Zero, like the lens of the telescope through which you can observe the mirage of white gold, the best cocaine: 000.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
More than anyone else I would like to thank Federica Campana, who has followed this book since its inception, sacrificing her sleep and her free time. She has done it all with true passion. Her research and her analytical approach, her care and her competence have enabled ZeroZeroZero to grow with each new edition in every country in which it has been published. I thank her for her dedication and commitment to this work, which were contagious. Collaborators like her are a precious gift; they are what every writer would hope to find in his path: an indispensable ally, a fresh pair of eyes, another heart beating on each story, two more lungs breathing among the same horrifying mechanisms that make you lose your sleep and your faith in the world. I thank her for the work she has done on the language of the book: wherever ZeroZeroZero goes, and even though many readers will read it in translation, it has lost none of its original vision, nor seen its spirit diluted.
• • •
I would like to thank Penguin Press for believing in this ambitious project. Thanks to Andrew Wylie for our conversations and for the stories only he knows and reveals. Thanks to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Stefano Albertini, Roberta Garbarini-Philippe, and Annalisa Liuzzo for making me feel at home in New York when I didn’t know anything or anyone and when I needed everything, above all advice and tranquillity. Thanks to Rocco Castoro and Professor Gaetana Marrone for appreciating my work. Thanks to Vice and Shane Smith for welcoming my writing and paying heed to my projects. Thanks to Eddy Moretti for loving these stories when I told him about them.
I thank Helena Janeczek, who gave me her advice on literary structure.
I thank Carlo Buga, who dove headlong into this intricate mass of stories and helped me find a guiding light among hundreds of pages. Thanks to Gianluca Foglia, a fierce and determined editor.
To the Carabinieri, the police, the Finance Guard, the ROS, the GICO, the SCO, the DIA, and the DDA of Rome, Naples, Milan, Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro, and all the ones I forgot to mention here, I am extraordinarily grateful for allowing me to read, study, and sometimes experience firsthand their investigations and operations: Alga, Box, Caucedo, Crimine-Infinito, Decollo, Decollo Bis, Decollo Money, Decollo Ter, Dinero, Dionisio, Due Torri Connection, Flowers 2, Galloway-Tiburon, Golden Jail, Green Park, Igres, Magna Charta, Maleta 2006, Meta 2010, Notte bianca, Overloading, Pollicino, Pret à porter, Puma 2007, Revolution, Solare, Tamanaco, Tiro grosso, White 2007, White City.
Thanks to the DEA, the FBI, the Guardia Civil, the Mossos d’Esquadra, Scotland Yard, the French Gendarmerie Nationale, Interpol, the Brazilian Polícia Civil, some members of the Mexican Policía Federal, some members of the Colombian Policía Nacional, some members of the Russian Policija, who have accompanied me in their investigations and operations: Cabana, Cornerstone, Dark Waters, Delfín blanco, Leyenda, Limpieza, Millennium, Omni Presence, Padrino, Pier Pressure, Processo 8000, Project Colisée, Project Coronado, Russiagate, Reckoning, Relentless, SharQC 2009, Sword, Xcellerator.
My gratitude goes to all the magistrates I’ve studied and spoken with for all these years. There are many things I could not have discovered without them.
Thanks to my friends Lydia Cacho, Anabel Hernández, and Diego Osorno, who have made a “Mexican” of me over the years. Thanks to Glenda Martínez, Malcolm Beith, Christophe Champin, Yoani Sánchez for their opinions and their commitment. I am grateful for Robert Friedman’s vision, Misha Glenny’s intelligence, and Ricardo Ravelo’s analytical talent. Thanks to Peppe d’Avanzo; we’d started talking about this book, but as cruel fate would have it, we will never be able to do so again.
Many thanks to the New York police agent AdN. He knows why.
Thanks to Mark Bray, Valeria Castelli, and the Occupy Wall Street guys, who taught me so much.
Thanks to Kim Ziegler and Rachel Love for their guidance with my English.
Thanks to Bono Vox for listening to these stories when I was still wound up in them and for his lifelong open invitation to U2 concerts.
I thank Salman Rushdie, who taught me how to be free even when surrounded by seven armed bodyguards.
I thank Nouriel Roubini, who endured my South American stories one endless night and with whom I talked too much about finance and crime.
Thanks to my followers on Facebook and Twitter: thousands of people who’ve held my sense of loneliness at bay and made me feel like I was out talking to people even when I wasn’t.
Thanks to Sasha Polakow Suransky and The New York Times, who allowed me to talk about how the drug trade affected the economic crisis when everyone else was treating it as a marginal issue.
Thanks to David Dannon, who made me another person for six months, free and almost happy.
I thank all the people of the Arma dei Carabinieri who manage my life.
Thanks to Manuela De Caro, always with me, at all times and all costs.
Thanks to my family; I can never forgive myself for the high price they are paying because of me. These lines of thanks will not suffice. This, I know.
And I thank you, American readers, for embracing my stories in your welcoming land. Thank you because, by reading these words, you will make them dangerous. Criminal organizations do not fear writers; they fear readers.
—Roberto Saviano
Angelo De Gennaro, gifted teacher of Italian language and culture, advised and inspired me on nearly every page.
Fellow translator Ann McGarrell buoyed me with her wry wisdom.
Patricia Caprotti, Rita Fabbrizio, Paola Inzillo, Gianni Marizza, Marinetta Piva, and Leonardo Venturini fielded a vast array of questions.
Daniel Jewiss, police officer and soldier, offered his expertise and encouragement.
My editor, Scott Moyers, provided perspective and a sense of humor.
My warmest thanks for their generosity, meticulousness, and patience.
—Virginia Jewiss, translator
INDEX
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. To find the corresponding locations in the text of this digital version, please use the “search” function on your e-reader. Note that not all terms may be searchable.
Acapulco summit (1989), 29–31, 34, 57–60
acetone, 75, 113, 118
ACP Bank, 226
active cuts, 118
Adams, Barton, 253
Adelaide, Australia, 194
Adriano restaurant, 222, 226, 236
Aegadian Islands, 230, 234
Afghan War, 269
Africa, 52, 74, 180, 187, 219, 233–34, 254–55, 291, 292, 297, 309, 312–25
Agata (sniffer dog), 345
Agencia Federal de Investigación (AFI), Mexican, 100–101, 365
Agua Prieta, Mexico, 40
Aguilar Guajardo, Rafael, 44
Águilas Negras (Black Eagles), 165
AK-47 assault rifles, 93, 100
alcohol, 376
Aldana Ibarra, Miguel, 32
Alexandra (trawler), 180
Algeciras, Spain, 306–7
alkaloids, 113–14
Almeida, Juan, 280, 281–82
Almenno San Bartolomeo, Italy, 211–12
Almond-flavored cocaine, 118
aluminum, 332
Alvarado, Gonzalo de, 88
Álvarez Vázquez, Gerardo (El Indio), 50
Amati, Lucio, 199
Amazon River, 295
ammonia, 113, 118
Amnesty International, 71, 89
amphetamines, 39, 118
Amsterdam, 234–36, 308, 313, 334
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, 313, 314
Andean folk paintings, 327
angel dust, 113
Ángel Miguel (former Kaibil
soldier), 85–90, 91
Angola, 322
Antilles, 225, 291, 300, 312, 313–14
Antimafia District Directorate (DDA), Italian, 168, 185–86, 198, 202, 205, 236, 237, 298, 300, 305, 335
Anti-Mafia Investigations Directorate (DIA), Italian, 305
Antuna García, Bladimir, 367–70
Antwerp, 291
Arbat International, 268, 277–78
Areiza, Marco Aurelio, 153–54
Arellano Félix brothers, 30
Arigon Ltd., 268, 277–78
Arizona, 53, 290
arms trafficking, 222, 272, 273, 282, 283
Army Co-op, 272
Arzola, Martín (El 53), 67
Arzú, Álvaro, 83
Aspromonte, Italy, 193, 210, 215, 341
Assange, Julian, 287
Associated Press (AP), 46, 54
Association of Middle Magdalena Ranchers and Farmers (ACDEGAM), 138
Atrium Hotel, 270
Aulla, Italy, 302
Australia, 179, 182, 193–95
Autodefensas Campesinas de Córdoba y Urabá (Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá), 141–42, 152
Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) (AUC), 152–59, 160–66, 174, 176, 184–88, 191–92
Averin, Viktor, 268, 276–77
Averin, Ljudmila, 276–77
Avesani, Massimiliano (the Prince), 234, 237, 239, 240
Ávila Beltrán, Sandra (la Reina; Queen of the Pacific), 362–66
Avilés Pérez, Pedro, 39
Awainatt, Mohamed Ould, 321
Ayala, Jorge (Riverito), 362
Ayala, Ramón, 49
Babushka restaurant, 280
Baldomero Medina Garza, Hugo, 59
Balearic Isles, 299
bananas, 309, 310, 329, 335
Banca di credito cooperativo di Ospedaletto, 251–52
Banca di Roma, 251–52
Banco de los Trabajadores, 129
Banda della Magliana, 225–26, 227
Banev, Evelin, 298
Bank of America, 252–53
Bank of New York, 250–52, 271
Barba (Beard) (drug trafficker), 230
Barbieri, Vincenzo (U Ragioniere), 175–76, 177, 182–83, 192, 194–96, 198, 199, 200
Barcelona, 331
Barranquilla, Colombia, 179, 233
Barrón Hernández, Eliseo, 369
“bases,” 115–16, 119
Basques, 184
basuco coke, 112
BBC, 284, 286
Beirut, Lebanon, 254–55
Belgium, 291, 333–34
Bellavia (ship), 334
Bellocco family, 202–3 298
Beltrán Leyva, Alfredo (El Mochomo), 47–48
Beltrán Leyva, Arturo (El Barbas), 42, 48–49
Beltrán Leyva, Héctor (El H), 50
Beltrán Leyva family, 42, 49–51
Benex Worldwide, 250–52
Bergamo, Italy, 219
Berlin, Peter, 250–52
Berlin Wall, 270, 276
Berlusconi, Silvio, 170
Bernal, Alejandro, 158
Betancourt, Ingrid, 155
Bianchi brothers, 136–37
Birbragher, Fernando, 280
Black and White Clubs, 268–69, 275–76, 277
“black poison,” 38
Blair, Tony, 132
Blanco, Griselda (Godmother; Queen of Cocaine; Black Widow), 53, 357–62
Blaus VII (sailboat), 297–98, 299
Bloque Catatumbo, 152–54
Bogotá, 128, 137, 154, 173–74, 188, 191, 230, 238
Bolívar Moreno, Gustavo, 135
Bologna, Italy, 196, 197, 199
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 154
Boss (sniffer dog), 345
“bourgeois pushers,” 115–17, 119, 123–24, 210–11, 297
Boyaco (drug trafficker), 189
Braun, Michael, 63
Bravo, Alberto, 358–59
Brazil, 180, 202, 291, 307, 322, 332, 333, 334
Brembate di Sopra, Italy, 213, 237
Brežnev, Leonid, 265
Brindisi, Italy, 226
Brownsville, Tex., 57, 58
Bruzzese, Joseph, 203
Bubo Na Tchuto, José Américo, 316
Budapest, 269–70, 271, 272, 278
Buenrostro Quiroz, Mario, 62
Bumbaca, Francesco, 218, 238
Bush, George W., 156, 242
Butterfly (cocaine addict), 121–22
Buzos, 369
Caacupe-mí, Paraguay, 334
Calabria, Italy, 131, 164, 168–206, 210, 213–14, 217, 229, 233, 239, 247, 302, 330, 335, 341
Cala Palma (ship), 327
Calderón, Felipe, 62, 64, 65, 70, 71, 95
Calexico, Calif., 33–34
Cali cartel, 20–21, 33, 129, 130, 131, 132, 142, 151, 152, 170, 176, 188, 189, 223, 256, 273, 280, 295
Camarena Salazar, Enrique (Kiki), 19–34
Camarena, Geneva (Mika), 24, 26
Camberos Rivera, Francisco (El Chito), 41
Camorra, 170, 217, 231, 264, 296–97, 339, 344, 346
campesinos (peasants), 25, 62, 130, 137, 156
Canada, 194, 213–14, 276–77
Canary Islands, 180
Cancún, Mexico, 66–67, 190, 280
Cape Verde, 321
capitalism, 126, 128, 129–32, 241–42, 255–57, 377
Capone, Al, 259, 286
Carabinieri, 178, 187, 188, 191, 202, 219, 238, 298, 329, 331, 333, 335–36, 344, 346
Caracas, Venezuela, 179, 220, 330
Caradec’h, Jean-Michel, 350
Caratelli, Ovidio, 346
car bombs, 46, 128, 144, 272, 273, 368
Cárdenas Guillén, Antonio Ezequiel (Tony Tormenta), 60–61
Cárdenas Guillén, Homero (El Majadero), 61
Cárdenas Guillén, Osiel (El Mata Amigos; Friend Killer), 57–61, 91–92, 93, 94, 97, 185, 296
Caribbean islands, 74, 114, 226, 283, 291, 293, 297, 298, 335
Caro Quintero, Miguel, 30
Caro Quintero, Rafael, 20, 22, 23–24, 27, 31–32, 39
Carrà, Raffaella, 239
Carrillo Fuentes, Amado (El Señor de los Cielos; Lord of the Skies), 43, 44–46, 47, 159
Carrillo Fuentes, Rodolfo, 43
Carrillo Fuentes, Vicente (the Viceroy), 43, 46–47, 60
Carrillo Fuentes family, 30, 43–47, 60
Carrillo Leyva, Vicente, 44
Carrizales, Juan Francisco (El 98), 61
Casablanca, 323–24
casas de cambio (currency exchange agencies), 243–46
Case Celesti neighborhood, 346
Cassa Rurale e Artigiana Bank, 226
Castaño, Carlos, 142–43, 152, 153, 159, 160, 162–63, 189
Castaño, Fidel, 163
Castaño, Vicente, 163, 165
Castaño brothers, 142–43, 152
Castañon, Paulina, 255–57
Castel San Pietro, Italy, 197
Catenacci, Domenico, 222
Cat’s Piss cocaine, 118
Cattelan, Fabio, 298–99
Cattelan, Lucio, 298–99
Cayman Islands, 250, 256
Ceiba speciosa tree, 329
cell phones, 123, 223–24, 228–30, 234–35
Central America, 158–59, 283, 296, 304
Central Office for the Suppression of Illicit Drugs Trafficking, French, 315
Cesano Boscone, Italy, 336
Cessna aircraft, 44, 317, 322
Chalk cocaine, 118
Channel
Islands, 277, 278
Chara Bank, 274
Chechens, 261–62
checkerboard logo, 302, 303
Chica Med, 135
Chinese ideograms, 303–4
Cianfa di Cavallo drug market, 340
Ciconte, Nicola, 179, 193–95, 254
Ciola, Pasquale, 222, 226, 236
Ciotti, Luigi, 204
Ciro (sniffer dog), 345
Citibank London, 256
Citibank Mexico, 256
Citibank Switzerland, 256
Cititrust, 256
City of London, 250, 254
Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, 243
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, 30, 43, 44, 46–47, 60, 98, 127, 341
Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, 100
Civil Guard, Spanish, 331
Civitavecchia, Italy, 345
“clean loads,” 306, 307
Clinton, Bill, 132, 154
Coca-Cola, 263–64, 311
cocaine:
addiction to, 117–22, 158
air transport of, 190–91, 198, 202, 218, 243–45, 281–82, 290, 294, 308, 312–25, 330, 345, 346, 359
arrests and imprisonment for, 62, 115–16, 165, 213, 216, 219–22, 226–27, 236, 237–40, 255–57
as asset, 73–77, 185–86
auto shipments of, 289–90, 292–93, 302
banks used for, 222–26, 241, 247–52
blocks of, 230–31, 301–4, 331, 334
brain function and, 35–36, 113–14, 120
capital for, 210–11, 220, 247–57
capsules of, 313–25
cartels for, 30–33, 38, 75–77, 125–27, 273, 294, 302; see also specific cartels
coded transactions in, 218, 228–29, 234–35
crack, 113, 120
cut or stepped, 118–19, 182, 230–31
dealers for, 112–24
distribution of, 22, 30–33, 58, 115–16, 119, 120
economic influence of, 119, 126, 128, 129–32, 142–43, 210–40, 247–49
effects and usage of, 1–4, 13, 35–36, 46, 112–24, 158
entrepreneurship in, 210–40
European market for, 180, 186, 209, 218, 231, 254, 290, 291, 292, 298, 302, 306–8, 314–25
freebase, 113, 120
front operations for, 129–30, 236–37, 251–53, 276–78
grades of, 112–14, 117–18, 207–9, 235, 378
health effects of, 119–22
heroin and, 213, 215–16, 221
international markets for, 210–40
legalization of, 376–77