Benjamin T. Smith

Benjamin T. Smith
OccupationsHistorian, author, expert witness
Academic background
EducationCambridge University
David Brading
Academic work
InstitutionsMichigan State University
University of Warwick

Benjamin T. Smith is a British historian of Mexico, and professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick.

He has written for both academic and popular audiences on indigenous politics, social movements, conservatism, Catholicism, the press, journalists, organized crime and drug trafficking in Mexico. His writing has appeared in the Nexos, Letras Libres, BBC, The Guardian and Time. His 2021 book The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade was reviewed in The Hispanic American Historical Review, the Journal of Contemporary History, The New York Times, the Financial Times, and its Spanish translation in Estudios Sociológicos and Letras Libres.

He is working on a biography of legendary Ciudad Juárez drug queen pin, Ignacia Jasso aka La Nacha and has a substack called, The Impuniverse.

Smith is frequently quoted in news articles on the issues of Mexican drug traffickers and national security. He has also served as an expert witness in many asylum proceedings..

References

  1. ↑ "Prof Benjamin Smith". Retrieved 10 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Smith, Benjamin T. "El año en el que México legalizó (brevemente) las drogas". BBC News Mundo. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Smith, Benjamin. "Arresting Mexican kingpin 'el Chapo' hardly means the drug war is over". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Smith, Benjamin T. (21 August 2021). "New Documents Reveal the Bloody Origins of America's Long War on Drugs". Time. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Campos, Isaac (2022). "The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade". Hispanic American Historical Review. 102 (2): 377–378.
  6. ↑ Paxman, Andrew (2022). "Book Review: The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade by Benjamin T. Smith". Journal of Contemporary History. 57 (3).
  7. ↑ Palma, Anthony. "The Phony War on Drugs". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Webber, Jude (10 Jun 2021). "The Dope by Benjamin T Smith — Mexico's descent into disorganised crime". Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Guerra, Edgar (2024). "La droga. La verdadera historia del narcotráfico en México. Libro de Benjamin T. Smith". Estudios Sociológicos. 42.
  10. ↑ Matienzo, Carlos. "Estado y narcotráfico: vidas cruzadas". Letras Libres. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Grant, Will. "Mexico drug tsar's spectacular fall from grace culminates in NY court". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Lopez, Oscar. "Mexican ex-security chief on trial: multimillion bribe claims and a cat named cocaine". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Zavala, Oswaldo. "AMLO en Culiacán: la tentación de la guerra". Proceso. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Benjamin T. Smith". Electronic Immigration Network Directory of Experts. Retrieved 16 August 2026.