Ioan Grillo
@ioangrillo.bsky.social
Journalist based in Mexico, focused on crime, drugs and gangster politics. Author of El Narco trilogy and CrashOut on Substack. Time, NYT, HBO++ Still doing it.
www.crashoutmedia.com
www.crashoutmedia.com
Pinned
Ioan Grillo
@ioangrillo.bsky.social
· Dec 7
Hey there Bluesky
This is the same mero mero Ioan Grillo
I am still on Twitter twittering away but here I am as well venturing into the blue skies on this side of chattering space.
Love you all
This is the same mero mero Ioan Grillo
I am still on Twitter twittering away but here I am as well venturing into the blue skies on this side of chattering space.
Love you all
Estoy muy feliz de estar este año en la FIL de Guadalajara con mi libro "Sangre, Armas y Dinero", y con Jesús Lemus, uno de los mejores periodistas sobre narcotráfico en México. 29 de noviembre, 19:30, Salón 8, Área Nacional, Expo GDL. Ven a saludar!
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Estoy muy feliz de estar este año en la FIL de Guadalajara con mi libro "Sangre, Armas y Dinero", y con Jesús Lemus, uno de los mejores periodistas sobre narcotráfico en México. 29 de noviembre, 19:30, Salón 8, Área Nacional, Expo GDL. Ven a saludar!
Reposted by Ioan Grillo
Cartels Versus Environmentalists
Organized crime targets Mexico's defenders of nature
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Psyched to be at Guadalajara book festival with my book "Sangre Armas y Dinero" about the iron river of guns from the US to cartels in Mexico in this crazy tense moment - I'll be with Jesus Lemus, one of best journos on narcos, and talk is open to all issues. Sat, Nov. 29, 7:30
November 24, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Psyched to be at Guadalajara book festival with my book "Sangre Armas y Dinero" about the iron river of guns from the US to cartels in Mexico in this crazy tense moment - I'll be with Jesus Lemus, one of best journos on narcos, and talk is open to all issues. Sat, Nov. 29, 7:30
Reposted by Ioan Grillo
There's a hell of a lot more to Russia's perception and cognitive outreach in Mexico and Latin America than RT and Sputnik and the main vectors are WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok, and of course Telegram
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/w...
Russian Disinformation Comes to Mexico, Seeking to Rupture U.S. Ties
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:49 AM
There's a hell of a lot more to Russia's perception and cognitive outreach in Mexico and Latin America than RT and Sputnik and the main vectors are WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok, and of course Telegram
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/w...
CrashOut went to France's crime capital to talk to the activist whose second brother was just murdered. This report breaks down France's new gang wars - and the DZ Mafia and Yoda.
Read here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/gang-murde...
Read here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/gang-murde...
Gang Murder in Marseilles
CrashOut dives into France's crime capital and interviews the activist whose brother was just assassinated
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
CrashOut went to France's crime capital to talk to the activist whose second brother was just murdered. This report breaks down France's new gang wars - and the DZ Mafia and Yoda.
Read here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/gang-murde...
Read here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/gang-murde...
Cartels Versus Environmentalists -
Gangsters in Mexico kills those who stand in their way to fell timber, run wild cat mines, or clear forests to run meth labs. But mining companies who pay off cartels are also nervous.
Read the report:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cartels-ve...
Gangsters in Mexico kills those who stand in their way to fell timber, run wild cat mines, or clear forests to run meth labs. But mining companies who pay off cartels are also nervous.
Read the report:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cartels-ve...
Cartels Versus Environmentalists
Organized crime targets Mexico's defenders of nature
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Cartels Versus Environmentalists -
Gangsters in Mexico kills those who stand in their way to fell timber, run wild cat mines, or clear forests to run meth labs. But mining companies who pay off cartels are also nervous.
Read the report:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cartels-ve...
Gangsters in Mexico kills those who stand in their way to fell timber, run wild cat mines, or clear forests to run meth labs. But mining companies who pay off cartels are also nervous.
Read the report:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cartels-ve...
Here is my full video report on the protests and riots yesterday in Mexico City - looking at who was behind them, how they escalated, what the response was, what the implications are.
Click here below to watch it free on my Stack↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/inside-the...
Click here below to watch it free on my Stack↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/inside-the...
Inside the 15N Protests and Riots
I covered the march and disturbances in Mexico City yesterday; here is what I saw and found
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Here is my full video report on the protests and riots yesterday in Mexico City - looking at who was behind them, how they escalated, what the response was, what the implications are.
Click here below to watch it free on my Stack↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/inside-the...
Click here below to watch it free on my Stack↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/inside-the...
The use of a 17 year old sicario to assassinate Mayor Carlos Manzo shows the urgent need for a real prevention campaign to stop kids as young as 12 being recruited into cartels in Mexico. About 40% of them will be murdered, a study estimates.
Read here (free)↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/applied-ma...
Read here (free)↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/applied-ma...
Applied Math Versus Cartels
A study in Science finds cartels are Mexico's fifth biggest employer. Can you stop the gangsters recruiting faster than recruits are murdered?
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:14 PM
The use of a 17 year old sicario to assassinate Mayor Carlos Manzo shows the urgent need for a real prevention campaign to stop kids as young as 12 being recruited into cartels in Mexico. About 40% of them will be murdered, a study estimates.
Read here (free)↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/applied-ma...
Read here (free)↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/applied-ma...
My Reader, “The Punisher” Duterte
I sat down twice with the Philippine president during his war on drugs that has put him before the ICC. It was one of the most challenging situations I've had as a journalist and I only now tell the story.
Read it here: ↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/my-reader-...
I sat down twice with the Philippine president during his war on drugs that has put him before the ICC. It was one of the most challenging situations I've had as a journalist and I only now tell the story.
Read it here: ↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/my-reader-...
My Reader, "The Punisher" Duterte
I sat down twice with the president of the Philippines; it was one of the most challenging situations I've had as a journalist and I only now tell the story PART 1
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:02 AM
My Reader, “The Punisher” Duterte
I sat down twice with the Philippine president during his war on drugs that has put him before the ICC. It was one of the most challenging situations I've had as a journalist and I only now tell the story.
Read it here: ↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/my-reader-...
I sat down twice with the Philippine president during his war on drugs that has put him before the ICC. It was one of the most challenging situations I've had as a journalist and I only now tell the story.
Read it here: ↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/my-reader-...
Reposted by Ioan Grillo
@ioangrillo.bsky.social me acaba de derrumbar un viejo mito: "ver quemar cannabis no produce ningún efecto psicoactivo; no se ha secado y el humo asciende directamente a las nubes". Yo juraba que los milis se ponían unos pasones históricos (envidia, sí). Aquí su reportaje.
La legalización de la marihuana en EE. UU. destrozó las exportaciones mexicanas de cannabis, tal como se esperaba.
Pero me equivoqué. No debilitó a los cárteles, como muchos esperábamos.
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:50 PM
@ioangrillo.bsky.social me acaba de derrumbar un viejo mito: "ver quemar cannabis no produce ningún efecto psicoactivo; no se ha secado y el humo asciende directamente a las nubes". Yo juraba que los milis se ponían unos pasones históricos (envidia, sí). Aquí su reportaje.
US marijuana legalization smashed Mexico's weed exports north (controlled by cartels) as intended.
Marijuana seizures on the border fell by 97.5% between 2013 and 2023. But I was wrong. It didn't, as many of us hoped, weaken cartels. (Link to story below↓)
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-marijua...
Marijuana seizures on the border fell by 97.5% between 2013 and 2023. But I was wrong. It didn't, as many of us hoped, weaken cartels. (Link to story below↓)
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-marijua...
U.S. Marijuana Legalization Smashed Mexico's Weed Exports - As Intended
But I was wrong. It didn't, as many of us hoped, weaken cartels
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:30 PM
US marijuana legalization smashed Mexico's weed exports north (controlled by cartels) as intended.
Marijuana seizures on the border fell by 97.5% between 2013 and 2023. But I was wrong. It didn't, as many of us hoped, weaken cartels. (Link to story below↓)
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-marijua...
Marijuana seizures on the border fell by 97.5% between 2013 and 2023. But I was wrong. It didn't, as many of us hoped, weaken cartels. (Link to story below↓)
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-marijua...
Mexico: Time for heroes?
Michoacán has long commemorated its martyrs and with murders of mayor Carlos Manzo and defender of lime farmers Bernardo Bravo, it seems to bequeath new martyrs in the fight against cartels.
Will their deaths spark something. Story: www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexico-tim...
Michoacán has long commemorated its martyrs and with murders of mayor Carlos Manzo and defender of lime farmers Bernardo Bravo, it seems to bequeath new martyrs in the fight against cartels.
Will their deaths spark something. Story: www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexico-tim...
Mexico: Time For Heroes?
Michoacán bequeaths martyrs in the fight against cartels
www.crashoutmedia.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Mexico: Time for heroes?
Michoacán has long commemorated its martyrs and with murders of mayor Carlos Manzo and defender of lime farmers Bernardo Bravo, it seems to bequeath new martyrs in the fight against cartels.
Will their deaths spark something. Story: www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexico-tim...
Michoacán has long commemorated its martyrs and with murders of mayor Carlos Manzo and defender of lime farmers Bernardo Bravo, it seems to bequeath new martyrs in the fight against cartels.
Will their deaths spark something. Story: www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexico-tim...
The new Trump doctrine to missile boats that are allegedly carrying dope opens up a whole new phase in the war on drugs. But it is also entwined with a different conflict: the attempt to get regime change in Venezuela...
October 29, 2025 at 7:16 PM
The new Trump doctrine to missile boats that are allegedly carrying dope opens up a whole new phase in the war on drugs. But it is also entwined with a different conflict: the attempt to get regime change in Venezuela...
Reposted by Ioan Grillo
Mexican Watchdogs (Journalists) Under Fire
De @ioangrillo.bsky.social
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexican-wa...
De @ioangrillo.bsky.social
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexican-wa...
Mexican Watchdogs (Journalists) Under Fire
An excerpt from Andrew Paxman's new book "Mexican Watchdogs" out today
www.crashoutmedia.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Mexican Watchdogs (Journalists) Under Fire
De @ioangrillo.bsky.social
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexican-wa...
De @ioangrillo.bsky.social
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexican-wa...
Since Calderón launched an army offensive on cartels in 2006 the total homicide count in Mexico has now topped 500,000! An intel unit estimated 60% of deaths were by cartels or security forces "fighting them."
How can we frame this hybrid armed conflict↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/what-are-t...
How can we frame this hybrid armed conflict↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/what-are-t...
What Are The Mexican Cartel Wars?
I look at how to frame the decades of narco bloodshed in comparison to other armed conflicts
www.crashoutmedia.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Since Calderón launched an army offensive on cartels in 2006 the total homicide count in Mexico has now topped 500,000! An intel unit estimated 60% of deaths were by cartels or security forces "fighting them."
How can we frame this hybrid armed conflict↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/what-are-t...
How can we frame this hybrid armed conflict↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/what-are-t...
The murder of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, a lime farmer leader in Michoacán who stood up to extortionists is a true tragedy. But it reflects how deeply cartels have gotten into extorting so much of the Mexican economy and causing "narco-inflation."
Read:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-so...
Read:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-so...
Mexico's Soaring "Narco-Inflation"
Even the price of orange juice is impacted by cartels
www.crashoutmedia.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:47 AM
The murder of Bernardo Bravo Manríquez, a lime farmer leader in Michoacán who stood up to extortionists is a true tragedy. But it reflects how deeply cartels have gotten into extorting so much of the Mexican economy and causing "narco-inflation."
Read:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-so...
Read:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-so...
Carlos sold top end single-edition Swiss watches (for $100,000s to $1 million+) to narcos for 8 years. The Swiss companies loved him.
"They fucking love you. You have no idea. You are making their budgets. You become a hero”
Read how cartels wash cash↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/narco-blin...
"They fucking love you. You have no idea. You are making their budgets. You become a hero”
Read how cartels wash cash↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/narco-blin...
Narco Bling and Dirty-Money Laundromats
Part Two on the twisted world of drug wealth and cartel-omics
www.crashoutmedia.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Carlos sold top end single-edition Swiss watches (for $100,000s to $1 million+) to narcos for 8 years. The Swiss companies loved him.
"They fucking love you. You have no idea. You are making their budgets. You become a hero”
Read how cartels wash cash↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/narco-blin...
"They fucking love you. You have no idea. You are making their budgets. You become a hero”
Read how cartels wash cash↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/narco-blin...
Chalino Sánchez, father of narco corridos and icon in Sinaloa and LA
He avenged his sister at 15, went to prison in Tijuana for a shooting, then in the US for drugs. The attack on him in Coachella was likely a hit.
Read full true story of Chalino here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/chalino-ki...
He avenged his sister at 15, went to prison in Tijuana for a shooting, then in the US for drugs. The attack on him in Coachella was likely a hit.
Read full true story of Chalino here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/chalino-ki...
Chalino, King of the Drug Ballad
I dig deeper into the true life of the Sinaloan icon
www.crashoutmedia.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Chalino Sánchez, father of narco corridos and icon in Sinaloa and LA
He avenged his sister at 15, went to prison in Tijuana for a shooting, then in the US for drugs. The attack on him in Coachella was likely a hit.
Read full true story of Chalino here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/chalino-ki...
He avenged his sister at 15, went to prison in Tijuana for a shooting, then in the US for drugs. The attack on him in Coachella was likely a hit.
Read full true story of Chalino here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/chalino-ki...
Did you ever hear about the time a splinter from the Tijuana Cartel dissolved bodies in acid in California and carried out a series of murders in the U.S. as far away as Kansas City, Missouri?
Thought not. So be informed by reading the full story here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/when-los-p...
Thought not. So be informed by reading the full story here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/when-los-p...
When "Los Palillos" Dissolved Bodies in California
The Tijuana Cartel breakaway used a honey trap to seduce victims for their gruesome U.S. murder trail
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Did you ever hear about the time a splinter from the Tijuana Cartel dissolved bodies in acid in California and carried out a series of murders in the U.S. as far away as Kansas City, Missouri?
Thought not. So be informed by reading the full story here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/when-los-p...
Thought not. So be informed by reading the full story here:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/when-los-p...
Ayotzinapa’s Narco Witnesses - The Mexican government gave dubious benefits to major narcos, incuding delaying extradition of El Cuini, to help on the case of the 43 disappeared students. But what did they give in return? Read special report:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cuini-and-...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cuini-and-...
Cuini and Ayotzinapa's Narco Witnesses
Under AMLO, investigators gave dubious benefits to cartel bosses, including the financial brain of the Jalisco Cartel, further twisting the case of disappeared students
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Ayotzinapa’s Narco Witnesses - The Mexican government gave dubious benefits to major narcos, incuding delaying extradition of El Cuini, to help on the case of the 43 disappeared students. But what did they give in return? Read special report:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cuini-and-...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/cuini-and-...
Will Trump “Regime-Change” Venezuela?
I go through the war gaming of the operation against Maduro and possible scenarios including:
- Pressure to foment a coup
- Special forces rendition
- Full invasion
- Pure Trump bluff
Read here:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/will-trump...
I go through the war gaming of the operation against Maduro and possible scenarios including:
- Pressure to foment a coup
- Special forces rendition
- Full invasion
- Pure Trump bluff
Read here:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/will-trump...
Will Trump "Regime-Change" Venezuela?
I decode the war-gaming against Maduro
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 19, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Will Trump “Regime-Change” Venezuela?
I go through the war gaming of the operation against Maduro and possible scenarios including:
- Pressure to foment a coup
- Special forces rendition
- Full invasion
- Pure Trump bluff
Read here:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/will-trump...
I go through the war gaming of the operation against Maduro and possible scenarios including:
- Pressure to foment a coup
- Special forces rendition
- Full invasion
- Pure Trump bluff
Read here:
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/will-trump...
One of the craziest interviews I've ever done was recently meeting Carlos Lehder, the partner of Pablo Escobar who owned a private island to move blow, was portrayed as a Nazi narco on Netflix and testified against General Noriega of Panama. Here is the story...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/carlos-leh...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/carlos-leh...
Carlos Lehder’s Vida Loca in the Medellín Cartel
In an exclusive interview, the former cocaine king discussed Pablo Escobar trying to kill him, his Netflix portrayal as a narco Nazi, and testifying against Panama’s Noriega
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 17, 2025 at 9:17 PM
One of the craziest interviews I've ever done was recently meeting Carlos Lehder, the partner of Pablo Escobar who owned a private island to move blow, was portrayed as a Nazi narco on Netflix and testified against General Noriega of Panama. Here is the story...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/carlos-leh...
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/carlos-leh...
Mexico's Marines In Hot Water
A scandal is growing in Mexico's elite SEMAR which US agents work with to take down kingpins. In Manzanillo where SEMAR controls customs, a broker told me you could get a container with drugs through for 800,000 pesos.
Read↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-ma...
A scandal is growing in Mexico's elite SEMAR which US agents work with to take down kingpins. In Manzanillo where SEMAR controls customs, a broker told me you could get a container with drugs through for 800,000 pesos.
Read↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-ma...
Mexico's Marines In Hot Water
The elite Mexican force that worked with U.S. agents to get Chapo faces a growing scandal
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Mexico's Marines In Hot Water
A scandal is growing in Mexico's elite SEMAR which US agents work with to take down kingpins. In Manzanillo where SEMAR controls customs, a broker told me you could get a container with drugs through for 800,000 pesos.
Read↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-ma...
A scandal is growing in Mexico's elite SEMAR which US agents work with to take down kingpins. In Manzanillo where SEMAR controls customs, a broker told me you could get a container with drugs through for 800,000 pesos.
Read↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/mexicos-ma...
The Power of Independent Media
There's a great energy and possibilities in independent media, which allows you to move fast, think outside the box, and connect directly with readers.
In my quarterly shout to readers, I look at independent vs mainstream↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/the-power-...
There's a great energy and possibilities in independent media, which allows you to move fast, think outside the box, and connect directly with readers.
In my quarterly shout to readers, I look at independent vs mainstream↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/the-power-...
The Power Of Independent Media
A September Shout To Subscribers
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
The Power of Independent Media
There's a great energy and possibilities in independent media, which allows you to move fast, think outside the box, and connect directly with readers.
In my quarterly shout to readers, I look at independent vs mainstream↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/the-power-...
There's a great energy and possibilities in independent media, which allows you to move fast, think outside the box, and connect directly with readers.
In my quarterly shout to readers, I look at independent vs mainstream↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/the-power-...
The U.S. Military Missiles Venezuelan Boat, Killing 11
Is this just an escalation of the war on drugs or also a step to regime change in Caracas? Was it really a drug boat? Were the Tren de Aragua definitely on board?
I break it all down in this video:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-militar...
Is this just an escalation of the war on drugs or also a step to regime change in Caracas? Was it really a drug boat? Were the Tren de Aragua definitely on board?
I break it all down in this video:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-militar...
U.S. Military Missiles Venezuelan Boat
Is this an escalation of the war on drugs or a step to regime change? I break it down.
www.crashoutmedia.com
September 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The U.S. Military Missiles Venezuelan Boat, Killing 11
Is this just an escalation of the war on drugs or also a step to regime change in Caracas? Was it really a drug boat? Were the Tren de Aragua definitely on board?
I break it all down in this video:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-militar...
Is this just an escalation of the war on drugs or also a step to regime change in Caracas? Was it really a drug boat? Were the Tren de Aragua definitely on board?
I break it all down in this video:↓
www.crashoutmedia.com/p/us-militar...