Ioan Grillo

Pope Francis’ Drug War Riffs Keep Offending Mexico

First he warns of the impending ‘Mexicanization’ of Argentina. Then he says ‘the devil is punishing Mexico.’ ¿Qué pasa, Francisco?

Ioan Grillo
March 20th, 2015
By Ioan Grillo
March 20th, 2015
Pope Francis attends a special audience with the members of the UCIIM Catholic union of Italian secondary school teachers

In this picture made available by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis attends a special audience with the members of the UCIIM Catholic union of Italian secondary school teachers, in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Saturday, March 14, 2015. MEXICO CITY — Almost everyone seemed to love what Pope Francis had to

Read Full Article

US Marijuana Legalization Causing Illicit Mexican Pot To Decline

Less Mexican marijuana could be reducing homicides, and some spy a future of a legal cross-border trade.

Ioan Grillo
February 9th, 2015
By Ioan Grillo
February 9th, 2015

A vendor points out the variety of marijuana for sale Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP MEXICO CITY — As President Barack Obama trumpets that the United States economy is back on track, industry groups are shouting over who’s growing faster. The accounting sector boasted 2014 growth of 11 percent; computer systems of 14 percent; and real estate

Read Full Article

A Retired DEA Agent Dishes On His Years Spent Infiltrating Mexican And Colombian Cartels

GlobalPost interviews Mike Vigil, who spent longer than any other US anti-drug agent in Mexico and has a new book all about his time in the drug war.

Ioan Grillo
November 5th, 2014
By Ioan Grillo
November 5th, 2014
dea_vigil_chopper_2014_11_03

MEXICO CITY — Anti-drug agents are usually extremely cautious about spilling the beans on their secret world, which lies somewhere between espionage, police work and battlefield. But here’s a rare inside look, offered by a veteran of the drug war. Mike Vigil, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s former chief of international operations, served

Read Full Article

VIDEO: Protests Mushroom In Mexico Over Forced Disappearance Of 43 Students

A mayor, corrupt cops and narco gunmen are all implicated in the crime, which thousands of officers so far haven’t been able to solve.

Ioan Grillo
October 24th, 2014
By Ioan Grillo
October 24th, 2014
Mexico

Raw Feed: Students feared dead, families wait for news from GlobalPost on Vimeo. MEXICO CITY — The fathers of the disappeared students took to the stage one by one. They spoke of their sons’ hopes of becoming teachers, of the last time they saw them, of their agony in going almost a month with no news after they vanished. As one dad described

Read Full Article

Rick Perry’s Islamic State Remark Joins A List Of Mexican-border Terror Threat Claims

Here‘s a look at four major claims of faraway terrorism stirring in America’s southern frontier. In some of those cases, at least, officials actually attempted to provide evidence, with varying success.

Ioan Grillo
August 27th, 2014
By Ioan Grillo
August 27th, 2014
perry

MEXICO CITY — Hezbollah crossed from Tijuana into the United States. A member of Somali extremist group Al Shabaab was deported from Mexico. An Al Qaeda operative appeared in Honduras. The list of allegations runs on. When Texas Gov. Rick Perry said last week the Islamic State (IS) could have crossed over the Rio Grande, he sparked quick denials

Read Full Article