蜜芽传媒

The drug cartels of Latin America, what drives them and how they cling on to power in the region - that's the subject of a new book, Gangster Warlords, by Mexican-based British journalist Ioan Grillo. He spoke to Weekend's Ben James, who began by asking him about the drug cartel in Mexico known as the Knights Templar and how they became so powerful.

(Photo: Mexican soldiers cut off poppy flowers during an operation in Guerrero state, Mexico. Credit: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images)