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  • Summary

  • [Contains sensitive content] On a warm evening in a small Mexican border town, men and women started disappearing. Local officials were warned to stay away and when it was all done, up to 200 people were gone. The Making of a Massacre is five-part true story detailing how well-intentioned efforts to curtail the drug trade by the US and Mexican governments had devastating effects. Led by ProPublica's award-winning journalist Ginger Thompson and featuring true to life performances by notable actors Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Alana del la Garza, Clifton Collins Jr. and Snow Tha Product, listeners will hear how a town was caught in the crossfire of the drug war. When you add Making of a Massacre to your library you will receive all 5 episodes, each with a runtime of approximately 25 minutes.
    ©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: The Takeover

    Ep. 1: The Takeover

    May 3 2018
    [Contains sensitive content] Once a sleepy, well-to-do town on the border with Texas, how had Allende become a stronghold for the notoriously brutal Zetas cartel? Residents and lawmakers relive the town's terrifying takeover, enforced by the cartel's gunmen and local police-turned-henchmen. Former Zetas operatives reveal how they asserted power not just in Allende, but the entire region on the Mexico-US border.
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    28 mins
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  • Ep. 2: The Operation

    Ep. 2: The Operation

    May 3 2018
    [Contains sensitive content] Months before the massacre, the DEA launched “Operation Too Legit to Quit." It was aimed at stopping cocaine traffickers in Texas, but it led to the leaders of the Zetas cartel and a key piece of intelligence in Mexico. Hear the DEA agent and federal prosecutor at the center of that development explain how it happened - and from the cartel operatives who were their target.
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    21 mins
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  • Ep. 3: The Leak

    Ep. 3: The Leak

    May 3 2018
    [Contains sensitive content] U.S. officials begin to strategize over their next steps with the new intelligence. And then, a rash decision is made -- the trackable cell phone numbers they obtained for two top cartel members get shared with Mexico. And suddenly, the operation begins to unravel and violence erupts.
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    24 mins
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What listeners say about The Making of a Massacre

Average Customer Ratings
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Profile Image for TheAudiobookReview

Must Listen Horrific Tale of Cartel Barbarism

Oof, what I can I say? This was an intense story about what happened when the Zetas, a notoriously violent drug cartel came to a Allende, a town on the border between Mexico and the US. Before this, I only really knew about the horrors inflicted by the cartels as the occasional news story or what I've seen on TV shows... but I don't think I've ever sat and listened to stories as told by the civilians on the ground.

As told by the survivors of the horrors that the Zetas rained down upon the citizens. The brutality of what happened, the incompetence and corruption of law enforcement and government that lead to hundreds of innocents - as young as 7 months old - killed and burned to ash.

Many stories were translated and voiced by professional actors - Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Alana del la Garza, Clifton Collins Jr. and Snow Tha Product - and you could be forgiven for thinking you're listening to a work of fiction before realising their telling the stories of the people.

A thoroughly engaging listen, and I found myself wishing there was so much more. The 25 minute episodes flew by, but I could easily imagine there being enough for many more hours.

5 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Caren E.

This story is on Netflix.

This is a series on Netflix but in Spanish. Closed caption in English. I watched all seasons and episodes and it was very good and is consistent with this podcast. They did a good job casting the cartel members. the photographs of the real person was shown at the end and that was on point. This is a true story lots of drama and violence and corruption.

5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Larr_E

It wasn’t good or bad

It tells you from the start how it’s going to blame the federal government and it ultimately does blame them. Problem is they’re trying to blame the federal government for all the problems and not wanting to admit that this problem was here before the DEA screwed up. The logic in the writing isn’t really there...

4 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Finley

Dope Story Quality Audio

Well thought out storytelling and quality audio. Definitely worth the subscription price. Access to content like this is why I am an Audible member

2 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for graco3wj

Mesmerizing

Very well told and just heartbreaking. I remember hearing about the missing people but not much more. I can’t imagine living with the memory of the massacre

2 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Jim Brown

Awesome!

This is an AMAZING Series! Are there anymore series like this? And if so what are the names or how can I find them?

1 person found this helpful

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Profile Image for None ya

All the characters make this a great listen

I truly enjoy this story. Have listened to this at least 7 times, you won’t regret it!

1 person found this helpful

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Profile Image for Amazon Customer

very important story.

I almost didn't listen to this story, but I'm glad now that I did. People need to know about this.

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Profile Image for Jazuary Black

great story not covered much in the media

Great story about a small border town and the wrath of one mexican cartel! being from a border town in new Mexico I love cartel stories. This is one that wasn't covered much at all in the media.

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Profile Image for Xavier C.

10 out of 5

It’s a great story, executed even better. Just sad that it’s true and the ending will make you cry...not just the outcome of the whole ordeal but the way it was handled after and the stance that officials took will have you gawking in disbelief.

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  • Shaun O' Connor
  • 04-12-19

Interesting but let down by sound issues

Interesting though horrific story. Some of the witness testimony was way too faint and hard to hear. Difficult to understand why when it is being voiced by actors but a lot of them were faint and had music or the original Spanish in the background making it difficult to understand what the person was saying, especially in the last episode.

7 people found this helpful

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  • David NI
  • 08-06-18

Excellent

This is a thought provoking and disturbing piece of journalism. It is frightening to see the way in which a drug cartel moved into a rural town and affected the lives of everyone who lived there. The ruthlessness of the cartel is truly shocking. Well worth a listen.

12 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 08-30-19

Horrific

A true event of what happened. Shows the true powers of fear and corruption. Very very sad.

3 people found this helpful

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  • B. Polak
  • 08-11-19

great story and journalism

the story was very engaging and a reminder of how terrible people can be around the world. Sad and tragic to realise the cost of human error and even worse, the cost of human endless greed.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Simon
  • 05-14-18

An Utterly Barbaric Tale

This is genuinely an amazing story where truth is actually more evil than fiction. I have seen much less extreme stories in fictional thrillers described as being unrealistic. It's an unbelievably tragic story of oppression, corruption and unrestrained violence. The fact that it can happen in the modern day will seem almost inconceivable to most of us in the UK but is unfortunately a reality for some.

The production values are as you would expect very strong but to me some of it seemed overly dramatic in tone. The story is an incredible one in its own right so introducing the chapters in the same tone as an action movie trailer and so on really isn't needed. Maybe it does help for a US audience, I couldn't say, but it did take a little of the impact away for my personal tastes.

That said, it is a story that needed to be told, and it needs to be heard so if you have a couple of hours free take the time. just don't expect any faith you have in the goodness of humanity to survive unscathed.

39 people found this helpful

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  • crazyhazy
  • 12-04-20

Good podcast and well narrated

Enjoyed this podcast, time seemed to fly listening to each episode. Such a tradegdy and feel sorry for the families left with no real answers.

2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Darshan Dhanda
  • 12-02-20

WoW

Call me educated & I love to learn new things & podcasts like this are great

2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • d kennedy
  • 03-14-19

Very very touching and anger inducing.

Well made but hurts to the core what humans are capable of. Puts life in perspective.

2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Loui
  • 07-13-20

great production

really enjoyed this, great research and well produced. Highlighted so much sadness that's related to the drug trade

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Greta Evans
  • 07-10-20

Incredibly Sad and haunting

I had never heard of this massacre before. Understanding the drug cartels and the impact they had on this village, who was involved, especially government officials was shocking. The victims stories were gut wrenching. To think that this was a good endeavour made by the US that turned so badly wrong, due to chain of command decisions resulting in the deaths of hundreds...makes you think about how you see the cartels work and how not everyone is a willing participant. The things you'll do to protect your family, unless you're in that situation you just cannot judge. May the victims find some peace, justice doesn't seem an option. So sad and haunting.

1 person found this helpful