
Global News Podcast A special report from Mexico on the deadly drugs trade
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Feb 26, 2026 Quentin Somerville, on-the-ground reporter in Mexico covering brutal cartel violence and fentanyl production; Simi Jollaosho, North America reporter dissecting a controversial Cuba–US speedboat shooting; Professor Chloe Orkin, clinical HIV researcher explaining a new single-tablet treatment. They explore cartel civil war and its human toll. They examine the contentious maritime shootout. They outline a major HIV trial result.
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Frontline Scenes From Culiacán's Cartel Violence
- Quentin Somerville describes arriving at execution-style crime scenes with paramedics in Culiacán, finding bodies and messages left on tortured victims.
- He recounts a 16-year-old shot 10–12 times, a protest of relatives in white, and paramedics unable to help because victims were already dead.
External Pressure Amplifies Cartel Fragmentation
- Quentin Somerville highlights how US pressure and Trump's 'terrorist' label have intensified cartel fear, coinciding with internal betrayals that spark open warfare.
- The combo of external pressure and leadership fractures makes cartels more violent and harder to negotiate with.
Cartel Civil War Fuels Rising Civilian Casualties
- The Sinaloa cartel's internal civil war is escalating because factions are fighting a winner-takes-all battle after betrayals, increasing indiscriminate killings of civilians.
- Cartel members acknowledge children and innocents die and predict the war will continue until only one faction remains.



