Drug Cartels Do Not Exist

Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture is a 2022 non-fiction book by Oswaldo Zavala. The book rejects the cartel label commonly given to those working in the Mexican narcotics trade.

Publication
The book was written by Oswaldo Zavala, a Mexican journalist and a professor of Latin American Literature and Culture at the City University of New York.

In 2018, the book was published in Barcelona by Malpaso as ''Los cárteles no existen. Narcotráfico y cultura en México.''

In 2022, it was translated by William Savinar as Drug Cartels Do Not Exist.

The 193-page English language version was published by Vanderbilt University Press.

Synopsis
In the book, Zavala argues that participants in the Mexican narcotics trade have been labeled as cartel operators to cast them in a violent and organized perspective, to justify a militarised response by Mexican and U.S. authorities. Zavala points out that drug traders do not meet the definition of a cartel, as the rival criminal enterprises compete against each other in a competitive marketplace. He argues that groups also do not have the hierarchal structure or significant level of power that a cartel would hold. Zavala blames the government of Mexico for the incorrect use of the cartel label and that the term has become ubiquitous in journalism, literature, and academia. He calls for a critical examination of the use of the word cartel and reflection on how using the word helps perpetuate the perception that the drug trade in Mexico is a war and a crisis that warrants a military response.

Critical reception
Osiris Aníbal Gómez of the University of Minnesota described the book as "a defiant investigation", "a rigorous research effort" and "an act of hope."