"Los Gringo Hunters": When reality inspires fiction on Netflix
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A new Netflix series, "Los Gringo Hunters," fictionalizes a real Mexican police unit that pursues and deports U.S. fugitives.
- The show, created by Jorge Dorantes, is based on a Washington Post article by Kevin Sieff about the elite Baja California police team.
- Actors met with the agents to prepare for their roles, portraying the risks and action of true crime in Tijuana.
Tijuana becomes a character in itself in "Los Gringo Hunters," a new Netflix series that dramatizes the real-life efforts of an elite Mexican police unit. Created by screenwriter Jorge Dorantes, the show draws inspiration from a Washington Post report by Kevin Sieff.
What would happen if instead of Mexicans being persecuted by US justice, things were the other way around?
Sieff's article detailed a specialized police force in Tijuana tasked with tracking down and capturing U.S. criminals, primarily Americans, who flee to Mexico to escape justice. Once apprehended, these fugitives are immediately deported back to the United States.
Dorantes adapted this compelling real-world scenario into a fictional narrative, with production companies Imagine Entertainment, Redrum, and Woo Films bringing it to the screen. The series features a special unit within the Baja California police, including agents Nico Bernal (Harold Torres), Gloria Carbajal (Mayra Hermosillo), Beto (Manuel Masalva), and Archi (Andrew Leland Rogers). Their mission is to pursue and extradite American murderers, con artists, and fugitives.
a special police unit in Tijuana, with the aim of pursuing and capturing foreign criminals, mainly Americans, who flee to Mexico to evade justice in their country.
The actors involved in the series had direct contact with the actual agents they portray. This allowed them to gain firsthand insight into the officers' work methods and the inherent dangers they face. While the specific cases depicted across the 10 episodes are fictional, they authentically capture the action and drama characteristic of true crime storytelling.
their task is to pursue American murderers, scammers and fugitives to send them back to the US.
Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.