This is What Happened When I Drove Through Mexican Cartel Country

Описание: I drove a bus packed with kids’ stuff and two dogs from Canada to Belize—and Mexico stamped me as a Transmigrante: the category for people hauling used vehicles and goods through Mexico to Central America. I am probably the first and only gringo-Canadian transmigrante to drive the entire length of Mexico. And let me tell you: That label doesn’t send you down beach roads; it funnels you into a parallel logistics lane where different rules apply.

On this stretch, you learn fast about incentives: cartel-controlled corridors, unofficial “fees,” and the reality that black-market logistics isn’t just about drugs—it’s anything that moves. You pay, you get a bumper sticker, and the spotters let you mind your business.
While this is an adventure tale, it’s also a systems lesson.

This clip is my first-hand account of:
◾ How I got classified as Transmigrante and what that actually meant
◾ Why certain ports of entry and routes are “different” (and how locals already know)
◾ The human side of these corridors—people running a business inside risk
◾ What this says about policy, incentives, government regulation, cross-border trade, the international movement of goods and people, and why longer and higher walls won't fix any problems.

This is a clip from Foreign Radio – Episode 9 with Evan Jaqua, where we talk pluralism, power, and why international perspective is a feature, not a bug.