Two weeks after the recapture of notorious drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, many are wondering if the reigns of drug cartels in Latin America have finally ended.

In the book, "Gangster Warlords," journalist Ioan Grillo dissected the narcotics world in the region with fastidiousness and firsthand knowledge on both its mechanics and its culture. He also gave an unprecedented glimpse into the hyper-violent realm of drug cartels in Latin America. According to Time, the Mexico-based author explored the criminal bosses at the frontlines of the continental catastrophe called the drug wars.

"The new generation of kingpins from Mexico to Jamaica to Brazil to Colombia are no longer just drug traffickers, but a weird hybrid of criminal CEO, rock star and paramilitary general," Grillo wrote. "They fill the popular imagination as demonic antiheroes. Not only do they feature in underground songs in the drug world - they are re-created in telenovelas, movies, and even video games simulating their new warfare."

"Gangster Warlords" followed Grillo's book "El Narco," which investigated the rise of Mexican drug cartels, International Business Times noted. In the book, Grillo delivered an impressive in-depth account of the appalling situation in countries torn apart by drug warfare in Latin America.

He also took in the fearsome organizations including Brazil's Red Commando and Jamaica's Shower Posse to Mexico's Knight Templar cartel and Los Viagras gang, as well as the "Northern Triangle" of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. And while the resulting picture was grim, Grillo effectively provided a fascinating look at deadly gangsters in often-neglected corners of the Latin American hemisphere.

Grillo also explained that while guerrillas have disappeared from most of the region in the new millennium, some of the remaining guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have become major cocaine traffickers. And when the freedom fighters vanished, the cartel armies have risen.

Several Latin Americans see insurgents as "honorable fighters" who liberated their land from Spanish Empire tyrants. Unfortunately, they view cartel hit men as "demons." Guerrillas and cartel gunmen also differ when it comes to the strategic objectives of a bloodshed. While guerillas often try to knock over governments and take power, cartel gunmen usually attack security forces to pressure governments to recoil.

Meanwhile, narcotics have become the largest black market of all. According to Grillo, it is estimated to be worth $3 billion annually and the global industry has forced huge resources into criminal empires for years. Moreover, crime families and their friends in politics and business have taken over much of the world's trade in narcotics and guns over the last decades. And the global black market in contraband, human trafficking and guns has exponentially expanded.