From mules to dealers: trust towards the feminine as an element of mobility in the macho world of organized crime

The participation of women in organized crime in Sinaloa and Mexico has been inspired more by their romantic and family relationships with large drug lords, maintaining a role that is generally secondary and accompanies men. Currently, in the macho world of illegal drugs, men are still the ones with the greatest presence in each of the steps of the pyramid of organized crime, from the lowest levels (hawks and pointers) to the leading men of organizations criminals (hitmen and drug lords). This is study is an empirical exploration of the role of women in these criminal organizations, and how they managed to go from mules (transporters) to dealers (vededoras or drug dealers) in the pyramid. Their participation is analyzed, in this context, as a trust-generating element, in the assumption that the dynamics of illegal activities is strictly conditioned to the bonds of trust and attachment existing between the parties involved.