From The Publisher: Jul. 1, 1991

"Any reporter who covers crime knows that when the flash-bang goes off at the front door, the SWAT team is storming the back door," says correspondent Elaine Shannon. And so, when Pablo Escobar Gaviria, the ferocious leader of the Medellin drug cartel, surrendered to authorities in Colombia last week, Shannon knew that the real story lay elsewhere. "Escobar is a terrific sound- and-light show," she says. "But people of such towering stupidity always flame out." In her eyes, the group to watch is the Cali cartel. And, as deftly laid out by her in one of this week's cover stories, its...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!