El Cartel (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = El Cartel de los Sapos


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aka = El Cartel
genre = Drama
creator =
writer = Juan Camilo Ferrand
Andrés Lopez
director = Luis Alberto Restrepo
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country = COL
language = Spanish
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first_run = Caracol TV
first_aired = Start date|2008|6|4
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website = http://www.elcarteldelossapos.com/
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"El Cartel de los Sapos" (English title: "The Cartel of Snitches") or "El Cartel" is a Colombian soap opera that first aired on June 4, 2008 on the Colombian network Caracol TV. It is based on the book by the same name by Andrés Lopez Lopez, alias florecita, (a former drug dealer), who wrote the book while his years in prison. In his book, he writes about his experiences while in the Cartel and what happened within the cartel "El Norte del Valle". In the TV series, each character from the book and the locations were changed. "El Cartel", stars Manolo Cardona, Karen Martinez, Diego Cadavid and Robinson Diaz.

Synopsis

Ten friends get in the illegal drugs business, thinking it is the fastest way to become rich, but it is not going to have a happy ending because in this business, everything vanishes in the end.

The illegal drugs traffic world seems to be really attractive for fifteen years-old Martín Gonzales played by Manolo Cardona, an ambitious and bold young man, coming from a middle-class Colombian family. Martín asks his friend, Pepe Cadena played by Diego Cadavid, to talk to his brother to get him a job in the dangerous business.

Ignoring this choosing is just the beginning of a turbulent and troubled life that is going to change his fate forever, Martín alias "Fresita" gets a job in a drugs lab sponsored by the big boss Óscar Cadena (Fernando Solorzano). Martín learns really fast and he starts to send illegal drugs to the United States, while his boss makes an alliance with the Villegas Brothers, from the West Cartel, to take down the biggest drug dealer ever: Pablo Escobar.

With Escobar down, a new cartel is up: The Pacific Cartel, the most dangerous in Colombia, leaded by Óscar Cadena, so Óscar (the teacher) and Martín (the student) make a pact of friendship and business.

Martín becomes a rich man and he falls for Sofía (Karen Martinez), a beautiful woman, but he gets her heart by lying to her. But Sofía discovers the origin of Martín's wealth and he has to choose: Sofía or the business.

Óscar helps the police to finish the West Cartel. The "snitches" ("sapos") make the war between these criminal machineries to reach a point of breaking.

Martín refuses to take part of this war and he decides to go to Miami with Sofía and his children, but what he does not know is that is not a safe place anymore, and he must keep with the illegal activities, watching his old friends dying by the enemy.

Business partners and brothers dead or caught, forces Martín to run to Mexico looking for protection. He realizes too late that in this business; you can never win..

Reception

As of July 2008, "El Cartel" is the highest rated show on Colombian television. [Toby Muse. " [http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/16/cartel-takes-over-colombian-tv/ 'Cartel' takes over Colombian TV] ", "The Rocky Mountain News, Associated Press, July 16 2008. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.]

References

External links

*es icon [http://www.elcarteldelossapos.com/ Canal Caracol: El Cartel Official Website] (Flash)