MIKE CHAVARRIA

Retired DEA Supervisory Special Agent – Author – International Consultant

About The Author

Group Supervisor Mike Chavarria U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Retired.

The youngest of two sons born to a Costa Rican father and a San Franciscan mother, he spent his childhood years in San Diego, CA, playing sports and practicing martial arts. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University, he joined the US Navy and received an officer’s commission. Afterwards, he became a federal agent with the Naval Investigative Service (NCIS) and specialized in counter-drug investigations. In 1985, Chavarria began his career as a DEA Special Agent, with assignments along the US-Mexico border and in Latin American countries, including Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Mexico (Guadalajara and Mexico City). He has received the DEA’s coveted Administrator’s Award and, in 2007, was honored to be named “Super Cop” by Texas-based “The 100 Club” for his role in the investigation involving “Junior.” Now retired, he is recognized as a subject-matter expert in Latin American counternarcotics and narco-terrorism. He is frequently consulted and interviewed by news networks and international journalists; he has been featured in two documentaries (“Narco Wars” and “Narco Circus”), has appeared on multiple podcasts, and has been invited to speak at events. He is married and has a blended family of six children.

About the book

Inside the World of “Junior”

Junior: A Son of the Gulf Cartel is a gripping, true story of crime, loyalty, and redemption, told from both sides of the law. Mike Chavarria’s compelling narrative describes an unlikely alliance with Raul Valladares—known within the Gulf Cartel as “Junior,” the son of a prominent Mexican drug lord. Junior decides to betray his family’s legacy and the oath he took with the underworld by becoming an informant for the US government. Drawing on over thirty years of law enforcement experience, Chavarria takes readers inside the high-stakes world of international narcotics trafficking and covert operations aimed at dismantling cartel networks. As the operation unfolds, Junior’s role becomes the DEA’s secret weapon in dismantling powerful cartels and bringing their violent leaders to justice. Chavarria weaves in ironic twists throughout the book, including Junior’s transition from villain to hero, while some of the so-called good guys become antagonistic. “Junior” reads like a fiction novel, but it is not.

LOYALTY

Junior was at death’s doorstep and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice out of loyalty to his father, his mentor, and best friend.

BETRAYAL

“Informant has a tone of betrayal to it…

I get it…But we prefer to call you an ‘Agent of the government.’”

REDEMPTION

His eyes were the portal to his soul. I could see that his decision to betray his criminal oath and loyalty to his father was made to save his family and seek redemption for a lifetime of misdeeds.

Endorsements From Industry Giants

“Michael Chavarria is the real deal, and in “Junior,” he lifts the lid on one of the most incredible DEA operations of all time. Stranger than fiction, more gripping than any thriller, this is edge-of-the-seat stuff.”

Damien Lewis Multi-Million Best-Selling Author of “Relentless” and countless others.

“A good investigator gets information. A great investigator gets it all. Mike Chavarria is one of the greats. He can see past the horizon, see what will probably happen next, and bend the future to his will. The story Chavarria tells in “Junior” is riveting – and deftly maneuvers him through a moonless landscape of lies and deceptions. Along the way, Chavarria shows Junior how to hope – a tempting but risky aspiration for a man living a triple life. What happens next is hard to believe. But believe it. It’s all true and profoundly moving. "

Elaine Shannon Investigative Journalist and Best-Selling Author of “Hunting LeRoux,” “Desperados,” and other works.

“A jaw-dropping page turner that takes you on a fantastic, insightful journey into the war on drugs, with an insider’s look at how one DEA informant (Junior) risked it all to help take down the world’s most violent kingpins. It makes for a bloody, top-notch spy-game thriller…and it’s all true.”

Romain Bolzinger Journalist, Producer of True-Crime Documentaries

Reader's Review

What they say about my book ?

“This book doesn’t read like a typical cartel story — it feels like you’re sitting across from someone who actually lived it. The emotional honesty, the fear, the loyalty, the conflict… it all hits you in the chest. I’ve never read a nonfiction crime story that felt this human before.”

Gripping & Authentic — Maria Delgado, Social Worker & Community Advocate

“I expected a crime thriller. I didn’t expect to feel compassion for the people inside this world. Junior’s journey is complicated, raw, and deeply personal. The parts about family and sacrifice stayed with me long after I finished reading.”

Emotional Depth — Thomas Whitaker, Retired U.S. Navy Chief

“From the first chapter, I was hooked. The tension is real, but what surprised me most was the emotional side — the moments that show the cost of this life. You see courage, fear, hope, and heartbreak all in one story. It’s powerful, and it made me think differently about everything I thought I knew.”

Suspenseful With a Human Heart — Jasmine Carter, High School English Teacher

“This book feels like a rare inside look into cartel operations and the U.S. agents who chase them — but without glamorizing anything. The real-life details gave me chills. There’s a moment early in the story that still replays in my mind. I can easily imagine this becoming a series or film someday.”

Real-Life Insight That Reads Like a Movie — Daniel Ruiz, Documentary Filmmaker

“I’ve read many crime memoirs, but this one stands out. It’s not just about drugs, operations, and danger — it’s about choices, consequences, and survival. The author captures both the darkness and the humanity of everyone involved. I’m still thinking about Junior’s decisions and what they cost him.”

A Story That Stays With You — Karen Mitchell, Librarian & Book Reviewer