''El Cartel de los Sapos'' ( English title: ''The Cartel of Snitches'') or ''El Cartel'' is a Colombian

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...

that first aired on June 4, 2008 on the Colombian network

Caracol TV Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau ...

. ''El Cartel'' stars

Manolo Cardona Manuel "Manolo" Julián Cardona Molano (born April 25, 1977) is a Colombian actor. Personal life Cardona was born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia on April 25, 1977. At the age of seven, Cardona's family nicknamed him "Manolo," which later becam ...

, Karen Martínez,

Diego Cadavid Diego Cadavid (born Diego Andrés Cadavid on December 8, 1978 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian actor, cinematographer and musician known for his roles in telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera pro ...

, and Robinson Díaz and is based on the 2008 novel by the same name by Andrés López López, alias ''Florecita'' ("Little Flower"), a former drug dealer who, while in prison, wrote the fictionalized account of his experiences in the

Cali Cartel The Cali Cartel ( es, Cartel de Cali) was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca. Its founders were the brothers Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. They broke away ...

and of what happened within the

Norte del Valle Cartel The Norte del Valle Cartel ( es, Cártel del Norte del Valle), or North Valley Cartel, was a drug cartel that operated principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia, most notably the coastal city of Buenaventura. It ro ...

. In the TV series, which Lopez also wrote, the characters and locations from the book were changed.

Synopsis

Two friends enter the illegal drugs business, thinking it is the fastest way to become rich. The illegal drug trafficking world seems attractive to all these middle-class people, who overlook the associated dangers and legal problems. This choice begins a turbulent and troubled lifestyle that will change their fates forever. Martín, alias "''Fresita''", gets a job in a drugs lab sponsored by the big boss Óscar Cadena (Fernando Solorzano). Martín learns the business quickly and starts to send illegal drugs to the United States, while his boss makes an alliance with the Villegas Brothers, from the West Cartel, to take down the biggest drug dealer ever:

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in ...

. With Escobar down, a new cartel is up: The Pacific Cartel in Colombia, led by Óscar Cadena, so Óscar (the teacher) and Martín (the student) make a pact of friendship and business. Martín becomes a rich man and he falls for Sofía (Karen Martinez), a beautiful woman, but he wins her heart by lying to her. But Sofía discovers the origin of Martín's wealth, and he has to choose: Sofía or the business. Óscar helps the police finish the West Cartel. The ''snitches'' (''sapos'') make war between these criminal machines to the point of breaking. Oscar has been killed and decided to make Martin as the owner of the cartel. Martín refuses to take part in this war and decides to go to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

with Sofía and his children, unaware that Miami is no longer a safe place. He continues his illegal activities, meanwhile watching enemies kill his old friends. As increasing numbers of his business partners and brothers die or get caught, Martin is forced to run to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, looking for protection. He realizes too late that, in this business, you can never win. So he becomes a ''sapo'' and tells his tale to the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enf ...

. In the second season, Pepe, after being captured by the FBI, and now released to be a snitch, tells the rest of the story, which leads to the arrests and deaths of several drug traffickers.

Characters

Caracol decided to change the characters' real names, their aliases, and some locations from the book, although the filmmakers maintained some physical resemblance between the real-life characters and their portrayers. The following tables detail the names of the characters, their portrayers, and the real life people they represent in the series. The first table also highlights the first season characters who also appear in the second season.

Associated media

The book upon which the TV series is based also inspired the film '' El Cartel de los Sapos'' (2011). Lopez has also written several additional books based on his and his associates' experiences in the drug trade.

Prequel

A prequel series; '' The Snitch Cartel: Origins'' was released by

Caracol Televisión Caracol Televisión (known as Caracol and previously as Canal Caracol) is a Colombian free-to-air television network owned by Caracol Medios, a unit of Grupo Valorem. It is one of the leading private TV networks in Colombia, alongside Canal RCN ...

in 2021.

References

External links