Acapulco, Guerrero: That Fateful Day I Met La Barbie

"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

Video translation is as follows:

Dear friends of Grillonautas I want to share with you this note from the day I met Edgar Valdez aka La Barbie in Acapulco, Guerrero. As proof of the veracity of my testimony, I share with you the photograph that I captured that moment, requesting that you not publish it for security reasons.

As well as my true identity. I trust the ethical seriousness and professionalism of your medium. And I know you will respect my legitimate right to my privacy. In addition to this it remains to say that many people are still active in that criminal organization. Despite the fact that La Barbie is imprisoned.

So, I don’t want to put my physical integrity or that of my family at risk. As you can see, more people appear in the photograph. It was in 2009 when my family and their maid went to spend their vacations in Acapulco. It was a night like any other. We decided to go to the trendy nightclub Baby ‘O.

We were a group of 5 people, my 2 sisters, my cousin, and my best friend. The evening went by very well as usual inside Baby ‘O. When suddenly we were on the dance floor dancing at 2 o'clock in the morning. And I noticed that one of my cousins ​​was talking to a tall blond guy.

I didn't give it too much importance because that's the way it happens in clubs. Some minutes afterwards the guy was at our table accompanied by 4 friends. And he had ordered 2 bottles of Moët and Chandon. We introduced ourselves and he told me his name, Edgar.

I have to be honest and say that he was a super cool, kind, and courteous guy. After the 2 bottles of Moët, mango and coconut kamikazes followed. The guy at no time was rude or off putting. 

We were there sharing until 5 in the morning. Then we all went down to eat tacos at the little restaurant downstairs from Baby ‘O. Edgar didn't let us pay the bill and invited us to have breakfast also.

While talking, he told us that he was an American businessman and that he had lived in Mexico for several years. He said he worked in the construction business. Edgar had really liked my cousin, at that time she was a very pretty girl and she had a shitload of suitors.

So it wasn’t strange to me that that good-looking white boy was with us. To be honest we had a damn good time. As we were about to leave, he invited us to join the party at his house. Which we couldn't do since my mom hadn’t give us permission.

Well, that day we were going back to the United States. I must also remind you that we were very young at the time. And in those days you had to ask your parents for permission. Outside the Baby ‘O we were saying goodbye when we observed around 6 vehicles. As well as bodyguards who were waiting for Edgar.

He asked my cousin for her phone number and we said goodbye to him and his friends. That afternoon we returned to San Antonio. For which we didn’t see him again. My cousin kept in contact with him by phone. Edgar invited us on several occasions to return with all expenses paid.

He even offered us to stay at his house. Months later we saw Edgar in the news. There we learned that he was a powerful drug trafficker whose nickname was La Barbie.

Grillonautas 2