I Don’t Need to Watch Narcos

Summary

The author, a former counternarcotics worker, finds that watching "Narcos" does not provide new insights or a beneficial perspective, given his past experiences and current focus on academia.

Abstract

After spending time in Tijuana and considering whether to watch "Narcos" to reconnect with his past in counternarcotics, the author decides that the show only brings discomfort. It resurfaces old feelings of paranoia and fear that he has moved past during his four years in a PhD program. The show's portrayal of DEA agents' cowboy lifestyles and the focus on drug trafficking reminds him of the futility and distractions of counternarcotics efforts, which he has already contemplated extensively. Despite understanding the importance of homeland security, he concludes that engaging with the show does not serve a purpose for him, as he prefers to cherish his peaceful experiences, like a beach trip with a friend, without dwelling on the violent realities of drug trafficking that he is all too familiar with.

Opinions

The author feels that "Narcos" fails to offer new reflections or considerations on the drug scene and its history, which he has already deeply understood through his professional experience.
Watching the show made the author uncomfortable, as it brought back memories of the paranoia and fear associated with his previous line of work.
He recognizes the risks and the "cowboy life" DEA agents lead but also sees their actions as reactionary and sometimes lacking in caution.
The author reflects on the inefficiency of counternarcotics efforts, noting that for every drug bust, more drugs slip through due to distraction.
He is critical of the passion surrounding drug busts, considering the widespread impact and damage caused by the focus on drug trafficking, which is primarily driven by America's drug consumption problem.
The author believes that while security efforts are necessary, the show "Narcos" does not add value to his life or understanding of the situation, given his extensive experience and reflection on the topic.

I Don’t Need to Watch Narcos

After a trip to Tijuana, I thought that maybe I should catch up on Narcos. I had worked counternarcotics for quite a while in my past, maybe seven years total, so not an entire career, but a decent amount of time on the topic. However, the last four years, I switched to focus on a PhD program. I thought maybe watching would refresh me on the scene and its history. A little deeper thought on the topic, new reflections, or considerations that I needed, perhaps? Perhaps a nice way to engage with something familiar.

All the show gave me was discomfort. I had grown so much in the last four years, away from the doom and gloom, the slight paranoia, and mostly, away from the fear. Not that I was doing anything super amazing in my last line of work, but there was a lingering thought of being of interest for something or to someone, just based on the organizations with which I was affiliated. It wasn’t strong and it didn’t stop me from traveling or surfing all over the world. I knew I wasn’t high value or having access to much of interest, but it was present. Kind of this unknown if anyone knew or cared about you, I usually assumed not.

In the show, I watched the DEA agents and thought of the people I had worked with through JIATF-S, knowing the agents were living a cowboy life in Colombia, dealing with their own risks, yet often throwing caution to the wind, reacting to what was provoking a reaction.

I thought of the focus on the drug trafficking, the attempt to connect who was who, and the constant idea that we were missing the important stuff. The idea that for every busted drug load, there were more going by, as we were distracted. I thought of the big picture, of how there were people super passionate about countering the drug trafficking, celebrating busts, feeling accomplished, and the damage going on in these other regions of the world, the police and military groups built and focused on this issue, all because the US has a drug consumption problem. I had already had these thoughts and realizations before.

Watching Narcos was fine, I could keep watching, but it didn’t put me in a mindset that was helpful. I knew the harm of all of this stuff. I knew about the violence within the organizations and the random violence. It made me think about reading how two cyclists in Mexico were killed, but the initial claim that was that they fell off a cliff and died. The only reason the claim was disputed was because the riders were found, dead, on the wrong bikes. I read that BBC article right before a trip to the same region. Great. All went smoothly enough, but it was sketchy and for what purpose was this adventure? There was certainly impact, we created a strategy where there wasn’t straight guidance, and at the same time, traffickers are gonna traffic.

There’s definitely great purpose in homeland security and countering what we can find out and counter. Traffickers will traffic and terrorists will terror, we still have to keep an eye and be responsible for the safety and security of our country. A ‘free for all’ would be a bad idea. But did I need to watch Narcos? Or could I just enjoy having spent time at the beach in Baja, with a good friend, who was aware and safe, the knowledge of narcos available in my brain, but not needing to be pulled up? I think I’ve reflected and thought about it all enough. Watching Narcos didn’t really do me any good.