How European Cocaine Cartels Took Over The Global Drug Trade

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Johnny Mitchell

True Crime

4.3 • 563 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2026

⏱️ 112 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jonathan Alpeyrie is a war photographer and journalist who has spent time documenting the darkest corners of the global drug trade — from cartel territory in Mexico and the favelas of Brazil to the streets of Kensington, Skid Row, Baltimore, and the mega-prisons of El Salvador. Jonathan breaks down what he’s seen firsthand while embedding with drug gangs, addicts, undercover police units, and special forces around the world. He explains how European drug gangs are becoming more powerful, why France, Belgium, and Holland are turning into major narco hubs, and how Mexican cartels are exporting their violence and tactics into Europe. Jonathan also discusses the rise of fentanyl in America, the origins of the synthetic opioid pipeline, the brutal reality of addiction on the streets, and what he witnessed inside El Salvador’s crackdown on MS-13. From undercover drug buys in Europe to firefights in Rio’s favelas, this is a raw look at the worldwide drug crisis from someone who has seen it up close. Go Support Jonathan! Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Drug-Wars/Jonathan-Alpeyrie/9780972115247 Website: https://jonathanalpeyrie.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jonalpeyrie/ Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 European Drug Gangs & Cartel Tactics 02:00 War Reporter’s Background 03:55 Challenges of Access and Documentary Work 08:00 Undercover Ops with Cops & European Narcos 12:40 Weak Punishments & Overloaded European Prisons 15:50 Belgium, Holland & France: Europe's Crime Hotbeds 21:00 Ethnic Gangs and Emerging Alliances 27:00 Why Europe Is the “Crown Jewel” of the Drug Trade 35:00 Big Busts, Corruption & Mexican Cartel Influence 41:00 Fentanyl and Drug Crisis in the US 49:30 Drug Trends: Fentanyl, Meth, and Ketamine Scenes 54:00 MDMA, Ecstasy, and Party Drug Production 59:50 Inside Brazilian Favelas and Combat Zones 01:03:00 Violence, Danger & Drug Wars in Latin America 01:10:00 War Reporting: Syria, Iraq, and Hostage Experiences 01:20:00 Geopolitics, Proxy Wars & Global Destabilization 01:27:30 America’s Shifting Role & Future of Cartels 01:34:00 Personal Trauma, Resilience & Drug War Morality 01:41:00 Solutions, Nationalism, and The Limits of Idealism 01:45:00 Jonathan’s Mission & Final Thoughts 01:49:00 Book Plug & Closing Remarks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.7	These criminal elements are active in Belgium, in Holland, in France, which are the main three
0:35.7	cancers. They are spreading in Europe and they're expanding
0:38.9	their power base and they're growing in strength from one country to the next. The Algerian
0:44.3	criminal elements operating in Marseille are now creating alliances with Moroccan gangs
0:49.8	in Holland and Belgium. I got kidnapped by the group that I was working with.
0:54.3	I took a lot of beatings, they broke my ribs, mock execution. They showed me this, it was like a
0:59.6	pool. They would bring people and drown them there. And then next to it, there was a basketball
1:05.7	court. He used to hang people there every day. And you know who gave them that expertise?
1:10.3	Mexican cartels.
1:11.6	Jonathan Alperi is a war journalist who travels the world documenting the war on drugs.
1:17.7	From the cartels and the dealers to the users in the attics, Jonathan has seen it all.
1:22.8	He's embedded himself with Brazilian drug gangs in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, filmed live shootouts in the slums of Porta Prince Haiti,
1:31.3	snapped photos of condemned MS-13 gang members at the notorious Seacott Supermax prison in El Salvador,
1:38.3	and hung with fentanyl junkies, crackheads, and meth addicts from Mexico City to Selma, Alabama.
1:45.0	Most recently, Jonathan has been documenting the dangerous rise of European drug supercartels
1:52.0	and exposes why Western European nations like France, Belgium, Germany, and Holland, are powerless to stop them.
1:59.0	Nobody has a more unique, firsthand perspective on the
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