where truth is often obscured by official narratives.