Cartel Job Board
A documentary reconstruction of the operational roles inside the world’s largest narcotics trafficking organizations — from Medellín and Norman’s Cay to Sinaloa and Jalisco. Every role below has held real people; most have killed some of them.
Sicario (Enforcer)
Medellín Cartel
Full-time · Cash only1976 – 1993
📍 Medellín & Magdalena Valley, Colombia💵 Base COP 2M/mo + per-target bonus
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Cocinero (Cocaine Chemist)
Cali Cartel
Full-time · Live-in lab1977 – 1996
📍 Cauca Valley & Chocó jungle labs, Colombia💵 USD 15,000/mo + finished-batch bonus
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Piloto de Contrabando (Smuggler Pilot)
Norman's Cay Operations
Contract · Per flight1976 – 1983
📍 Bahamas → South Florida corridor💵 USD 400,000 per successful drop
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Contador (Money Launderer)
Sinaloa Cartel
Full-time · Family-vouched1989 – present
📍 Culiacán · Mexico City · Panama · Zurich💵 USD 25,000/mo + 0.5% of cleaned volume
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Jefe de Plaza (Territory Boss)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · High-mortality2010 – present
📍 Assigned plaza · Michoacán, Guanajuato, Veracruz or Jalisco💵 USD 80,000/mo + territory revenue share
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Halcón (Street Lookout)
Gulf Cartel (Cártel del Golfo)
Part-time · Shift work1980s – present
📍 Reynosa · Matamoros · Nuevo Laredo💵 MXN 8,000/wk + drug ration
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Mula (Drug Mule)
Cali Cartel
Contract · Per trip1980s – 1990s
📍 Bogotá / Cali → JFK / Miami / Madrid💵 USD 5,000 per successful entry
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Narcosubmarino Engineer
Norte del Valle Cartel
Full-time · Onsite build2000 – 2012
📍 Buenaventura Pacific mangroves, Colombia💵 USD 40,000 per completed hull
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Abogado del Cártel (Cartel Attorney)
Guadalajara Cartel
Retainer · High-risk1978 – 1989
📍 Guadalajara, Jalisco💵 USD 500,000/yr retainer + case fees
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Cobrador de Piso (Extortion Collector)
La Familia Michoacana
Full-time · Route-based2006 – 2011
📍 Tierra Caliente & Zamora, Michoacán💵 MXN 20,000/wk + 10% of collected piso
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Comprador de Precursores (Fentanyl Precursor Buyer)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · Travel-heavy2016 – present
📍 Wuhan / Shanghai · Manzanillo · Lázaro Cárdenas💵 USD 30,000/mo + per-shipment margin
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Cultivador de Coca (Coca Farmer)
Cartel Supply Chain (FARC-EMC dissident economy)
Piecework · Family unit1980s – present
📍 Catatumbo · Putumayo · Cauca, Colombia💵 COP 2.5M per arroba of dried coca leaf
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Patrón (Capo, Top Boss)
Medellín Cartel
Founder-owner · Lifetime1976 – 1993
📍 Hacienda Nápoles · Envigado · La Catedral💵 USD 30 billion net worth at peak
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Segundo al Mando (Underboss)
Sinaloa Cartel
Founder-partner · Lifetime1989 – present
📍 Sierra Madre Occidental · Culiacán💵 Equity partner · undisclosed
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Guardaespaldas (Personal Bodyguard)
Guadalajara Cartel
Full-time · Live-in1978 – 1989
📍 Guadalajara · Puerto Vallarta · DF💵 USD 10,000/mo + housing + weapon
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Radioperador (Secure Communications)
Los Zetas
Full-time · Rotating shifts1997 – 2015
📍 Northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila)💵 MXN 40,000/mo + operational bonus
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Corruptor Institucional (Bribery Liaison)
Medellín Cartel
Full-time · Discretionary budget1980 – 1993
📍 Bogotá · Medellín · Washington DC💵 USD 100,000/mo + envelope-carry commission
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Armero (Weapons Trafficker)
Gulf Cartel
Full-time · Cross-border1990s – present
📍 Texas gun shows → Matamoros / Reynosa💵 USD 500 – 3,000 per weapon, wholesale
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Bodeguero (Stash-House Operator)
Sinaloa Cartel
Full-time · Live-in1990s – present
📍 Los Angeles · Chicago · Atlanta · NYC💵 USD 8,000/mo + zero-loss bonus
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Camionero (Long-Haul Trucker)
Juárez Cartel
Contract · Per load1990s – present
📍 Ciudad Juárez → El Paso → US interior💵 USD 50,000 per successful load
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Cocinero de Metanfetamina (Meth Super-Chef)
Sinaloa Cartel
Full-time · Live-in lab2005 – present
📍 Sinaloa · Nayarit · Michoacán super-labs💵 USD 30,000/mo + purity bonus
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Químico de Fentanilo (Fentanyl Synthesizer)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · High-hazard2016 – present
📍 Jalisco · Michoacán superlab💵 USD 40,000/mo + kilo bonus
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Cultivador de Amapola (Opium Poppy Farmer)
Sinaloa Cartel
Piecework · Family unit1940s – present
📍 Golden Triangle (Sinaloa · Durango · Chihuahua)💵 MXN 25,000 per kg of raw gum opium
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Secuestrador (Kidnapping Specialist)
Los Zetas
Full-time · Team-based2005 – 2015
📍 Northeast Mexico · Central American migrant routes💵 MXN 30,000/mo + per-victim share
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Coyote / Pollero (Human Smuggler)
Gulf Cartel
Contract · Per crossing1990s – present
📍 Reynosa · Nuevo Laredo · Piedras Negras💵 USD 500 – 2,000 per successfully-crossed pollo
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Productor de Narcocorridos
Sinaloa Cartel
Contract · Per commissioned song1980s – present
📍 Culiacán · Los Angeles · Nashville💵 USD 15,000 – 100,000 per commissioned corrido
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Lavador Cripto (Crypto Launderer)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · Remote2018 – present
📍 Anywhere with fibre — Guadalajara · Zurich · Dubai · Singapore💵 USD 40,000/mo + 1% of cleaned throughput
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Distribuidor Europeo (Amsterdam Node)
Cali Cartel
Founder-partner · Territory-exclusive1980s – 1990s
📍 Amsterdam · Rotterdam · Antwerp💵 USD 200,000/mo + territory margin
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Mecánico de Pista (Airstrip Mechanic)
Norman's Cay Operations
Full-time · Live on-island1976 – 1983
📍 Norman's Cay · Bimini · South Andros💵 USD 10,000/mo + housing + island commissary
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Operador de Dron con Explosivos (Drone Attack Operator)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · Combat2019 – present
📍 Michoacán · Guanajuato · Zacatecas frontlines💵 MXN 60,000/mo + combat bonus
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Chofer de Rally (Getaway Driver)
Medellín Cartel
Full-time · On-call1980s – 1993
📍 Medellín · Bogotá · Envigado💵 USD 8,000/mo + escape bonus
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Matón (Thug · Intimidator)
La Familia Michoacana
Full-time · Route-based2000s – present
📍 Tierra Caliente · rural Michoacán💵 MXN 15,000/wk + intimidation-tax share
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Hacker (Cyber Operations)
Sinaloa Cartel
Full-time · Cell-based2010 – present
📍 Remote — Culiacán · Mexico City · Kyiv💵 USD 25,000/mo + intel-value bonus
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Constructor de Túneles (Tunnel Engineer)
Sinaloa Cartel
Contract · Per completed tunnel1989 – present
📍 Tijuana · Mexicali · Nogales · Ciudad Juárez💵 USD 200,000 per completed cross-border tunnel
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Piloto de Lancha Rápida (Go-Fast Boat Captain)
Cali Cartel
Contract · Per successful run1980s – present
📍 Colombian Pacific · Caribbean · Yucatán Channel💵 USD 100,000 – 250,000 per crossing
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Doctor Personal del Cártel (Cartel Physician)
Sinaloa Cartel
On-call · Retainer1990s – present
📍 Sierra Madre safe-houses💵 USD 20,000/mo retainer + procedure fees
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Weapon 3D-Printer Designer
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · Remote-friendly2019 – present
📍 Guadalajara clandestine maker-lab💵 USD 30,000/mo + per-design bounty
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Packaging & Branding Designer
Sinaloa Cartel
Full-time · Design studio2000s – present
📍 Culiacán · Los Angeles fulfillment💵 USD 15,000/mo + royalty per branded ton
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Concealment Engineer (Clavos Especialista)
Juárez Cartel
Full-time · Workshop-based1990s – present
📍 Ciudad Juárez · El Paso · Los Angeles💵 USD 20,000/mo + per-vehicle build
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Cartel App Developer (Operational Comms Software)
Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG)
Full-time · Cell-based2015 – present
📍 Remote — Guadalajara · Kyiv · São Paulo💵 USD 35,000/mo + retention bonus
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Falsificador de Documentos (Document Forger)
Norte del Valle Cartel
Full-time · Print studio1990s – present
📍 Cali · Panama City · Bogotá💵 USD 12,000/mo + per-document commission
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Reclutador (Recruiter)
Los Zetas
Full-time · Route-based2000s – present
📍 Nuevo Laredo · Monterrey · Central American shelters💵 MXN 25,000/mo + per-successful-hire bounty
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Editorial Note
These roles exist. They are filled today, right now, across Latin America and beyond. The drug war did not eliminate them — it professionalized and multiplied them. Understanding the org-chart of the trade is the first step toward writing a policy that meets the trade as it actually is, not as US law-enforcement press releases pretend it to be.