How Drug Smuggling For Mexican Cartels Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider

Jacob Diaz began working within Mexican drug trafficking networks at just 18 years old. After surviving a childhood of extreme poverty and being abandoned by his mother, he rose from a homeless teenager to a core operator running logistics and transit lines between Mexico and the United States. For seven years, Diaz managed complex smuggling operations, coordinated stash houses, and routed millions of dollars in cartel cash before a federal conspiracy conviction landed him in prison. Diaz speaks with Business Insider about the strict logistics of smuggling drugs and cash across the US-Mexico border, the strategic recruitment of drivers, and the realities of distributing cocaine. He details the friction of living a double life, the dangers of navigating Mexico's violent turf wars during the late 2000s, and the deep, lasting psychological toll of his early life. Following his release from federal prison in 2018, Diaz founded My Credit Builder Pros, a credit counseling and financial literacy business. To see more: https://www.instagram.com/mycreditbuilderpros/?hl=en Watch our complete collection of How Crime Works videos: https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLKfWL8IXgKBvBBTHJKbMXjGYOJ-EUHaEC?sbp=QAE%3D 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - The Smuggling 03:29 - The Logistics 09:16 - The Distribution 10:57 - The Recruitment 15:14 - The Lifestyle 17:20 - The Danger 19:56 - The Arrest 23:09 - The Fallout 25:54 - Prison 28:24 - The Aftermath 32:12 - The Backstory 38:04 - The Future 40:54 - Credits ------------------------------------------------------ #cartel #drugtrade #mexicancartels #howcrimeworks WATCH MORE: How Women's Maximum-Security Prisons Actually Work https://youtu.be/UIJ9Dh1gu8A How Opioid Pill Mills Actually Work https://youtu.be/Rnege9cgUyk How Drug Trafficking On Cargo Ships Actually Works https://youtu.be/DWPih6ZyvBo Insider is brought to you by Business Insider is a global newsroom covering business, technology, innovation, and the economy. Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: https://www.businessinsider.com/?utm_source=youtube Sign up for our newsletters: https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter?utm_source=youtube Find Business Insider on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider ... on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/businessinsider ... on X: https://x.com/BusinessInsider ... on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessinsider ... on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3VMNsySxP4XDSnEWqkrCGU?si=4da270e9c0174a20 How Drug Smuggling For Mexican Cartels Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider