Blood Gun Money

Book excerpt: From the author of El Narco and Gangster Warlords, a searing investigation into the enormous black market for firearms, essential to cartels and gangs in the drug trade. Guns from America reach more than 130 countries, and inundate Mexico, with over 200,000 guns every year crossing the border and arming the drug cartels. In this groundbreaking new work of investigative journalism, master of reportage Ioan Grillo delves into the enormous black market for firearms in the Americas: he travels to gun manufacturers, strolls the aisles of gun shows and gun shops, hangs out on Baltimore street corners, talks to federal agents who have infiltrated gangs, and visits the ATF gun tracing centre in West Virginia. Along the way, Grillo lays bare the many ways that guns slip through the legal cracks and into the hands of criminals, fuelling violence among Mexico's powerful cartels and beyond. At a time when debates around gun control are rife, this gripping exposé draws a startling a connection between guns and the global drug trade, revealing them to be key accessories in our epidemics of addiction. Praise for Ioan Grillo 'Grillo is a breathtakingly intrepid reporter, diving in where police fear to tread, seeking out men who wouldn't hesitate to kill him' Mail on Sunday 'Tenacious, riveting, hair-raising reportage' Financial Times 'Dogged, impassioned and courageous reporting ... There is no doubting his expertise, his compassion or his grit' Daily Express