logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
15 m

The dark but luxurious life of El Chapo’...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Thousands of people - including politicians, students and journalists - are killed in drug cartel violence in Mexico every year.

One of the biggest cartels is Sinaloa. Joaquín "El Chapo” Guzmán led the cartel until he was jailed in 2019. He’s currently serving a life sentence. His wife, Emma Coronel, has been released from a three year jail term after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. But how involved was she and how did she reach ‘narco queen’ status?

Blaire Toedte, a BBC reporter in Miami, tells us about Emma Coronel’s involvement in cartel crime, her ‘buchona’ style, and the impact drug cartel violence has around the world.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart and Alex Rhodes Producers: Emily Horler, Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Up next
Yesterday
What Is El Niño? And why it could cause chaos this year
New forecasts show that the developing El Niño in the tropical Pacific Ocean could be one of the strongest on record. The weather phenomenon could be so strong, scientists and the UN are describing it as a “Super El Niño” or “Godzilla El Niño.” And with that comes warnings of rec ... Show More
10m 26s
Jun 1
Is the manosphere growing in Kenya and Mexico?
Influencers like Andrew Tate popularised the so-called manosphere — the network of websites, forums and social media influencers that promote "traditional" masculinity. In their thinking, men hold a dominant role in a relationship and women are subservient. BBC World Service Disi ... Show More
11m 47s
May 29
Why more women in China are buying men’s clothes
Some women in China are unhappy with how brands are making women’s clothing. Posts on the social media site Xiaohongshu show just how awkward the sizing can be. A video of a tiny dog squeezed into a size L women top went viral as proof that brands label tiny clothes as much bigge ... Show More
10m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Episode 267: Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo', his legacy and the Sinaloa cartel
He is locked up in a Colorado jail with some of the world’s most notorious prisoners, but the legacy of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman lives on in a never ending cycle of violence and corruption in Mexico.Since his incarceration his Sinaloa Cartel has continued to flood the US with drug ... Show More
54m 8s
Jan 2024
El Chapo: Cocaine kingpin
The story of Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, better known as El Chapo, the leader of one of the world’s most prolific, violent and powerful drug cartels.BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow El Chapo from childhood in the Mexican moun ... Show More
50m 48s
Apr 2024
How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
<p><i>Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence.</i></p><p>A massive scam targeting older Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.</p><p>Maria Abi-Habib, an investigative correspondent for The Times, tell ... Show More
33m 52s
Nov 2021
Pure Narco - Inside The Medellin Drug Cartel
Luis Navia spent 25 years working as a cocaine trafficker for the deadliest Columbian and Mexican cartels, including Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel, before his arrest in Venezuela in 2000. And now Luis Navia, with some help from journalist Jesse Fink, has written a book, “Pure N ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 2021
Why Mexico Is Suing U.S. Gunmakers
<p>For years, Mexico has been gripped by horrific violence as drug cartels battle each other and kill civilians. In the last 15 years alone, homicides have tripled. The violence, the Mexican government says, is fueled, in part, by American guns. </p><p>Now Mexico is bringing a la ... Show More
23m 21s
Feb 2021
‘Please, Give Me Back My Daughter’
<p>When her daughter Karen was kidnapped in 2014, Miriam Rodríguez knew the Zetas, a cartel that ran organized crime in her town of San Fernando, Mexico, were responsible.</p><p>From the hopelessness that her daughter may never return came resolve: She vowed to find all those res ... Show More
31m 1s